Aviation degree · Waco, TX · Checked September 28, 2026
What an aviation degree at Texas State Technical College, Waco costs
A 2-year associate's (AAS) 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
$125K
In-state, all-in
$134K
Out-of-state, all-in
Tuition + room & board (2 years) + whole-program flight fees. Sourced figures summed, not the school's quoted package. Tuition changes yearly.
The numbers, with sources
- Tuition (in-state)
- $13,920
- $6,960/yr × 22026-27Source
- Tier 3 (Aircraft Pilot Training) resident full-time total $3,480/semester (15 cr) x 2. The rate is unchanged from 2025-26 on TSTC's table effective Fall 2026.
- Tuition (out-of-state)
- $23,160
- $11,580/yr × 22026-27Source
- Tier 3 non-resident $5,790/semester (15 cr) x 2, unchanged from 2025-26.
- Room & board(estimated)
- $23,276
- $11,638/yr × 22024-25Source
- TSTC does not publish a single room & board figure; halls plus a mandatory meal plan ($1,000-$1,800/semester). Shown figure is an IPEDS-derived estimate.
- Flight training (whole program)
- $87,790
- 2026-27Source
- TSTC's own stated CFI-path total on its sheet revised June 10, 2026, and the sum of its five per-course estimates (Private $19,048 + Intermediate $13,193 + Instrument $18,784 + Commercial $24,775 + CFI $11,990); the multi-engine line is an alternate to the CFI course, not an addition, so it is excluded. Requires a $12,000 flight-account deposit; possible fuel surcharge.
- All-in (in-state)
- $124,986
Section 2Paying for it
Two ways to cover $124,986.
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 Texas-only awards in the directory yet.
- 51
- Money you pay backLenders that cover $124,986Four 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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Compare the pathsSection 4In the app
Section 5Questions
- How much does an aviation degree at Texas State Technical College, Waco cost?
- Summing Texas State Technical College, Waco's own published tuition, room and board, and flight fees over 2 years, PilotBound estimates about $124,986 all in for an in-state student and $134,226 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 Texas State Technical College, Waco?
- Texas State Technical College, Waco publishes about $87,790 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 Texas State Technical College, Waco?
- Texas State Technical College, Waco publishes about $6,960 per year in-state and $11,580 out of state for 2026-27. Over the 2-year program that is roughly $13,920 versus $23,160, 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 Texas State Technical College, Waco lower the airline hour requirement?
- Yes. Texas State Technical College, Waco'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.
Section 6Sources
Figures are Texas State Technical College, Waco'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 1,250-hour airline minimum comes from a qualifying degree under 14 CFR 61.160. PilotBound is not affiliated with Texas State Technical College, Waco. Disclaimer & removal policy.
Other Texas aviation degree programs
- LeTourneau University · Longview
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