Aviation degree · Carbondale, IL · Checked September 28, 2026
What an aviation degree at Southern Illinois University Carbondale 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.
Section 1Cost estimate
PilotBound all-in estimate
$184K
4-year all-in
Tuition + room & board (4 years) + whole-program flight fees. Sourced figures summed, not the school's quoted package. Tuition changes yearly.
The numbers, with sources
- Tuition (in-state)
- $38,552
- $9,638/yr × 42025-26Source
- Tuition only; SIU's budget table lists mandatory fees separately (~$3,906).
- Flight training (whole program)
- $95,601
- Summer 2026Source
- Based on FAA-minimum hours; real cost typically runs higher.
- Full sequence PPL through MEI, sum of SIU's published per-course fees effective Summer 2026: the eight required courses come to $78,986.20 (Primary Flight I $8,628 + Primary Flight II $9,432.50 + Flight Basic $13,482 + Flight Intermediate $14,256 + Flight Instrument I $6,662 + Flight Instrument II $7,882.70 + Flight Advanced $9,988.50 + Multi-Engine Operations $8,654.50) and the four instructor courses add $16,615 (CFI I $5,525 + CFI II $5,944 + MEI $2,685 + CFII $2,461). The optional AF199 transition course, for students who arrive holding a Private certificate, and the AF220 air-carrier practicum are not in this figure. A fee buys the FAA-MINIMUM approved time and SIU says overages of $1,000 to $3,000 are common in the Private courses alone, so plan higher.
- All-in
- $183,517
Section 2Paying for it
Two ways to cover $183,517.
Win what you can first, then borrow only what is left. Neither figure assumes anything about you: one is what our scholarship directory holds, the other is what the lenders publish.
- Money you keepScholarships you could apply for51 open to anyone. Top awards reach $22,200.No Illinois-only awards in the directory yet.
- 51
- Money you pay backLenders that cover $183,517Four 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
Section 3Add to my plan
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Section 5Questions
- How much does an aviation degree at Southern Illinois University Carbondale cost?
- Summing Southern Illinois University Carbondale's own published tuition, room and board, and flight fees over 4 years, PilotBound estimates about $183,517 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 Southern Illinois University Carbondale?
- Southern Illinois University Carbondale publishes about $95,601 for the whole flight sequence its 4-year bachelor's degree trains (Summer 2026), 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 Southern Illinois University Carbondale?
- Southern Illinois University Carbondale publishes about $9,638 per year in tuition for 2025-26. Over the 4-year program that is roughly $38,552, before room and board and before any flight fees.
- Does an aviation degree from Southern Illinois University Carbondale lower the airline hour requirement?
- Yes. Southern Illinois University Carbondale'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.
Section 6Sources
Figures are Southern Illinois University Carbondale'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 Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Disclaimer & removal policy.
Primary sources: academics.siu.edu·fao.siu.edu
Other Illinois aviation degree programs
- Lewis University · Romeoville
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