23 Best Aerospace Engineering schools in Virginia

Updated: March 15, 2026

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in Virginia ranked based on their research performance in Aerospace Engineering. A graph of 1.06M citations received by 39.3K academic papers made by 23 universities in Virginia was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Blacksburg

For Aerospace Engineering

#23 in the United States

#25 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 55%
Average SAT: 1365
Average ACT: 30
Receiving Aid: 67%

2. University of Virginia

Charlottesville

For Aerospace Engineering

#41 in the United States

#47 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 17%
Average SAT: 1475
Average ACT: 34
Receiving Aid: 57%

3. Old Dominion University

Norfolk

For Aerospace Engineering

#100 in the United States

#114 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Average SAT: 1190
Average ACT: 27
Receiving Aid: 94%

4. George Mason University

Fairfax

For Aerospace Engineering

#102 in the United States

#117 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 87%
Average SAT: 1260
Average ACT: 28
Receiving Aid: 79%

5. Virginia Commonwealth University

Richmond

For Aerospace Engineering

#157 in the United States

#184 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 93%
Average SAT: 1140
Average ACT: 26
Receiving Aid: 92%

6. Marymount University

Arlington

For Aerospace Engineering

#196 in the United States

#227 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 93%
Net Price: $31,989
Receiving Aid: 99%
Average Aid: $26,069

7. College of William and Mary

Williamsburg

For Aerospace Engineering

#208 in the United States

#239 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Average SAT: 1465
Average ACT: 33
Receiving Aid: 55%

8. Hampton University

Hampton

For Aerospace Engineering

#268 in the United States

#301 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 62%
Average SAT: 940
Average ACT: 18
Net Price: $27,428

9. James Madison University

Harrisonburg

For Aerospace Engineering

#303 in the United States

#343 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Average SAT: 1255
Average ACT: 27
Receiving Aid: 58%

10. Eastern Virginia Medical School

Norfolk

For Aerospace Engineering

#314 in the United States

#356 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 9%
Enrollment: 1,216
Male:Female: 34:66
Founded: 1973

11. University of Richmond

Richmond

For Aerospace Engineering

#348 in the United States

#392 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 22%
Average SAT: 1470
Average ACT: 34
Net Price: $30,037

12. Norfolk State University

Norfolk

For Aerospace Engineering

#453 in the United States

#506 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 88%
Average SAT: 927
Average ACT: 19
Receiving Aid: 94%

13. Washington and Lee University

Lexington

For Aerospace Engineering

#462 in the United States

#515 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 14%
Average SAT: 1485
Average ACT: 34
Net Price: $23,055

14. Liberty University

Lynchburg

For Aerospace Engineering

#473 in the United States

#526 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 99%
Net Price: $29,532
Receiving Aid: 97%
Average Aid: $12,489

15. Christopher Newport University

Newport News

For Aerospace Engineering

#539 in the United States

#592 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 86%
Average SAT: 1175
Average ACT: 28
Receiving Aid: 78%

16. University of Lynchburg

Lynchburg

For Aerospace Engineering

#581 in the United States

#634 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 43%
Average SAT: 1105
Net Price: $23,845
Receiving Aid: 100%

17. Virginia Military Institute

Lexington

For Aerospace Engineering

#616 in the United States

#673 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 71%
Average SAT: 1160
Average ACT: 28
Receiving Aid: 96%

18. Virginia State University

Petersburg

For Aerospace Engineering

#676 in the United States

#736 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Average SAT: 955
Average ACT: 17
Receiving Aid: 92%

19. University of Mary Washington

Fredericksburg

For Aerospace Engineering

#686 in the United States

#746 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 80%
Average SAT: 1270
Average ACT: 29
Receiving Aid: 99%

20. Emory & Henry College

Emory

For Aerospace Engineering

#690 in the United States

#751 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 84%
Average SAT: 1137
Average ACT: 23
Net Price: $21,446

21. Radford University

Radford

For Aerospace Engineering

#708 in the United States

#769 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Average SAT: 1050
Average ACT: 23
Receiving Aid: 96%

22. Shenandoah University

Winchester

For Aerospace Engineering

#724 in the United States

#786 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Net Price: $27,181
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $24,747

23. Hampden-Sydney College

Hampden-Sydney

For Aerospace Engineering

#757 in the United States

#821 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 41%
Average SAT: 1140
Average ACT: 26
Net Price: $29,717

Closest to Virginia states to learn Aerospace Engineering

State	Universities Unis	Best university country rank Best uni rank
West Virginia	5	95
District of Columbia	7	97
North Carolina	20	30
Maryland	16	11
Pennsylvania	52	9
South Carolina	11	84
Ohio	31	20
New Jersey	17	13
Kentucky	8	78
Tennessee	20	55
Georgia	19	8
Indiana	20	15
New York	80	14
Connecticut	16	34
Rhode Island	5	49
Massachusetts	39	2
Alabama	13	79
Vermont	3	128
Illinois	30	7
Michigan	19	3
New Hampshire	6	118
Florida	28	24
Mississippi	6	109
Wisconsin	18	19
Missouri	14	56
Maine	8	182
Arkansas	8	180
Iowa	6	39
Louisiana	14	59
Minnesota	17	16
Kansas	8	77
Oklahoma	8	61
Nebraska	7	88
South Dakota	6	220
Texas	49	17
North Dakota	3	190
Colorado	12	26
New Mexico	3	98
Puerto Rico	5	273
Montana	3	161
Utah	6	50
Arizona	5	27
Idaho	4	147
Washington	14	12
Oregon	12	69
California	63	1
Alaska	3	163
Hawaii	3	117