Aerospace engineering sits at the intersection of the most demanding technical curriculum in engineering and some of the most generous federal scholarship programs available to any student. The Department of Defense needs aerospace engineers badly enough to pay for your entire education. NASA has a scholarship program in every state. The industry co-op pipeline at Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman generates $23,000–$34,000 per rotation.
The programs on this list were selected for the combination of program quality, federal scholarship access, and co-op employer relationships that determine financial outcomes — not just rankings.
Funding an Aerospace Engineering Degree
SMART Scholarship (Your Primary Funding Option)
The DoD SMART Scholarship covers full tuition plus $25,000–$38,000/year stipend for aerospace engineering students committing to DoD civilian employment after graduation. Aerospace engineering is one of the most sought-after SMART disciplines — Air Force Research Laboratory, Naval Air Systems Command, Army Aviation and Missile Command, DARPA, and dozens of DoD facilities hire aerospace engineers.
Apply at smartscholarship.org. Applications are rolling year-round. Apply in your first year to maximize years of funding covered.
Schools with strongest SMART placement: Georgia Tech, Purdue, Texas A&M, MIT, and Embry-Riddle have the highest aerospace SMART award rates driven by their DoD research relationships.
NASA Space Grant Consortium
NASA funds a Space Grant Consortium in every state — 52 consortia total — that provide scholarships, fellowships, and research opportunities specifically for students in aerospace, aeronautics, and related STEM fields. Awards vary by state and institution, ranging from $1,000 undergraduate scholarships to $20,000+ graduate fellowships.
Find your state's Space Grant at nasa.gov/offices/education/programs/national/spacegrant. This is dramatically underused — most aerospace students have never heard of it.
NASA Graduate Student Researchers Program (GSRP)
NASA funds a Space Grant Consortium in every state — 52 consortia total — that provide scholarships, fellowships, and research opportunities specifically for students in aerospace, aeronautics, and related STEM fields. Awards vary by state and institution, ranging from $1,000 undergraduate scholarships to $20,000+ graduate fellowships.
Find your state's Space Grant at nasa.gov/offices/education/programs/national/spacegrant. This is dramatically underused — most aerospace students have never heard of it.
AIAA Scholarships
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Foundation runs multiple scholarship programs for undergraduate and graduate aerospace engineering students:
- Orville and Wilbur Wright Graduate Award: $10,000 for graduate students
- Liquid Propulsion Technical Committee Scholarship: $3,000
- Multiple discipline-specific awards: $2,000–$5,000
AIAA membership is required for most awards — membership is approximately $50/year for students. See aiaa.org/get-involved/students-educators/Scholarships for the full list.
Industry Co-ops and Internships
Aerospace co-op earnings are among the most consistent in engineering — DoD contractors operate year-round and run structured programs. Average co-op compensation:
- Boeing: $24,000–$32,000 per rotation
- Lockheed Martin: $26,000–$34,000 per rotation
- Northrop Grumman: $24,000–$32,000 per rotation
- Raytheon Technologies: $25,000–$33,000 per rotation
- NASA centers: $22,000–$30,000 per rotation (paid internships, not co-ops technically, but comparable)
Three rotations at these employers generates $70,000–$100,000+ in undergraduate earnings. See our co-op vs internship guide for how this factors into your school choice.
Best Aerospace Engineering Schools
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA)
Ranked #1 nationally for aerospace engineering
MIT's Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AeroAstro) is consistently ranked the top aerospace engineering program in the world. Research spans autonomous systems, propulsion, structures, and space exploration. Students can pursue a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering or in Engineering — the latter allows interdisciplinary work combining aerospace with environmental science, sustainability, or space policy.
MIT's relationship with NASA, DARPA, and Air Force Research Laboratory produces strong SMART Scholarship and NASA GSRP placement. The Lincoln Laboratory — a DoD-funded research center operated by MIT — creates direct pathways to SMART-eligible employment for graduates.
SMART positioning: Excellent — MIT Lincoln Laboratory is a primary SMART employer. Strong NASA GSRP placement through JPL and Goddard relationships.
Financial snapshot: Need-blind; no loans for families under $90K. Strong AIAA and NASA Space Grant (Massachusetts consortium) access.
California Institute of Technology (Pasadena, CA)
Strongest research environment; direct JPL access
Caltech's Graduate Aerospace Laboratories (GALCIT) are among the most research-intensive aerospace facilities at any university in the world. At the undergraduate level, aerospace is offered as a minor alongside a primary degree — the graduate program is where Caltech's aerospace strength is concentrated. Caltech manages NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, giving graduate students direct access to planetary science, spacecraft systems, and satellite engineering research.
Caltech is need-blind for all domestic students and meets 100% of demonstrated need. For graduate students, research assistantships through JPL-connected projects are a primary funding pathway.
SMART positioning: Excellent for spacecraft and propulsion research through JPL-DoD program intersections.
Financial snapshot: Need-blind; 100% need met. JPL research assistantships for graduate students. Strong NASA GSRP placement.
Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, GA)
Best value; strongest co-op program; #1 SMART placement for aerospace
Georgia Tech's Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering is consistently ranked top 3 nationally and is the strongest combination of program quality, SMART Scholarship access, and co-op pipeline of any aerospace program in the country.
The 132-credit undergraduate program culminates in a capstone in rotorcraft, fixed-wing, or spacecraft. Approximately 80% of undergraduates participate in research before graduation. The co-op program — 400+ employer partners including Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and NASA — generates an average of $23,000 per rotation. Georgia Tech students managing an actual spacecraft orbiting the sun is a genuine example of the experiential depth here, not a marketing talking point.
Georgia Tech in-state tuition (~$12,000/year) combined with the strongest SMART Scholarship placement rate in aerospace makes it the best financial value in top-ranked aerospace engineering.
MART positioning: Highest aerospace SMART award rate of any school on this list. Strong Air Force Research Laboratory and DARPA research relationships.
Financial snapshot: ~$12,000/year in-state for GA residents. Best cost-to-ranking ratio in aerospace. Co-op earnings average $23,000/rotation.
Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN)
Most astronauts of any university; best undergraduate co-op pipeline
Purdue's School of Aeronautics and Astronautics has produced more astronauts than any other university — 27, including Neil Armstrong, Gus Grissom, and more recently Sirisha Bandla. Research areas span aerodynamics, astrodynamics, propulsion, and structures and materials. Students enter the program after completing Purdue's First-Year Engineering Program.
Purdue participates in SMART Scholarship at both undergraduate and graduate levels — one of few aerospace programs offering SMART to undergraduates. The Boeing, NASA, and Raytheon co-op relationships are among the strongest in the country.
SMART positioning: Excellent — particularly for propulsion and structures research with Army and Air Force lab connections. SMART available at undergraduate level.
Financial snapshot: In-state tuition for IN residents. Purdue Freeze caps tuition increases. Strong co-op pipeline: Boeing, Raytheon, NASA.
Texas A&M University (College Station, TX)
Best for defense aerospace; strongest military connection
Texas A&M's aerospace engineering program is consistently ranked top 10 nationally. Its military heritage — one of six senior military colleges in the US — creates natural alignment with DoD aerospace research and exceptional SMART Scholarship positioning. Research areas include rotorcraft, turbomachinery, aeroelasticity, and computational fluid dynamics.
Texas A&M's Hazlewood Act eligibility (full tuition exemption for Texas veterans and dependents) combined with SMART Scholarship creates the strongest possible military student financial position in aerospace engineering — potentially zero tuition across the entire program.
SMART positioning: Excellent — among the highest aerospace SMART award rates nationally through strong Army Aviation and Air Force relationships.
Financial snapshot: In-state tuition ~$12,000–$14,000/yr for TX residents. TEXAS Grant eligible. Hazlewood Act for veterans and dependents. SMART excellent.
University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI)
Top 5 nationally; strongest research funding; Go Blue Guarantee
Michigan's aerospace engineering program is consistently ranked top 5 nationally with $40M+ in annual research funding. Strong programs in autonomous aircraft systems, space systems engineering, and atmospheric science. Michigan's aerospace research relationships span NASA, Air Force Research Laboratory, and major defense contractors.
Michigan residents benefit from Go Blue Guarantee (free tuition for families earning under $65,000) plus strong SMART Scholarship access through Michigan's DoD research programs. The Michigan Space Grant Consortium (part of the NASA Space Grant network) funds undergraduate and graduate aerospace research stipends.
SMART positioning: Strong — Michigan's Air Force and Navy research relationships create consistent SMART placement.
Financial snapshot: Go Blue Guarantee for MI residents under $65K. Strong NASA Space Grant (Michigan consortium). SMART eligible.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Daytona Beach, FL / Prescott, AZ)
Most aviation-focused; strongest industry hiring pipeline for commercial aviation
Embry-Riddle is the only university in the country where aerospace engineering is the primary institutional focus — not one department among dozens. Its Daytona Beach and Prescott campuses both offer aerospace programs, and the school's industry relationships with commercial aviation employers (Boeing, Airbus, Delta, American, United) are unmatched.
For students targeting commercial aviation, aerospace manufacturing, or FAA careers rather than primarily DoD/defense aerospace, Embry-Riddle's pipeline is stronger than any research university. The school also has strong AIAA chapter activity and NASA Space Grant access.
SMART positioning: Good — Embry-Riddle has DoD research relationships but less concentrated than Georgia Tech, Purdue, or A&M for pure defense aerospace.
Financial snapshot: Higher sticker price than public alternatives. Merit scholarships available. Strong industry pipeline offsets cost through co-op earnings ($24,000–$32,000/rotation with commercial aviation employers).
Stanford University (Stanford, CA)
Best for entrepreneurship and commercial space; Silicon Valley access
Stanford's aeronautics and astronautics program is strong in spacecraft systems, computational aerosciences, and the commercial space sector — SpaceX, Blue Origin, and dozens of commercial space companies recruit heavily from Stanford. The proximity to Silicon Valley aerospace and defense startups creates opportunities unavailable at more traditionally DoD-focused programs.
Stanford is need-blind for domestic undergraduates and meets 100% of demonstrated need. Average institutional aid package is approximately $70,000 for families with demonstrated need.
SMART positioning: Good through DoD research relationships — but Stanford's primary aerospace industry orientation is commercial space rather than traditional defense.
Financial snapshot: Need-blind; avg $70K aid package for families with need. Strong commercial space co-op/internship pipeline.
Explore aerospace and related engineering disciplines
- Best colleges for engineering — national pillar with SMART Scholarship overview
- Best colleges for mechanical engineering — propulsion and structures crossover
- Best colleges for electrical engineering — avionics and systems crossover
- Best engineering schools in Texas — Texas A&M deep dive
- Co-op vs internship — how co-op earnings factor into school choice
