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College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
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2026 Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region

12 Colleges in the United States
1,489 Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Degrees Awarded
$72,009 Avg Early-Career Salary

Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering programs are offered at a focused set of schools across the country. The schools below stand out for the quality of their aerospace & aeronautical engineering programs.

For its 2026 ranking, College Factual looked at 14 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for aerospace & aeronautical engineering students pursuing a degree.

What’s on this page:

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Best Schools for Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering in the Great Lakes Region

If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the aerospace & aeronautical engineering degrees they offer, see the list below.

Top Schools in Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering

1

University Of Michigan Ann Arbor tops our 2026 ranking of the best aerospace & aeronautical engineering schools. This very large public university is located in the city of Ann Arbor. University Of Michigan Ann Arbor graduates 93% of students within six years. About 282 aerospace & aeronautical engineering degrees were awarded at University Of Michigan Ann Arbor in the most recent year. Students who receive their aerospace & aeronautical engineering degree from University Of Michigan Ann Arbor earn around $94,124 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $21,603. More information about a degree in aerospace & aeronautical engineering from University Of Michigan Ann Arbor

2

University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign is one of the finest schools in the country for a degree in aerospace & aeronautical engineering, ranking #2. This very large public university is located in the city of Champaign. The six-year graduation rate is 85%. University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign awarded about 215 aerospace & aeronautical engineering degrees in the most recent data year. Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering graduates of University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign earn a median of $87,496 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $23,951 to complete this degree. Get the full aerospace & aeronautical engineering details for University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign

3
Purdue University Main Campus crest
Purdue University Main Campus
West Lafayette, IN

Purdue University Main Campus is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in aerospace & aeronautical engineering, landing the #3 spot this year. This very large public university is located in the city of West Lafayette. Roughly 83% of students complete a degree within six years here. There were roughly 543 aerospace & aeronautical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Purdue University Main Campus in the most recent data year. Students who receive their aerospace & aeronautical engineering degree from Purdue University Main Campus earn around $88,159 in the first couple years of their career. Purdue University Main Campus graduates carry a median of $21,500 in student loans. Read more about the aerospace & aeronautical engineering program at Purdue University Main Campus

4

A rank of #4 makes University Of Notre Dame one of the top schools for aerospace & aeronautical engineering. This large private not-for-profit university is located in the suburb of Notre Dame. University Of Notre Dame graduates 95% of students within six years. There were roughly 41 aerospace & aeronautical engineering students who graduated with this degree at University Of Notre Dame in the most recent data year. Students who receive their aerospace & aeronautical engineering degree from University Of Notre Dame earn around $81,057 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $24,000. Read more about the aerospace & aeronautical engineering program at University Of Notre Dame

5

University Of Dayton is one of the finest schools in the country for a degree in aerospace & aeronautical engineering, ranking #5. University Of Dayton is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Dayton. University Of Dayton graduates 80% of students within six years. There were roughly 19 aerospace & aeronautical engineering students who graduated with this degree at University Of Dayton in the most recent data year. Students who receive their aerospace & aeronautical engineering degree from University Of Dayton earn around $56,077 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $25,033. Read more about the aerospace & aeronautical engineering program at University Of Dayton

6

Ohio State University Main Campus landed the #6 spot for aerospace & aeronautical engineering this year. Ohio State University Main Campus is a very large public school located in the city of Columbus. Roughly 88% of students complete a degree within six years here. There were roughly 117 aerospace & aeronautical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Ohio State University Main Campus in the most recent data year. Graduates of the aerospace & aeronautical engineering program make about $72,062 in their early career. Ohio State University Main Campus graduates carry a median of $25,853 in student loans. See the full aerospace & aeronautical engineering program report for Ohio State University Main Campus

7

University Of Cincinnati Main Campus came in at #7 for aerospace & aeronautical engineering this year. University Of Cincinnati Main Campus is a very large public school located in the city of Cincinnati. University Of Cincinnati Main Campus graduates 74% of students within six years. About 108 aerospace & aeronautical engineering degrees were awarded at University Of Cincinnati Main Campus in the most recent year. Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering graduates of University Of Cincinnati Main Campus earn a median of $74,992 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $20,750 to complete this degree. More information about a degree in aerospace & aeronautical engineering from University Of Cincinnati Main Campus

8

Case Western Reserve University earned the #8 position for aerospace & aeronautical engineering this year. This large private not-for-profit university is located in the city of Cleveland. About 87% of students finish within six years. About 34 aerospace & aeronautical engineering degrees were awarded at Case Western Reserve University in the most recent year. Graduates of the aerospace & aeronautical engineering program make about $83,639 in their early career. Case Western Reserve University graduates carry a median of $26,410 in student loans. See the full aerospace & aeronautical engineering program report for Case Western Reserve University

9

University Of Akron Main Campus earned the #9 position for aerospace & aeronautical engineering this year. This large public university is located in the city of Akron. About 52% of students finish within six years. University Of Akron Main Campus awarded about 23 aerospace & aeronautical engineering degrees in the most recent data year. Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering graduates of University Of Akron Main Campus earn a median of $49,045 early in their careers. Typical student debt for the program is $25,347. More information about a degree in aerospace & aeronautical engineering from University Of Akron Main Campus

10

Western Michigan University placed #10 among the best aerospace & aeronautical engineering schools. Located in the city of Kalamazoo, Western Michigan University is a large public university. About 58% of students finish within six years. About 61 aerospace & aeronautical engineering degrees were awarded at Western Michigan University in the most recent year. Students who receive their aerospace & aeronautical engineering degree from Western Michigan University earn around $69,514 in the first couple years of their career. Western Michigan University graduates carry a median of $28,021 in student loans. See the full aerospace & aeronautical engineering program report for Western Michigan University

11

Illinois Institute Of Technology ranked #11 on our 2026 list of the best aerospace & aeronautical engineering schools. Located in the city of Chicago, Illinois Institute Of Technology is a large private not-for-profit university. Roughly 75% of students complete a degree within six years here. About 21 aerospace & aeronautical engineering degrees were awarded at Illinois Institute Of Technology in the most recent year. Students who receive their aerospace & aeronautical engineering degree from Illinois Institute Of Technology earn around $63,169 in the first couple years of their career. Illinois Institute Of Technology graduates carry a median of $27,000 in student loans. Get the full aerospace & aeronautical engineering details for Illinois Institute Of Technology

12

Kent State University At Kent ranked #12 on our 2026 list of the best aerospace & aeronautical engineering schools. Located in the suburb of Kent, Kent State University At Kent is a very large public university. About 64% of students finish within six years. Kent State University At Kent awarded about 25 aerospace & aeronautical engineering degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their aerospace & aeronautical engineering degree from Kent State University At Kent earn around $44,776 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $25,174. Get the full aerospace & aeronautical engineering details for Kent State University At Kent

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Notes and References

The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 14 schools evaluated.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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