Aviation degree · Riverside, CA · Checked July 22, 2026

What an aviation degree at California Baptist University costs

A 4-year bachelor's (BS) program. Tuition, room & board, and flight fees, each from the school's own published pages, summed into an all-in estimate. Flight fees are billed separately and on top of tuition. This is a planning estimate, not the school's quote.

PilotBound all-in estimate

$304K

4-year all-in, private (one tuition rate)

Unlocks the 1,000-hour airline minimum

Tuition + room & board (4years) + whole-program flight fees. Sourced figures summed, not the school's quoted package. Tuition changes yearly.

The numbers, with sources

Tuition
$162,552
$40,638/yr × 42025-26Source

Private; flat block rate (13-18 units), same for all residencies. Mandatory fees add ~$2,460/year.

Room & board
$50,672
$12,668/yr × 42025-26Source

Shared-occupancy hall plus required meal plan.

Flight training (whole program)
$90,577
2025-26Source

Partial: school does not price every rating, so the full sequence costs more.

Sum of CBU's official per-course aviation lab fees (2025-26 fee schedule) for the Private through Commercial single-and-multi sequence: Private Flight I $9,136 + II $14,166, Instrument Flight I $8,383 + II $7,482, Commercial Flight I $23,356 + II $15,473 + Multi $11,856, plus ground and certificate fees ($90,577 total). In-house FAA Part 141 at Riverside Municipal (KRAL), R-ATP eligible. The CFI/CFII courses are additional.

All-in
$303,801

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Common questions about California Baptist University

How much does an aviation degree at California Baptist University cost?
Summing California Baptist University's own published tuition, room and board, and flight fees over 4 years, PilotBound estimates about $303,801 all in. 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 California Baptist University?
California Baptist University publishes about $90,577 for the whole flight sequence its 4-year bachelor's degree trains (2025-26), separate from and on top of tuition. That figure is incomplete: the school does not price every rating the degree trains, so the full sequence costs more. 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 California Baptist University?
California Baptist University publishes about $40,638 per year in tuition for 2025-26, a single private-school rate that does not change with residency. Over the 4-year program that is roughly $162,552, before room and board and before any flight fees.
Does an aviation degree from California Baptist University lower the airline hour requirement?
Yes. California Baptist University's 4-year bachelor's aviation degree is a qualifying degree under 14 CFR 61.160, which lets you hold a restricted ATP at 1,000 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.

Other California aviation degree programs

All California aviation degree programs

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Figures are California Baptist University's own published tuition, room & board, and flight fees, summed by PilotBound into a planning estimate. They are not the school's quoted program price, and they will differ from a student's actual cost. Flight fees are pay-as-you-go and vary with a student's pace. Confirm current numbers with the school. The 1,000-hour airline minimum comes from a qualifying degree under 14 CFR 61.160. PilotBound is not affiliated with California Baptist University. Disclaimer & removal policy.

Primary sources: calbaptist.edu·calbaptist.edu·calbaptist.edu