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

What an aviation degree at Mt. San Antonio College costs

A 2-year associate's (AAS) 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

$73.5K

In-state, all-in

$99.5K

Out-of-state, all-in

Unlocks the 1,250-hour airline minimum

Tuition + room & board (2years) + whole-program flight fees. Sourced figures summed, not the school's quoted package. Tuition changes yearly.

The numbers, with sources

Tuition (in-state)
$2,760
$1,380/yr × 22026-27Source

$46/unit enrollment fee, ~30 units/yr, plus a $23/semester health fee.

Tuition (out-of-state)
$28,800
$14,400/yr × 22026-27Source

$434/unit nonresident tuition + $46/unit enrollment (~$480/unit) for Fall 2026, ~30 units/yr. Mt. SAC's aeronautics-dept page still shows an older $334/unit; the official fees page is current.

Room & board(estimated)
$21,240
$10,620/yr × 22026-27Source

Commuter campus; no on-campus housing.

Flight training (whole program)
$49,500
2026-27Source

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

Sum of Mt. SAC's own published per-certificate minimum estimates: Private ~$12,000, Instrument ~$15,000, Commercial +$15,000, CFI ~$7,500 ($49,500). In-house Part 141 at Brackett Field (KPOC); published aircraft wet rates run C172 $140/hr and CFI $55/hr. These are FAA-minimum-hour estimates, so plan higher.

All-in (in-state)
$73,500

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Common questions about Mt. San Antonio College

How much does an aviation degree at Mt. San Antonio College cost?
Summing Mt. San Antonio College's own published tuition, room and board, and flight fees over 2 years, PilotBound estimates about $73,500 all in for an in-state student and $99,540 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 Mt. San Antonio College?
Mt. San Antonio College publishes about $49,500 for the whole flight sequence its 2-year associate's degree trains (2026-27), 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 Mt. San Antonio College?
Mt. San Antonio College publishes about $1,380 per year in-state and $14,400 out of state for 2026-27. Over the 2-year program that is roughly $2,760 versus $28,800, 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 Mt. San Antonio College lower the airline hour requirement?
Yes. Mt. San Antonio 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.

Other California aviation degree programs

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Figures are Mt. San Antonio College'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 1,250-hour airline minimum comes from a qualifying degree under 14 CFR 61.160. PilotBound is not affiliated with Mt. San Antonio College. Disclaimer & removal policy.

Primary sources: mtsac.edu·mtsac.edu·catalog.mtsac.edu