{
  "major": "Aerospace Engineering",
  "slug": "aerospace-engineering",
  "field": "Engineering & Architecture",
  "as_of": "2026",
  "url": "https://collegeranked.com/best-aerospace-engineering-schools/",
  "source": "U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2026 release); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics",
  "metric_definitions": {
    "median_earnings": "Median earnings one year after graduation (Scorecard)",
    "net_price": "Average annual cost of attendance after grant aid. For PUBLIC schools this reflects IN-STATE cost; out-of-state students pay more.",
    "roi_10yr_usd": "Ten years of earnings minus four years of net price",
    "public": "true = public university (net_price is in-state basis); false = private (residency-neutral)"
  },
  "total_colleges_with_reported_data": 58,
  "shown": 25,
  "ranking": [
    {
      "rank": 1,
      "school": "University of Michigan-Ann Arbor",
      "state": "MI",
      "median_earnings": 80225,
      "net_price": 13138,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 749698,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 2,
      "school": "California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 85509,
      "net_price": 16665,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 788430,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 3,
      "school": "Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus",
      "state": "GA",
      "median_earnings": 79300,
      "net_price": 12116,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 744536,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 4,
      "school": "University of Maryland-College Park",
      "state": "MD",
      "median_earnings": 78631,
      "net_price": 15678,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 723598,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 5,
      "school": "California State Polytechnic University-Pomona",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 78320,
      "net_price": 11531,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 737076,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 6,
      "school": "University of Washington-Seattle Campus",
      "state": "WA",
      "median_earnings": 76881,
      "net_price": 14091,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 712446,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 7,
      "school": "University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign",
      "state": "IL",
      "median_earnings": 75859,
      "net_price": 14355,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 701170,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 8,
      "school": "University of Florida",
      "state": "FL",
      "median_earnings": 70760,
      "net_price": 6541,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 681436,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 9,
      "school": "West Virginia University Institute of Technology",
      "state": "WV",
      "median_earnings": 72210,
      "net_price": 9337,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 684752,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 10,
      "school": "The University of Texas at Austin",
      "state": "TX",
      "median_earnings": 81022,
      "net_price": 19857,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 730792,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 11,
      "school": "The University of Texas at Arlington",
      "state": "TX",
      "median_earnings": 78005,
      "net_price": 13951,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 724246,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 12,
      "school": "Missouri University of Science and Technology",
      "state": "MO",
      "median_earnings": 76183,
      "net_price": 16298,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 696638,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 13,
      "school": "San Diego State University",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 74375,
      "net_price": 15364,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 682294,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 14,
      "school": "West Virginia University",
      "state": "WV",
      "median_earnings": 72210,
      "net_price": 15634,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 659564,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 15,
      "school": "Purdue University-Main Campus",
      "state": "IN",
      "median_earnings": 71989,
      "net_price": 14600,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 661490,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 16,
      "school": "Arizona State University Campus Immersion",
      "state": "AZ",
      "median_earnings": 71712,
      "net_price": 14967,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 657252,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 17,
      "school": "University of California-Davis",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 71633,
      "net_price": 14741,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 657366,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 18,
      "school": "University of California-Los Angeles",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 71068,
      "net_price": 12548,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 660488,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 19,
      "school": "Western Michigan University",
      "state": "MI",
      "median_earnings": 69514,
      "net_price": 15273,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 634048,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 20,
      "school": "New Mexico State University-Main Campus",
      "state": "NM",
      "median_earnings": 68002,
      "net_price": 8889,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 644464,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 21,
      "school": "University of California-Irvine",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 67425,
      "net_price": 14251,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 617246,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 22,
      "school": "California State University-Long Beach",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 66477,
      "net_price": 10440,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 623010,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 23,
      "school": "University of California-San Diego",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 65401,
      "net_price": 12470,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 604130,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 24,
      "school": "Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide",
      "state": "FL",
      "median_earnings": 75483,
      "net_price": 18725,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 679930,
      "public": false
    },
    {
      "rank": 25,
      "school": "University of Colorado Boulder",
      "state": "CO",
      "median_earnings": 81835,
      "net_price": 25346,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 716966,
      "public": true
    }
  ]
}