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Airline pilot flight instructor education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become an airline pilot flight instructor. Airline pilot flight instructors usually study aviation, business, or aerospace engineering. 74% of airline pilot flight instructors hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 48 real airline pilot flight instructor resumes to see exactly what airline pilot flight instructor education sections show.
The most common colleges for airline pilot flight instructors are the United States Air Force Academy and the United States Air Force Academy.
There are also many online airline pilot flight instructor courses to help get the education required to be an airline pilot flight instructor.
What education do you need to become an airline pilot flight instructor?
What degree do you need to be an airline pilot flight instructor?
- Bachelor's, 74%
- Master's, 14%
- Associate, 11%
What should I major in to become an airline pilot flight instructor?
- Aviation, 20%
- Business, 15%
- Management, 10%
- Other Majors, 40%
Most common colleges for airline pilot flight instructors
| Airline pilot flight instructor common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| United States Air Force Academy | 19.05% |
| Oregon State University | 9.52% |
| Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey | 9.52% |
| University of New Orleans | 4.76% |
| Kent State University | 4.76% |
Best majors for airline pilot flight instructors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aviation | 20.0% |
| 2 | Business | 15.0% |
| 3 | Aerospace Engineering | 15.0% |
| 4 | Management | 10.0% |
| 5 | Mechanical Engineering | 5.0% |
Best colleges for airline pilot flight instructors
The best colleges for airline pilot flight instructors are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Southern California.
An airline pilot flight instructor with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for airline pilot flight instructors. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become airline pilot flight instructors.
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
2. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$15,094
Enrollment
32,974
3. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
4. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
5. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Enrollment
9,394
6. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
7. Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ • Private
In-state tuition
$10,822
Enrollment
42,529
8. Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,530
Enrollment
4,571
9. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
10. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Enrollment
33,495
20 best online courses for airline pilot flight instructors
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Top 10 most affordable universities for airline pilot flight instructors
The most affordable schools for airline pilot flight instructors are SUNY Farmingdale, university of florida, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for airline pilot flight instructors are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for airline pilot flight instructors.
1. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
2. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
3. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
4. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
5. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
6. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
7. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
8. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
9. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
10. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for airline pilot flight instructors
The hardest universities for airline pilot flight instructors to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Southern California.
Some great schools for airline pilot flight instructors are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for airline pilot flight instructors based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
4. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
5. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
6. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
7. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
8. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, NY • Private
Admissions rate
43%
SAT average
1,415
9. University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN • Private
Admissions rate
18%
SAT average
1,502
10. Rice University
Houston, TX • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for airline pilot flight instructors
The easiest schools for airline pilot flight instructors to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, notre dame de namur university, and holy names university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an airline pilot flight instructor without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for airline pilot flight instructors.
1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
2. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
3. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
4. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
5. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
6. Capitol Technology University
Laurel, MD • Private
Admissions rate
69%
SAT average
1,070
7. Presentation College
Aberdeen, SD • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,050
8. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
9. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
10. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
Average airline pilot flight instructor salary by education level
| Airline pilot flight instructor education level | Airline pilot flight instructor salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $104,756 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $102,097 |
Airline pilot flight instructor education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025