Cochise College
Two-year aviation degree at Cochise College Airport.
Costs checkedChecked November 13, 2026 by Samip Shah, CFI, CFII, AGI
At a glance
- An associate's degree with flight training, at a public college.
- Graduates can reach the airline minimum at 1,250 hours instead of 1,500.
- 2 years all-in: $121,310 in-state, $128,570 out-of-state.
Basics
| Degree | Associate's (AAS), two years |
|---|---|
| School | Public |
| Airline minimum | 1,250 hours (restricted ATP) |
| Location | Douglas, AZ |
What it costs
Tuition and room & board for 2 years, plus the whole program's flight fees, which are billed on top of tuition. Tuition changes yearly.
- Tuition (in-state)
- $17,400
- $8,700/yr × 22026-27Source
- In-state aviation (PFT) courses are $290 a credit hour, 30 credit hours a year. General courses are $96 a credit hour.
- Tuition (out-of-state)
- $24,660
- $12,330/yr × 22026-27Source
- Out-of-state and WUE aviation (PFT) courses are $411 a credit hour, 30 credit hours a year.
- Room & board
- $16,500
- $8,250/yr × 22026-27Source
- The Douglas campus's professional pilot rate for meal plan and housing, $4,125 a semester with 15 or more credit hours.
- Flight training (whole program)
- $87,410
- 2026-27Source
- Based on FAA-minimum hours; real cost typically runs higher.
- The sum of Cochise's course fees for the private, commercial, instrument, multi-engine and CFI courses: $19,120, $26,775, $23,730, $7,630 and $10,155. Priced at FAA minimum hours, with books and first-time knowledge test and examiner fees included and fuel at $5 a gallon. CFII ($6,390) and MEI ($9,280) are optional and not in this figure.
- All-in (in-state)
- $121,310
Airport
Aerial imagery: USDA NAIP imagery via the USGS National Map
Weather
What counts as a flyable day
Clouds no lower than 3,000 feet and visibility of 5 miles or more (VFR weather) for at least half the hours between 9 am and 5 pm. Hourly observations from Douglas Bisbee Intl (KDUG), 7 nm away, 2016 to 2025. Source: Iowa Environmental Mesonet ASOS archive, Iowa State University.
Paying for it
Two ways to cover $121,310.
Win what you can first, then borrow only what is left.
- Money you keepScholarships you could apply for43 open to anyone. Top awards reach $22,200.No Arizona-only awards in the directory yet.
- 43
- Money you pay backLenders that cover $121,310Four of the six lenders in our comparison lend this much. That is whether a loan this size is on offer, not whether you would be approved.
- 4 of 6
In the app
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Questions
How much does an aviation degree at Cochise College cost?
Summing Cochise College's own published tuition, room and board, and flight fees over 2 years, PilotBound estimates about $121,310 all in for an in-state student and $128,570 out of state. That is a sum of the school's published figures, not the school's own quoted package price, and flight fees are billed pay-as-you-go on top of tuition rather than as a fixed bill.
How much are flight fees at Cochise College?
Cochise College publishes about $87,410 for the whole flight sequence its 2-year associate's degree trains (2026-27), separate from and on top of tuition. That figure is priced at FAA-minimum hours, so a realistic total runs higher, often by around 40 percent. Flight fees move with your pace and the hours you actually fly, which is why they are the least predictable line in a collegiate aviation budget.
What is tuition at Cochise College?
Cochise College publishes about $8,700 per year in-state and $12,330 out of state for 2026-27. Over the 2-year program that is roughly $17,400 versus $24,660, before room and board and before any flight fees. Residency is usually the largest single lever on a collegiate aviation budget.
Does an aviation degree from Cochise College lower the airline hour requirement?
Yes. Cochise College's 2-year associate's aviation degree is a qualifying degree under 14 CFR 61.160, which lets you hold a restricted ATP at 1,250 hours instead of the standard 1,500. That is the concrete thing the degree buys beyond the credential itself, and it is worth weighing against the tuition and room and board a non-degree path does not carry.
Sources
Tuition, room & board and flight fees are Cochise College's own published figures, summed by PilotBound. Flight fees are pay-as-you-go and vary with a student's pace. The 1,250-hour airline minimum comes from a qualifying degree under 14 CFR 61.160. PilotBound is not affiliated with Cochise College. Disclaimer & removal policy.
Primary sources: cochise.edu· cochise.edu
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