Flight program scholarships

I am a high school senior looking to become a commercial pilot. Ideally I would like to take college classes while simultaneously getting my pilots license and working towards being a commercial pilot. What are some good flight programs and do they offer scholarships? I heard the ATP program costs about 100k. I feel I could earn some scholarships to cut the cost of flight school because of my good academic standing.

Matthew,

If you can find a single aviation scholarship program I applaud you. There aren’t any and the reason is because there’s a physical component to flying vs other fields of study. You could be your HS’s valedictorian, doesn’t mean your can fly a plane. There are reimbursements available AFTER you earn your licenses and ratings but you need to demonstrate some abilty first (and I even know a person who received a sports scholarship to an aviation university but not academics wise AND it doesn’t cover their flight training).

Adam

Matthew,

There are far and few flight training scholarships out there. Unfortunately, flight training is not cheap, but the reward of completing it, sticking through the time building phase, has a greater rewards and return of investment. As someone who had prior college debt and took the leap of faith after coming to this forum in 2019, I was thankful I took the risk.

What you need to decide is if flying is what and where you could see yourself doing for your life. You don’t mention any flight experience and that is typically the first question I always ask when I don’t see it in the intro. Before you even consider doing any training while in college, I’d recommend an introductory flight or three.

Also, while it may seem like a wonderful idea to complete the PPL during college, your primary focus should be college and obtaining a great GPA if you’re desiring a career in flying, maybe trying the license over summer break and hitting it hard. The only problem I could see is smaller-scale schools tend to cost more in the long run for a multitude of factors, but if you find the right one you could do it. Then all you will have to do is stay proficient while finishing college. ATP has three entry points: Zero Time, Solo Flight, Credit Private, so if you continue your certificates after PPL you may be limiting your flight schools.

Brady

Matthew,

This forum is sponsored by ATP and all of the mentors are ATP graduates. Of course, we recommend the Airline career pilot program. It’s the most efficient path to the flight deck and proven over decades of success. However, it is a full time program meaning you can’t divide your time between school studies and flight training. We recommend you finish college first then apply to ATP. Once you graduate there are dozens of tuition reimbursement program to help you start paying off your loan.

If ATP isn’t an option for you, you can pursue part 141 college aviation programs. Typically they are more expensive and take longer to complete but you maybe able to apply for some government tuition assistance.

Hannah