Aviation degree · Elizabeth City, NC · Checked September 2, 2026
What an aviation degree at Elizabeth City State University 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.
PilotBound all-in estimate
$117K
In-state, all-in
$141K
Out-of-state, all-in
Tuition + room & board (4years) + 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
- Tuition (out-of-state)
- $40,828
- Room & board
- $41,532
- Flight training (whole program)
- $58,750
- All-in (in-state)
- $117,110
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.
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. The NC Promise page animates both figures up from $0, which is how an earlier pass recorded them as free.
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.
Based on FAA-minimum hours; real cost typically runs higher.
ECSU's 2025-26 flight lab schedule (2026-27 was not yet posted on 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.
Paying for it
Two ways to cover $117,110.
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Compare the pathsCommon questions about Elizabeth City State University
- How much does an aviation degree at Elizabeth City State University cost?
- Summing Elizabeth City State University's own published tuition, room and board, and flight fees over 4 years, PilotBound estimates about $117,110 all in for an in-state student and $141,110 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 Elizabeth City State University?
- Elizabeth City State University publishes about $58,750 for the whole flight sequence its 4-year bachelor's degree trains (2025-26), 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 Elizabeth City State University?
- Elizabeth City State University publishes about $4,207 per year in-state and $10,207 out of state for 2026-27. Over the 4-year program that is roughly $16,828 versus $40,828, 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 Elizabeth City State University lower the airline hour requirement?
- Yes. Elizabeth City State University'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.
Other North Carolina aviation degree programs
- Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College · Asheville
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Figures are Elizabeth City State University'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 Elizabeth City State University. Disclaimer & removal policy.
Primary sources: ecsu.edu·ecsu.edu·ecsu.edu·ecsu.edu·ecsu.edu·ecsu.edu·ecsu.edu