Best Universities for Aviation in the World

Updated: March 15, 2026

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in the World ranked based on their research performance in Aviation. A graph of 895K citations received by 59.4K academic papers made by 511 universities in the World 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. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

United States Flag

United States | Massachusetts

For Aviation

#1 in North America

#1 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 5%
Average SAT: 1550
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $20,996

2. Beihang University

China | Beijing

For Aviation

#1 in Asia

#1 in China

Founded: 1952

3. Georgia Institute of Technology

United States Flag

United States | Georgia

For Aviation

#2 in North America

#2 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 14%
Average SAT: 1455
Average ACT: 32
Receiving Aid: 73%

4. Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics

For Aviation

#2 in Asia

#2 in China

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Enrollment: 29,000
Founded: 1952

5. Delft University of Technology

Netherlands Flag

Netherlands | Delft

For Aviation

#1 in Europe

#1 in the Netherlands

Acceptance Rate: 50%
Enrollment: 24,703
Founded: 1842

6. Civil Aviation University of China

China | Tianjin

For Aviation

#3 in Asia

#3 in China

Enrollment: 28,000
Founded: 1951

7. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach

United States Flag

United States | Florida

For Aviation

#3 in North America

#3 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 65%
Average SAT: 1260
Average ACT: 27
Net Price: $42,976

8. Purdue University

United States Flag

United States | Indiana

For Aviation

#4 in North America

#4 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 50%
Average SAT: 1340
Average ACT: 31
Receiving Aid: 59%

9. Cranfield University

United Kingdom Flag

United Kingdom | England

For Aviation

#2 in Europe

#1 in the United Kingdom

Acceptance Rate: 59%
Enrollment: 4,825
Founded: 1993

10. National Aviation University

For Aviation

#3 in Europe

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Enrollment: 50,000
Founded: 1933

11. University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign

United States Flag

United States | Illinois

For Aviation

#5 in North America

#5 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 42%
Average SAT: 1415
Average ACT: 32
Receiving Aid: 64%

12. University of California - Berkeley

United States Flag

United States | California

For Aviation

#6 in North America

#6 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 11%
Receiving Aid: 63%
Average Aid: $29,608
Enrollment: 45,882

13. National School of Civil Aviation

France | Occitanie

For Aviation

#4 in Europe

#1 in France

Enrollment: 3,000
Founded: 1949

14. Northwestern Polytechnical University

For Aviation

#4 in Asia

#4 in China

Acceptance Rate: 20%
Enrollment: 29,000
Founded: 1938

15. Imperial College London

United Kingdom Flag

United Kingdom | England

For Aviation

#5 in Europe

#2 in the United Kingdom

Enrollment: 17,565
Founded: 1907

16. University of Texas at Austin

United States Flag

United States | Texas

For Aviation

#7 in North America

#7 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 27%
Average SAT: 1380
Average ACT: 30
Receiving Aid: 65%

17. San Jose State University

United States Flag

United States | California

For Aviation

#8 in North America

#8 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 85%
Receiving Aid: 69%
Average Aid: $12,353
Enrollment: 37,661

18. Stanford University

United States Flag

United States | California

For Aviation

#9 in North America

#9 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 4%
Average SAT: 1545
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $25,078

19. Ohio State University

United States Flag

United States | Ohio

For Aviation

#10 in North America

#10 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 61%
Average SAT: 1395
Average ACT: 30
Receiving Aid: 80%

20. Civil Aviation Flight University of China

China | Guanghan

For Aviation

#5 in Asia

#5 in China

Acceptance Rate: 30%
Founded: 1956

21. Moscow Aviation Institute

Russia | Moscow

For Aviation

#6 in Europe

#1 in Russia

Acceptance Rate: 14%
Founded: 1930

22. University of New South Wales

Australia | Sydney

For Aviation

#1 in Australia

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Enrollment: 63,864
Founded: 1949

23. University of Central Florida

United States Flag

United States | Florida

For Aviation

#11 in North America

#11 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 40%
Average SAT: 1275
Average ACT: 27
Receiving Aid: 92%

24. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

United States Flag

United States | Michigan

For Aviation

#12 in North America

#12 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 16%
Average SAT: 1445
Average ACT: 33
Receiving Aid: 69%

25. George Mason University

United States Flag

United States | Virginia

For Aviation

#13 in North America

#13 in the United States

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

26. Nanyang Technological University

Singapore | Singapore City

For Aviation

#6 in Asia

#1 in Singapore

Enrollment: 33,000
Founded: 1955

27. University of Cambridge

United Kingdom Flag

United Kingdom | England

For Aviation

#7 in Europe

#3 in the United Kingdom

Acceptance Rate: 21%
Founded: 1209

28. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

United States Flag

United States | Virginia

For Aviation

#14 in North America

#14 in the United States

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

29. University of Maryland - College Park

United States Flag

United States | Maryland

For Aviation

#15 in North America

#15 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Average SAT: 1465
Average ACT: 34
Receiving Aid: 67%

30. RMIT University

Australia | Melbourne

For Aviation

#2 in Australia

Founded: 1887

31. Loughborough University

United Kingdom Flag

United Kingdom | England

For Aviation

#8 in Europe

#4 in the United Kingdom

Enrollment: 19,449
Founded: 1966

32. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich

Switzerland Flag

Switzerland | Zurich

For Aviation

#9 in Europe

#1 in Switzerland

Acceptance Rate: 8%
Enrollment: 23,420

33. Tsinghua University

China | Beijing

For Aviation

#7 in Asia

#6 in China

Enrollment: 48,739
Founded: 1911

34. University of Washington - Seattle

United States Flag

United States | Washington

For Aviation

#16 in North America

#16 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 39%
Receiving Aid: 56%
Average Aid: $16,156
Enrollment: 56,997

35. University of Toronto

Canada | Ontario

For Aviation

#17 in North America

#1 in Canada

Enrollment: 102,431
Founded: 1827

36. University of Oxford

United Kingdom Flag

United Kingdom | England

For Aviation

#10 in Europe

#5 in the United Kingdom

Acceptance Rate: 22%
Founded: 1096

37. Harvard University

United States Flag

United States | Massachusetts

For Aviation

#18 in North America

#17 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 4%
Average SAT: 1545
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $17,525

38. University of British Columbia

Canada | British Columbia

For Aviation

#19 in North America

#2 in Canada

Acceptance Rate: 52%
Enrollment: 71,201
Founded: 1908

39. Arizona State University - Tempe

United States Flag

United States | Arizona

For Aviation

#20 in North America

#18 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Receiving Aid: 93%
Average Aid: $12,172
Enrollment: 79,818

40. Technical University of Madrid

For Aviation

#11 in Europe

#1 in Spain

Founded: 1971

41. University of Southampton

United Kingdom Flag

United Kingdom | England

For Aviation

#12 in Europe

#6 in the United Kingdom

Enrollment: 21,335
Founded: 1952

42. University of Belgrade

Serbia | Belgrade

For Aviation

#13 in Europe

#1 in Serbia

Enrollment: 75,047

43. University College London

United Kingdom Flag

United Kingdom | England

For Aviation

#14 in Europe

#7 in the United Kingdom

Enrollment: 42,000
Founded: 1826

44. Technical University of Kosice

Slovakia | Kosice

For Aviation

#15 in Europe

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Enrollment: 9,714
Founded: 1952

45. Czech Technical University in Prague

Czech Republic Flag

Czech Republic | Prague

For Aviation

#16 in Europe

#1 in the Czech Republic

Acceptance Rate: 65%
Enrollment: 19,080
Founded: 1707

46. Texas A&M University - College Station

United States Flag

United States | Texas

For Aviation

#21 in North America

#19 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Average SAT: 1275
Average ACT: 28
Receiving Aid: 74%

47. Hong Kong Polytechnic University

China | Hong Kong

For Aviation

#8 in Asia

#7 in China

Founded: 1937

48. Sapienza University of Rome

For Aviation

#17 in Europe

#1 in Italy

Enrollment: 100,155
Founded: 1303

49. University of Tokyo

For Aviation

#9 in Asia

#1 in Japan

Acceptance Rate: 36%
Enrollment: 28,918
Founded: 1877

50. Braunschweig University of Technology

Germany | Lower Saxony

For Aviation

#18 in Europe

Acceptance Rate: 51%
Enrollment: 17,794
Founded: 1745

51. University of Manchester

United Kingdom Flag

United Kingdom | England

For Aviation

#19 in Europe

#8 in the United Kingdom

Founded: 1824

52. University of California - Santa Cruz

United States Flag

United States | California

For Aviation

#22 in North America

#20 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 66%
Receiving Aid: 64%
Average Aid: $22,774
Enrollment: 19,938

53. University of Southern California

United States Flag

United States | California

For Aviation

#23 in North America

#21 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 10%
Average SAT: 1500
Average ACT: 34
Net Price: $43,412

54. University of Bristol

United Kingdom Flag

United Kingdom | England

For Aviation

#20 in Europe

#9 in the United Kingdom

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Enrollment: 27,513
Founded: 1909

55. Johns Hopkins University

United States Flag

United States | Maryland

For Aviation

#24 in North America

#22 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 6%
Average SAT: 1545
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $26,017

56. University of Florida

United States Flag

United States | Florida

For Aviation

#25 in North America

#23 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 24%
Average SAT: 1400
Average ACT: 31
Receiving Aid: 94%

57. Free University Amsterdam

Netherlands Flag

Netherlands | Amsterdam

For Aviation

#21 in Europe

#2 in the Netherlands

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1880

58. Shanghai Jiao Tong University

China | Shanghai

For Aviation

#10 in Asia

#8 in China

Enrollment: 47,000
Founded: 1896

59. Polytechnic University of Milan

Italy | Lombardy

For Aviation

#22 in Europe

#2 in Italy

Acceptance Rate: 28%
Enrollment: 48,645
Male:Female: 65:35
Founded: 1863

60. National University of Defense Technology

China | Changsha

For Aviation

#11 in Asia

#9 in China

Acceptance Rate: 10%
Enrollment: 20,000
Founded: 1953

61. Technical University of Munich

Germany | Bavaria

For Aviation

#23 in Europe

Acceptance Rate: 46%
Enrollment: 44,000
Male:Female: 63:37
Founded: 1868

62. University of Otago

New Zealand Flag

New Zealand | Dunedin

For Aviation

#1 in New Zealand

Enrollment: 21,240
Founded: 1869

63. Federico II University of Naples

Italy | Campania

For Aviation

#24 in Europe

#3 in Italy

Enrollment: 80,000
Founded: 1224

64. Pennsylvania State University

United States Flag

United States | Pennsylvania

For Aviation

#26 in North America

#24 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 61%
Average SAT: 1330
Average ACT: 30
Receiving Aid: 67%

65. Warsaw University of Technology

Poland | Warsaw

For Aviation

#25 in Europe

#1 in Poland

Acceptance Rate: 71%
Enrollment: 27,072
Founded: 1826

66. National University of Singapore

Singapore | Singapore City

For Aviation

#12 in Asia

#2 in Singapore

Enrollment: 30,098
Founded: 1905

67. Monash University

Australia | Clayton

For Aviation

#3 in Australia

Acceptance Rate: 73%
Enrollment: 78,000
Founded: 1958

68. University of Nottingham

United Kingdom Flag

United Kingdom | England

For Aviation

#26 in Europe

#10 in the United Kingdom

Founded: 1948

69. University of Birmingham

United Kingdom Flag

United Kingdom | England

For Aviation

#27 in Europe

#11 in the United Kingdom

Founded: 1900

70. Yale University

United States Flag

United States | Connecticut

For Aviation

#27 in North America

#25 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 4%
Average SAT: 1520
Average ACT: 34
Net Price: $22,408

71. Polytechnic University of Turin

Italy | Piedmont

For Aviation

#28 in Europe

#4 in Italy

Founded: 1859

72. Anadolu University

Turkey | Eskisehir

For Aviation

#13 in Asia

#1 in Turkey

Acceptance Rate: 10%
Enrollment: 4,678
Founded: 1982

73. Carnegie Mellon University

United States Flag

United States | Pennsylvania

For Aviation

#28 in North America

#26 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 12%
Average SAT: 1535
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $35,552

74. Iowa State University

United States Flag

United States | Iowa State

For Aviation

#29 in North America

#27 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Average SAT: 1240
Average ACT: 25
Receiving Aid: 89%

75. University of Queensland

Australia | St Lucia

For Aviation

#4 in Australia

Enrollment: 48,771
Founded: 1909

76. University of Sydney

Australia | Sydney

For Aviation

#5 in Australia

Enrollment: 63,602
Founded: 1850

77. University of South Florida

United States Flag

United States | Florida

For Aviation

#30 in North America

#28 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 43%
Average SAT: 1225
Average ACT: 27
Receiving Aid: 89%

78. University of Hong Kong

China | Hong Kong

For Aviation

#14 in Asia

#10 in China

Acceptance Rate: 17%
Enrollment: 21,652
Founded: 1911

79. Tohoku University

For Aviation

#15 in Asia

#2 in Japan

Acceptance Rate: 30%
Enrollment: 17,975
Founded: 1907

80. National Cheng Kung University

Taiwan | Tainan

For Aviation

#16 in Asia

#1 in Taiwan

Enrollment: 21,292
Founded: 1931

81. Korea Aerospace University

South Korea Flag

South Korea | Goyang

For Aviation

#17 in Asia

#1 in South Korea

Enrollment: 6,465
Founded: 1952

82. Griffith University

Australia | Brisbane

For Aviation

#6 in Australia

Founded: 1971

83. Sichuan University

China | Chengdu

For Aviation

#18 in Asia

#11 in China

Enrollment: 44,200
Founded: 1896

84. Technical University of Catalonia

Spain | Barcelona

For Aviation

#29 in Europe

#2 in Spain

Enrollment: 29,812

85. Manchester Metropolitan University

United Kingdom Flag

United Kingdom | England

For Aviation

#30 in Europe

#12 in the United Kingdom

Founded: 1992

86. University of California-San Diego

United States Flag

United States | California

For Aviation

#31 in North America

#29 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 27%
Receiving Aid: 66%
Average Aid: $25,757
Enrollment: 44,256

87. Linkoping University

Sweden | Linkoping

For Aviation

#31 in Europe

#1 in Sweden

Acceptance Rate: 41%
Enrollment: 22,441
Founded: 1975

88. Polytechnic University, Rzeszow

Poland | Rzeszow

For Aviation

#32 in Europe

#2 in Poland

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Enrollment: 17,700
Founded: 1951

89. Massey University

New Zealand Flag

New Zealand | Palmerston North

For Aviation

#2 in New Zealand

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Founded: 1963

90. Lund University

For Aviation

#33 in Europe

#2 in Sweden

Enrollment: 40,000
Founded: 1666

91. University of Oklahoma - Norman

United States Flag

United States | Oklahoma State

For Aviation

#32 in North America

#30 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Average SAT: 1235
Average ACT: 26
Receiving Aid: 99%

92. Beijing Jiaotong University

China | Beijing

For Aviation

#19 in Asia

#12 in China

Founded: 1896

93. Queensland University of Technology

Australia | Brisbane

For Aviation

#7 in Australia

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Founded: 1989

94. University of North Dakota

United States Flag

United States | North Dakota

For Aviation

#33 in North America

#31 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Receiving Aid: 95%
Average Aid: $6,663
Enrollment: 15,019

95. University of Leeds

United Kingdom Flag

United Kingdom | England

For Aviation

#34 in Europe

#13 in the United Kingdom

Founded: 1904

96. Air Force Institute of Technology - Graduate School of Engineering & Management

United States Flag

United States | Ohio

For Aviation

#34 in North America

#32 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 42%
Enrollment: 1,070
Male:Female: 81:19
Founded: 1919

97. United States Air Force Academy - Colorado Springs

United States Flag

United States | Colorado

For Aviation

#35 in North America

#33 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 14%
Average SAT: 1335
Average ACT: 30
Enrollment: 4,114

98. University of Zilina

Slovakia | Zilina

For Aviation

#35 in Europe

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Founded: 1953

99. University of Sheffield

United Kingdom Flag

United Kingdom | England

For Aviation

#36 in Europe

#14 in the United Kingdom

Founded: 1905

100. University of Pennsylvania

United States Flag

United States | Pennsylvania

For Aviation

#36 in North America

#34 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 5%
Average SAT: 1540
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $23,570

Engineering subfields in the World

Acoustical Engineering4743

Aerospace Engineering4597

Agricultural Engineering1002

Applied/Engineering Physics1530

Architectural Engineering1794

Architecture1417

Automation and Control engineering1944

Automotive Engineering2425

Biochemical Engineering1395

Biomedical Engineering1852

Biotechnology3382

Chemical Engineering4453

Civil Engineering3746

Computer Engineering2166

Computer Networking4674

Construction Management1223

Electrical Engineering5106

Electronic Engineering3570

Engineering Management1623

Environmental Engineering3007

Firefighting and Fire Science1031

Geotechnical Engineering3548

Human-Computer Interaction3051

Industrial Engineering1007

Landscape Architecture1118

Marine Engineering1098

Materials Science5871

Mechanical Engineering5510

Metallurgical Engineering5037

Mining Engineering1031

Nanotechnology4220

Nuclear Engineering1118

Operations Research2326

Optical Engineering5406

Petroleum Engineering1420

Polymer science and Plastics engineering1009

Product and Industrial Design1022

Reliability and Quality Engineering2157

Remote Sensing2461

Renewable Energy Engineering2336

Structural Engineering4095

Systems Engineering3512

Technical Drawing1153

Telecommunications4794

Transportation Engineering1882