What an aviation degree at Elizabeth City State University costs

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)

$16,828

$4,207/yr × 42026-27Source

NC Promise tuition of $500 per semester plus $1,603.50 of fees at 12 to 18 credits on ECSU's 2026-27 table: technology $163, athletics $449.50, health services $197.50, student activity $355.50, campus safety $30, Viking One $10, transportation $19.50, student government $0.50, and $378 of book rental, which ECSU makes mandatory for undergraduates. The $1,312 per semester health insurance is left out because a student with their own coverage waives it; ECSU's own non-boarding total with it is $6,831 a year. A North Carolina statute fixes the tuition rate for eight consecutive semesters.

Tuition (out-of-state)

$40,828

$10,207/yr × 42026-27Source

NC Promise out-of-state tuition of $3,500 per semester plus the same $1,603.50 of fees. ECSU's own total with health insurance is $12,831 a year.

Room & board

$41,532

$10,383/yr × 42026-27Source

ECSU's own per-semester line of $5,191.47: University Towers double $2,594, Meal Plan 19 $2,408.85 (required for freshmen), meal plan tax $168.62 and a $20 mailbox. Halls run from $2,594 to $4,074 per semester; the new residence hall is $3,228 for a double.

Flight training (whole program)

$58,750

2025-26Source

Based on FAA-minimum hours; real cost typically runs higher.

ECSU's 2025-26 flight lab schedule, the latest posted as of September 2, 2026. The six mandatory labs come to ECSU's own stated total of $52,875: Private Part I $7,050 + Private Part II $5,875 + Instrument $11,750 + Commercial Parts I, II and III at $9,400 each. One further lab is required, and the CFI lab ($5,875) is taken here because the airline route instructs to build hours; choosing the multi-engine lab ($4,500) instead gives $57,375. CFII ($4,700) and MEI ($9,000) are available on top. Each fee buys a stated MAXIMUM of hours (the first Private lab is 30 hours, 10 of them in a simulator) and a student who does not meet the course objectives within them repeats the whole course rather than paying an hourly overage, so plan for that. Fees are billed to the student account, which raises the cost of attendance and can unlock more aid. Online-program students train with Flight Training Affiliates, who may deliver fewer hours for the same fee and bill hours beyond them. ECSU approximates a further $420 of medical, written exam and supplies.

All-in (in-state)

$117,110