Top Astronautical Engineering Programs in the Midwest (2026)
Updated
Part of Best Engineering Colleges in the Midwest
Regional list from Best Astronautical Engineering Programs in the United States
This page ranks the 15 Astronautical Engineering programs in the Midwest by median earnings of Astronautical Engineering graduates four years after completing, highest first. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor leads the list at $115,075, followed by Illinois Institute of Technology at $110,956 and Case Western Reserve University at $106,134.
Across the listed programs, the median is $94,177, with figures ranging from $115,075 to $66,941. For 1 of the 15 programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one.
Public institutions account for 11 of the 15 programs, or 73%, alongside 4 private nonprofits. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor ranks 16th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, and reports the lowest average net price on the list at $13,138.
Wichita State University posts the highest admission rate, admitting 94% of applicants.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor · Ann Arbor, MI | $115,075 | $13,138 | $1,043 | 15.6% |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor reports $115,075 in median earnings for its Astronautical Engineering graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $13,138. | |||||
| 2 | Illinois Institute of Technology · Chicago, IL | $110,956 | $18,425 | $12,964 | 54.9% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed at Illinois Institute of Technology left with a median of $25,000 in federal loans, and the program's earnings figure is $110,956 four years after completing. | |||||
| 3 | Case Western Reserve University · Cleveland, OH | $106,134 | $41,190 | $19,025 | 36.5% |
| Case Western Reserve University admits 37% of applicants and shows median earnings of $106,134 for its Astronautical Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 4 | University of Notre Dame · Notre Dame, IN | $103,022 | $26,780 | $7,244 | 11.3% |
| With an admission rate of 11%, University of Notre Dame ranks 4th on this list and reports $103,022 in median earnings four years after completing. | |||||
| 5 | Purdue University-Main Campus · West Lafayette, IN | $97,332 | $14,600 | $5,098 | 49.9% |
| Purdue University-Main Campus posts median earnings of $97,332 for its Astronautical Engineering graduates four years after completing, with an average net price of $14,600. | |||||
| 6 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · Champaign, IL | $97,276 | $14,355 | $2,038 | 42.4% |
| An average net price of $2,038 for families earning under $30,000 coincides with median earnings of $97,276 at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign four years after completing. | |||||
| 7 | Missouri University of Science and Technology · Rolla, MO | $96,090 | $16,298 | $10,912 | 72.6% |
| Missouri University of Science and Technology reports $96,090 in median earnings four years after completing, and its school-wide median federal debt is $23,250. | |||||
| 8 | Western Michigan University · Kalamazoo, MI | $94,177 | $15,273 | $5,263 | 84.6% |
| Western Michigan University admits 85% of applicants and lists median earnings of $94,177 for its Astronautical Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 9 | Iowa State University · Ames, IA | $94,089 | $18,589 | $10,582 | 88.7% |
| Iowa State University ranks 9th on this list with median earnings of $94,089 four years after completing, and an average net price of $18,589. | |||||
| 10 | Ohio State University-Main Campus · Columbus, OH | $92,999 | $17,339 | $4,885 | 60.6% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed at Ohio State University-Main Campus left with a median of $19,976 in federal loans, while the program reports $92,999 four years after completing. | |||||
| 11 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities · Minneapolis, MN | $92,422 | $16,778 | $6,642 | 79.8% |
| University of Minnesota-Twin Cities shows an average net price of $6,642 for families earning under $30,000 and median earnings of $92,422 four years after completing. | |||||
| 12 | University of Kansas · Lawrence, KS | $92,335 | $18,059 | $12,544 | 93.5% |
| An admission rate of 93% at University of Kansas pairs with median earnings of $92,335 for its Astronautical Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 13 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus · Cincinnati, OH | $88,511 | $25,648 | $17,974 | 85.3% |
| University of Cincinnati-Main Campus reports median earnings of $88,511 for its Astronautical Engineering graduates four years after completing, from a cohort of 60. | |||||
| 14 | Wichita State University · Wichita, KS | $83,057 | $13,194 | $9,734 | 94.0% |
| A public university in Wichita, Wichita State University admits 94% of applicants and lists an average net price of $13,194. | |||||
| 15 | Saint Louis University · Saint Louis, MO | $66,941 | $24,398 | $22,501 | 75.0% |
| Saint Louis University, a private nonprofit institution, ranks 498th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and shows an average net price of $22,501 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
How this list is ordered
Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Astronautical Engineering graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in the Midwest appear. The figures are medians for federally aided completers of the program who were working and not enrolled, measured four years after completing. For 1 of the 15 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor leads the list at $115,075, with Illinois Institute of Technology trailing by a gap of $4,119.
Job market context in the Midwest
The Bureau of Labor Statistics links Astronautical Engineering to occupations such as Aerospace Engineers and Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary. Across those occupations in the Midwest, the median annual wage is $121,967, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $91,746. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 4.4% higher, with about 317 openings a year for every hundred graduates, more projected openings than graduates. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. The ranking above uses the median earnings of Astronautical Engineering graduates four years after completing; the market figures describe the occupations, and the two are not the same measure.