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Aviation degree · Costa Mesa, CA · Checked July 22, 2026

What an aviation degree at Orange Coast 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

$82K

In-state, all-in

$109K

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 campus fees (health, service charge).

Tuition (out-of-state)
$30,120
$15,060/yr × 22026-27Source

$428/unit nonresident tuition + $28/unit capital outlay + $46/unit enrollment (~$502/unit) for 2026-27 (effective Summer 2026), ~30 units/yr.

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

Commuter campus; no on-campus housing.

Flight training (whole program)
$57,987
2022-23Source

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

OCC's published Estimated Program Cost for Private + Instrument + Commercial ($57,987: Private $20,307, Instrument $26,440, Commercial $11,240), including OCC tuition/fees. In-house Part 141 at John Wayne (KSNA). This is OCC's latest published cost sheet but is dated effective January 2023, so plan higher; CFI and multi are not included.

All-in (in-state)
$81,987

Step 2

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Common questions about Orange Coast College

How much does an aviation degree at Orange Coast College cost?
Summing Orange Coast College's own published tuition, room and board, and flight fees over 2 years, PilotBound estimates about $81,987 all in for an in-state student and $109,347 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 Orange Coast College?
Orange Coast College publishes about $57,987 for the whole flight sequence its 2-year associate's degree trains (2022-23), 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 Orange Coast College?
Orange Coast College publishes about $1,380 per year in-state and $15,060 out of state for 2026-27. Over the 2-year program that is roughly $2,760 versus $30,120, 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 Orange Coast College lower the airline hour requirement?
Yes. Orange Coast 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

All California aviation degree programs

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Figures are Orange Coast 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 Orange Coast College. Disclaimer & removal policy.

Primary sources: orangecoastcollege.edu·orangecoastcollege.edu·orangecoastcollege.edu