Aviation degree · Waco, TX · Checked July 22, 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.

PilotBound all-in estimate

$121K

In-state, all-in

$131K

Out-of-state, all-in

Unlocks the 1,250-hour airline minimum

Tuition + room & board (2years) + 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 × 22025-26Source

Tier 3 (Aircraft Pilot Training) resident full-time total $3,480/semester (15 cr) x 2.

Tuition (out-of-state)
$23,160
$11,580/yr × 22025-26Source

Tier 3 non-resident $5,790/semester (15 cr) x 2.

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)
$84,154
2025-26Source

Sum of TSTC's five per-course estimates for the CFI path (Private $18,252 + Intermediate $12,497 + Instrument $18,036 + Commercial $23,739 + CFI $11,630); the multi-engine line is an alternate, excluded. Requires a $12,000 flight-account deposit; possible fuel surcharge.

All-in (in-state)
$121,350

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Common questions about Texas State Technical College, Waco

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 $121,350 all in for an in-state student and $130,590 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 $84,154 for the whole flight sequence its 2-year associate's degree trains (2025-26), 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 2025-26. 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.

Other Texas aviation degree programs

All Texas aviation degree programs

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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.

Primary sources: tstc.edu·tstc.edu