Home › University of Virginia-Main Campus › Aerospace

Aerospace at University of Virginia-Main Campus

Charlottesville, VA · Public · Bachelor's Degree · Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering

DegreeOutlook Score (Base Case) — assumes in-state tuition

Optimistic

Base Case

Pessimistic

Earnings $77,922/yr (7% vs median)

AI Risk High (41% exposed)

Job Market Medium (25,800 openings/yr)

ROI 10.4x earnings multiple (3.8x out-of-state)

Ranked #39 of 57 Aerospace programs

How AI Changes the Outlook

Three scenarios based on how aggressively AI disrupts the career paths available to Aerospace graduates.

	Optimistic No Disruption	Base Case Gradual AI	Pessimistic Aggressive AI
10-Year Earnings	$894K	$873K	$762K
Earnings Multiple (In-State)	10.6x	10.4x	9.1x
Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State)	3.9x	3.8x	3.3x
Probability of Field Employment	85%	81%	61%
DegreeOutlook Score	69	68	66

10-Year Earnings Projection

*Year 1 uses actual reported earnings. Scenarios diverge as AI impact compounds over time.

4-Year Tuition, In-State (Sticker)

$83,944

Out-of-state: $232,056 (3.8x ROI)

4-Year Net Price (After Aid)

$91,524

-9% less than sticker · See by income

Median Debt at Graduation

$14,000

2.2 months of Year 1 earnings

Reported Earnings (5 Year)

$93,485

20% growth from Year 1

Program Analysis

University of Virginia-Main Campus's Aerospace graduates start at $77,922/yr — above the $73,060 national average, though not by a wide margin.

The 10.4x earnings multiple means ten-year projected earnings exceed tuition cost by an order of magnitude. By pure financial math, this is a standout.

AI risk is moderate — 41% task exposure — and the 15% scenario spread suggests disruption would dent but not destroy the earnings outlook.

Loan repayment is a non-issue here — $14,000 in median debt clears quickly against $77,922 in annual earnings.

At #39 out of 57 programs, University of Virginia-Main Campus's financial outcomes for Aerospace trail the majority of peers. The value case depends on other factors.

Earnings growth is modest: $77,922 to $93,485 over five years (20% gain). This field may have a lower salary ceiling than high-growth professions.

About University of Virginia-Main Campus

Admission to University of Virginia-Main Campus is competitive, with 17% of applicants accepted, enrolling 17,315 students in Charlottesville, VA.

See all programs and financial aid at University of Virginia-Main Campus →

Top Career Paths

Architectural and engineering managers $167,740/yr

Aerospace engineers $134,830/yr

Engineering teachers, postsecondary $106,120/yr

View all 5 career paths with salary ranges and AI risk →

Compare & Explore

Aerospace at Other Schools

Other Majors at University of Virginia-Main Campus

Frequently Asked Questions

How does University of Virginia-Main Campus's Aerospace program score?

A score of 68/100 reflects decent absolute metrics, but University of Virginia-Main Campus trails the majority of Aerospace programs on relative rankings. Context matters more than the raw number.

How vulnerable is Aerospace to AI automation?

AI won't 'replace' Aerospace careers outright, but it is likely to reduce the number of job openings. We model 41% task exposure, which compresses field employment probability in our scenarios.

Scores use College Scorecard earnings, BLS employment projections, and AI task-exposure research. See full methodology →