Mercer County Community College
Two-year aviation degree at Trenton Mercer Airport.
Costs checkedChecked November 13, 2026 by Samip Shah, CFI, CFII, AGI
At a glance
- An associate's degree with flight training, at a public college.
- Graduates can reach the airline minimum at 1,250 hours instead of 1,500.
- 2 years all-in: $124,210 in-state, $135,628 out-of-state.
Basics
| Degree | Associate's (AAS), two years |
|---|---|
| School | Public |
| Airline minimum | 1,250 hours (restricted ATP) |
| Location | West Windsor, NJ |
What it costs
Tuition and room & board for 2 years, plus the whole program's flight fees, which are billed on top of tuition. Tuition changes yearly.
- Tuition (in-state)
- $15,634
- $7,817/yr × 22026-27Source
- Mercer County residents: $260.55 a credit, 30 credits a year. Other New Jersey residents pay $420.25 a credit unless they qualify for chargeback.
- Tuition (out-of-state)
- $27,052
- $13,526/yr × 22026-27Source
- Out-of-state students: $450.85 a credit, 30 credits a year.
- Flight training (whole program)
- $87,876
- 2026-27Source
- Mercer's Fall 2026 cost sheet for the traditional Aviation Flight Technology degree: $83,048 in flight fees plus a $4,828 fuel surcharge over 207.8 flight hours in five terms, through the private, instrument and commercial. Mercer also prints a separate sheet for its rotorcraft transition concentration.
- All-in (in-state)
- $124,210
Airport
Aerial imagery: USDA NAIP imagery via the USGS National Map
Weather
What counts as a flyable day
Clouds no lower than 3,000 feet and visibility of 5 miles or more (VFR weather) for at least half the hours between 9 am and 5 pm. Hourly observations from the airport's own weather station, 2016 to 2025. Source: Iowa Environmental Mesonet ASOS archive, Iowa State University.
Paying for it
Two ways to cover $124,210.
Win what you can first, then borrow only what is left.
- Money you keepScholarships you could apply for43 open to anyone. Top awards reach $22,200.No New Jersey-only awards in the directory yet.
- 43
- Money you pay backLenders that cover $124,210Four 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
In the app
Track your flight training at Mercer.
Enter the aircraft and instructor rates from Mercer County Community College's flight program when you set up PilotBound, and the app tracks every flight you log against the projection, rating by rating.
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Questions
How much does an aviation degree at Mercer County Community College cost?
Summing Mercer County Community College's own published tuition, room and board, and flight fees over 2 years, PilotBound estimates about $124,210 all in for an in-state student and $135,628 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 Mercer County Community College?
Mercer County Community College publishes about $87,876 for the whole flight sequence its 2-year associate's degree trains (2026-27), separate from and on top of tuition. 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 Mercer County Community College?
Mercer County Community College publishes about $7,817 per year in-state and $13,526 out of state for 2026-27. Over the 2-year program that is roughly $15,634 versus $27,052, 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 Mercer County Community College lower the airline hour requirement?
Yes. Mercer County Community 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.
Sources
Tuition, room & board and flight fees are Mercer County Community College's own published figures, summed by PilotBound. Flight fees are pay-as-you-go and vary with a student's pace. The 1,250-hour airline minimum comes from a qualifying degree under 14 CFR 61.160. PilotBound is not affiliated with Mercer County Community College. Disclaimer & removal policy.
Primary sources: mccc.edu· catalog.mccc.edu· mccc.edu
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