How much does an aviation degree cost in California?

Across the 9 California aviation degree programs listed here, PilotBound's all-in estimates for an in-state student run from $73,500 to $303,801, summing each school's own published tuition, room and board, and flight fees. Residency and flight-fee structure move the totals most. These are PilotBound sums of published figures, not the schools' quotes.

Do California aviation degrees lower the 1,500-hour airline requirement?

Yes. Every program listed here is a qualifying aviation degree under 14 CFR 61.160: a bachelor's lowers the restricted-ATP minimum to 1,000 hours and an associate's to 1,250, against the standard 1,500. That reduction is the concrete thing the degree buys beyond the credential itself.

Where do these California college figures come from?

Every line item is the school's own published figure, tuition from its tuition page and flight fees from its flight-fee schedule, each linked from the program's page. PilotBound sums them into the all-in estimate; the schools do not set or endorse that total. The directory was last checked July 22, 2026, and a school can correct its listing anytime.

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Published figures, sourced · Updated July 22, 2026

Aviation degree programs in California

Each program's all-in cost, tuition, room & board, and flight fees, from the school's own published pages. In-state and out-of-state are shown separately, since residency changes the total. These are planning estimates, not the schools' quotes.

Not after a degree? See California flight schools

CitySort

Showing 1–9 of 9 programs.

Mt. San Antonio College
2-year AAS1,250 hr ATP
Walnut, CA
Published figures
Tuition (in-state)
$1,380/yr
Room & board
$10,620/yr
Flight (whole program)
$49,500
From Mt. San Antonio College's official pages·Source
PilotBound all-in · 2-year AAS
$73.5Kin-state
$99.5K out-of-state
Tuition + room & board + flight, over 2 years.
Build your free plan →See the full breakdown →
Cypress College
2-year AAS1,250 hr ATP
Cypress, CA
Published figures
Tuition (in-state)
$1,380/yr
Room & board
$10,620/yr
Flight (whole program)
$55,000
From Cypress College's official pages·Source
PilotBound all-in · 2-year AAS
$79Kin-state
$104K out-of-state
Tuition + room & board + flight, over 2 years.
Build your free plan →See the full breakdown →
Sacramento City College
2-year AAS1,250 hr ATP
Sacramento, CA
Published figures
Tuition (in-state)
$1,380/yr
Room & board
$10,620/yr
Flight (whole program)
$55,000
From Sacramento City College's official pages·Source
PilotBound all-in · 2-year AAS
$79Kin-state
$108K out-of-state
Tuition + room & board + flight, over 2 years.
Build your free plan →See the full breakdown →
San Bernardino Valley College
2-year AAS1,250 hr ATP
San Bernardino, CA
Published figures
Tuition (in-state)
$1,380/yr
Room & board
$10,620/yr
Flight (whole program)
$55,000
From San Bernardino Valley College's official pages·Source
PilotBound all-in · 2-year AAS
$79Kin-state
$115K out-of-state
Tuition + room & board + flight, over 2 years.
Build your free plan →See the full breakdown →
Orange Coast College
2-year AAS1,250 hr ATP
Costa Mesa, CA
Published figures
Tuition (in-state)
$1,380/yr
Room & board
$10,620/yr
Flight (whole program)
$57,987
From Orange Coast College's official pages·Source
PilotBound all-in · 2-year AAS
$82Kin-state
$109K out-of-state
Tuition + room & board + flight, over 2 years.
Build your free plan →See the full breakdown →
Reedley College
2-year AAS1,250 hr ATP
Reedley, CA
Published figures
Tuition (in-state)
$1,425/yr
Room & board
$10,620/yr
Flight (whole program)
$84,945
From Reedley College's official pages·Source
PilotBound all-in · 2-year AAS
$109Kin-state
$129K out-of-state
Tuition + room & board + flight, over 2 years.
Build your free plan →See the full breakdown →
San Jose State University
4-year BS1,000 hr ATP
San Jose, CA
Published figures
Tuition (in-state)
$9,553/yr
Room & board
$22,912/yr
Flight (whole program)
$62,000
From San Jose State University's official pages·Source
PilotBound all-in · 4-year BS
$192K
4-year all-in
Tuition + room & board + flight, over 4 years.
Build your free plan →See the full breakdown →
California State University, Los Angeles
4-year BS1,000 hr ATP
Los Angeles, CA
Published figures
Tuition (in-state)
$7,938/yr
Room & board
$21,654/yr
Flight (whole program)
$90,000
From California State University, Los Angeles's official pages·Source
PilotBound all-in · 4-year BS
$208Kin-state
$265K out-of-state
Tuition + room & board + flight, over 4 years.
Build your free plan →See the full breakdown →
California Baptist University
4-year BS1,000 hr ATP
Riverside, CA
Published figures
Tuition
$40,638/yr
Room & board
$12,668/yr
Flight (whole program)
$90,577
From California Baptist University's official pages·Source
PilotBound all-in · 4-year BS
$304K
4-year all-in (one tuition rate)
Tuition + room & board + flight, over 4 years.
Build your free plan →See the full breakdown →

Weighing a degree against Part 61, Part 141, an academy, or a 2-year program?

Compare the paths

Figures are each school's own published tuition, room & board, and flight fees, summed by PilotBound into a planning estimate, except where a school publishes no flight total and that line is a PilotBound estimate, labeled as one on the program's page. They are not the schools' quoted prices, and PilotBound is not affiliated with the schools. Disclaimer & removal policy.

Common questions about California aviation degrees

How much does an aviation degree cost in California?: Across the 9 California aviation degree programs listed here, PilotBound's all-in estimates for an in-state student run from $73,500 to $303,801, summing each school's own published tuition, room and board, and flight fees. Residency and flight-fee structure move the totals most. These are PilotBound sums of published figures, not the schools' quotes.
Do California aviation degrees lower the 1,500-hour airline requirement?: Yes. Every program listed here is a qualifying aviation degree under 14 CFR 61.160: a bachelor's lowers the restricted-ATP minimum to 1,000 hours and an associate's to 1,250, against the standard 1,500. That reduction is the concrete thing the degree buys beyond the credential itself.
Where do these California college figures come from?: Every line item is the school's own published figure, tuition from its tuition page and flight fees from its flight-fee schedule, each linked from the program's page. PilotBound sums them into the all-in estimate; the schools do not set or endorse that total. The directory was last checked July 22, 2026, and a school can correct its listing anytime.