Best Astronautical Engineering Programs in the South (2026)
Updated
Part of Best Engineering Colleges in the South
Regional list from Best Astronautical Engineering Programs in the United States
This page ranks the 21 Astronautical Engineering programs in the South by the median earnings of Astronautical Engineering graduates four years after completing. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University ranks 1st on this list, reporting median earnings of $106,633 for its graduates four years after completing.
Across the listed programs, the figure ranges from $106,633 to $55,338, with a median of $94,375.
Public institutions account for 18 of the 21 programs, alongside 3 private nonprofit schools. University of Florida posts the lowest average net price on the page at $6,541.
The University of Texas at Arlington ranks 8th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University · Blacksburg, VA | $106,633 | $24,953 | $11,689 | 54.8% |
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University ranks 1st on this list, reporting median earnings of $106,633 for its Astronautical Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 2 | The University of Texas at Austin · Austin, TX | $104,422 | $19,857 | $12,553 | 26.6% |
| The University of Texas at Austin posts an admission rate of 27% and median earnings of $104,422 for its Astronautical Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 3 | Auburn University · Auburn, AL | $102,756 | $24,323 | $16,681 | 45.9% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed left with a median of $21,000 in federal loans at Auburn University, where Astronautical Engineering completers earn a median of $102,756 four years after completing. | |||||
| 4 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus · Atlanta, GA | $102,415 | $12,116 | $7,666 | 14.1% |
| Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus admits 14% of applicants and reports median earnings of $102,415 for its Astronautical Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 5 | The University of Texas at Arlington · Arlington, TX | $99,239 | $13,951 | $11,893 | 79.9% |
| The University of Texas at Arlington ranks 8th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, and its Astronautical Engineering graduates earn a median of $99,239 four years after completing. | |||||
| 6 | University of Maryland-College Park · College Park, MD | $98,044 | $15,678 | $2,962 | 44.8% |
| University of Maryland-College Park reports median earnings of $98,044 for its Astronautical Engineering graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $15,678. | |||||
| 7 | Texas A&M University-College Station · College Station, TX | $97,227 | $21,315 | $12,784 | 57.4% |
| Texas A&M University-College Station ranks 25th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, and its Astronautical Engineering graduates earn a median of $97,227 four years after completing. | |||||
| 8 | Florida Institute of Technology · Melbourne, FL | $97,015 | $35,639 | $29,108 | 57.7% |
| A private nonprofit university in Melbourne, Florida Institute of Technology reports median earnings of $97,015 for its Astronautical Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 9 | University of Central Florida · Orlando, FL | $96,972 | $10,411 | $5,816 | 40.1% |
| University of Central Florida reports median earnings of $96,972 for its Astronautical Engineering graduates four years after completing, with an average net price of $10,411. | |||||
| 10 | West Virginia University · Morgantown, WV | $94,750 | $15,634 | $9,450 | 89.0% |
| West Virginia University admits 89% of applicants, and its Astronautical Engineering graduates earn a median of $94,750 four years after completing. | |||||
| 11 | University of Florida · Gainesville, FL | $94,375 | $6,541 | $1,982 | 24.2% |
| University of Florida reports median earnings of $94,375 for its Astronautical Engineering graduates four years after completing, and an average net price of $6,541. | |||||
| 12 | The University of Alabama · Tuscaloosa, AL | $91,999 | $22,420 | $19,169 | 76.7% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed left with a median of $22,750 in federal loans at The University of Alabama, where Astronautical Engineering completers earn a median of $91,999 four years after completing. | |||||
| 13 | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus · Stillwater, OK | $91,249 | $17,447 | $12,243 | 75.0% |
| Oklahoma State University-Main Campus reports median earnings of $91,249 for its Astronautical Engineering graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $12,243 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 14 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh · Raleigh, NC | $89,932 | $17,303 | $6,382 | 41.7% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed at North Carolina State University at Raleigh left with a median of $20,121 in federal loans, and the school ranks 99th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 15 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus · Norman, OK | $89,714 | $15,300 | $10,509 | 76.6% |
| University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus admits 77% of applicants and shows median earnings of $89,714 for its Astronautical Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 16 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville · Knoxville, TN | $89,015 | $18,976 | $10,029 | 41.6% |
| Ranking 16th on this list, The University of Tennessee-Knoxville posts an average net price of $18,976 and a 54-graduate earnings cohort for Astronautical Engineering. | |||||
| 17 | Mississippi State University · Mississippi State, MS | $88,444 | $17,595 | $14,332 | 77.6% |
| Mississippi State University reports median earnings of $88,444 for its Astronautical Engineering graduates four years after completing, with a school-wide median federal debt of $22,142 across all borrowers who completed. | |||||
| 18 | University of Alabama in Huntsville · Huntsville, AL | $87,339 | $18,796 | $16,192 | 68.6% |
| With an admission rate of 69%, University of Alabama in Huntsville ranks 249th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports 121 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 19 | University of Virginia-Main Campus · Charlottesville, VA | $85,681 | $21,565 | $8,174 | 16.8% |
| University of Virginia-Main Campus, a public university in Charlottesville, shows median earnings of $85,681 for its Astronautical Engineering graduates four years after completing and an average net price of $8,174 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 20 | University of Miami · Coral Gables, FL | $71,015 | $37,244 | $15,978 | 18.9% |
| An average net price of $37,244 coincides with median earnings of $71,015 for Astronautical Engineering graduates at University of Miami four years after completing. | |||||
| 21 | Tuskegee University · Tuskegee, AL | $55,338 | $35,013 | $34,324 | 48.7% |
| Ranking 21st on this list, Tuskegee University posts an average net price of $34,324 for families earning under $30,000 and an 8-graduate earnings cohort. | |||||
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 South appear. The figure is the median for federally aided completers of the program who were working and not enrolled. For 2 of the 21 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. The spread from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University to the bottom of the list is $51,295.
Job market context in the South
Graduates of Astronautical Engineering programs in the South enter a labor market that links to occupations such as Aerospace Engineers and Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary. The median annual wage across those occupations is $126,437, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $94,674. Projections for 2024 to 2034 show about 8,170 openings a year, or about 373 openings a year for every hundred graduates, which means more projected openings than graduates. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 9.2% higher. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. The ranking above uses the median earnings of program graduates four years after completing, which is a different measure from the occupational wage figures described here.