Aviation degree · Murfreesboro, TN · Checked July 22, 2026

What an aviation degree at Middle Tennessee 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

$166K

In-state, all-in

$260K

Out-of-state, all-in

Unlocks the 1,000-hour airline minimum

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)
$45,696
$11,424/yr × 42026-27Source
Tuition (out-of-state)
$139,552
$34,888/yr × 42026-27Source
Room & board
$49,344
$12,336/yr × 42025-26Source

Shared room $3,246/term + mandatory freshman meal plan $2,922/term, x2 semesters (meal plan is on MTSU's Housing & Meal Plan Rates PDF).

Flight training (whole program)
$71,000
2025-26Source

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

MTSU's published figure: the required flight-lab sequence totals about $71,000 over 5 semesters. The instructor ratings (CFI/CFII/MEI) are not separately priced, so the full sequence costs more. Charged per flown hour; plan higher.

All-in (in-state)
$166,040

Step 2

Turn this into a plan.

A degree is one path. Build a free plan to map every step to your checkride and see it against the other routes.

Build your free plan

See how this stacks up against Part 61, Part 141, an academy, and a 2-year degree.

Compare the paths

Common questions about Middle Tennessee State University

How much does an aviation degree at Middle Tennessee State University cost?
Summing Middle Tennessee State University's own published tuition, room and board, and flight fees over 4 years, PilotBound estimates about $166,040 all in for an in-state student and $259,896 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 Middle Tennessee State University?
Middle Tennessee State University publishes about $71,000 for the whole flight sequence its 4-year bachelor's degree trains (2025-26), 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 Middle Tennessee State University?
Middle Tennessee State University publishes about $11,424 per year in-state and $34,888 out of state for 2026-27. Over the 4-year program that is roughly $45,696 versus $139,552, 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 Middle Tennessee State University lower the airline hour requirement?
Yes. Middle Tennessee 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.

Plan the money before you commit

A program price only makes sense next to what each rating costs on its own, what free money exists, and what borrowing actually looks like.

What each rating costs

Honest per-rating ranges, with the fees most quotes leave out.

Free money first

Verified flight training scholarships. Every scholarship dollar is a dollar you never finance.

If you borrow

Compare lenders and see the real monthly payment before you sign.

Figures are Middle Tennessee 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 Middle Tennessee State University. Disclaimer & removal policy.

Primary sources: aerospace.mtsu.edu·mtsu.edu