Best Astronautical Engineering Programs in the West (2026)
Updated
Part of Best Engineering Colleges in the West
Regional list from Best Astronautical Engineering Programs in the United States
This page ranks the 15 Astronautical Engineering programs in the West by median earnings of Astronautical Engineering graduates four years after completing. University of Southern California ranks 1st on this list, reporting median earnings of $125,514 for its graduates four years after completing.
Across the listed programs, the figure ranges from $125,514 to $68,219, with a median of $100,537. The gap between the first- and second-ranked programs is $9,164.
Public institutions account for 93% of the list, with 14 schools compared to 1 private nonprofit. University of California-San Diego ranks 1st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.
New Mexico State University-Main Campus posts the lowest average net price, at $8,889.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Southern California · Los Angeles, CA | $125,514 | $32,740 | $13,516 | 9.8% |
| University of Southern California reports $125,514 in median earnings for its Astronautical Engineering graduates four years after completing, alongside an admission rate of 10%. | |||||
| 2 | University of Colorado Boulder · Boulder, CO | $116,350 | $25,346 | $14,231 | 78.1% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed at University of Colorado Boulder left with a median of $19,500 in federal loans, while the Astronautical Engineering program posts median earnings of $116,350 four years after completing. | |||||
| 3 | University of California-Los Angeles · Los Angeles, CA | $115,706 | $12,548 | $5,579 | 9.0% |
| University of California-Los Angeles admits 9% of applicants and its Astronautical Engineering graduates earn a median of $115,706 four years after completing. | |||||
| 4 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus · Seattle, WA | $111,349 | $14,091 | $6,384 | 39.2% |
| An average net price of $6,384 for families earning under $30,000 at University of Washington-Seattle Campus coincides with median earnings of $111,349 for its Astronautical Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 5 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo · San Luis Obispo, CA | $107,498 | $16,665 | $7,529 | 31.3% |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo ranks 5th on this list, with median earnings of $107,498 for its Astronautical Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 6 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona · Pomona, CA | $106,171 | $11,531 | $7,851 | 75.2% |
| Median earnings of $106,171 for Astronautical Engineering graduates four years after completing at California State Polytechnic University-Pomona coincide with an average net price of $11,531. | |||||
| 7 | California State University-Long Beach · Long Beach, CA | $101,797 | $10,440 | $7,183 | 46.3% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed at California State University-Long Beach left with a median of $14,289 in federal loans, and the Astronautical Engineering program reports median earnings of $101,797 four years after completing. | |||||
| 8 | University of California-Irvine · Irvine, CA | $100,537 | $14,251 | $8,123 | 28.6% |
| University of California-Irvine admits 29% of applicants, and its Astronautical Engineering graduates earn a median of $100,537 four years after completing. | |||||
| 9 | University of California-San Diego · La Jolla, CA | $100,173 | $12,470 | $7,525 | 26.7% |
| An average net price of $7,525 for families earning under $30,000 at University of California-San Diego coincides with median earnings of $100,173 for its Astronautical Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 10 | San Diego State University · San Diego, CA | $100,139 | $15,364 | $9,910 | 36.2% |
| San Diego State University ranks 36th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, and its Astronautical Engineering graduates earn a median of $100,139 four years after completing. | |||||
| 11 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion · Tempe, AZ | $96,946 | $14,967 | $9,070 | 89.9% |
| Arizona State University Campus Immersion reports median earnings of $96,946 for its Astronautical Engineering graduates four years after completing, alongside an admission rate of 90%. | |||||
| 12 | New Mexico State University-Main Campus · Las Cruces, NM | $96,510 | $8,889 | $6,648 | 89.0% |
| New Mexico State University-Main Campus ranks 12th on this list, with median earnings of $96,510 for its Astronautical Engineering graduates four years after completing and an average net price of $8,889. | |||||
| 13 | University of California-Davis · Davis, CA | $93,414 | $14,741 | $9,211 | 41.8% |
| University of California-Davis reports median earnings of $93,414 for its Astronautical Engineering graduates four years after completing, with 68 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 14 | University of Arizona · Tucson, AZ | $86,529 | $16,674 | $13,353 | 86.1% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed at University of Arizona left with a median of $19,620 in federal loans, and the school admits 86% of applicants. | |||||
| 15 | San Jose State University · San Jose, CA | $68,219 | $13,760 | $9,730 | 84.6% |
| San Jose State University ranks 15th on this list and carries an average net price of $9,730 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 West appear. The figure is the median 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 Southern California leads with $125,514, a gap of $9,164 above University of Colorado Boulder at $116,350.
Job market context in the West
The Bureau of Labor Statistics links Astronautical Engineering to occupations such as Aerospace Engineers and Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary. Across those occupations in the West, the median annual wage is $142,098, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $114,652. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 8.0% higher, with about 394 openings a year for every hundred graduates, more projected openings than graduates. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. These labor-market figures describe the occupations, not the earnings of any listed program; the ranking above uses the median earnings of Astronautical Engineering graduates four years after completing.