Best Universities for Aviation in the World

Updated: February 29, 2024

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 557K citations received by 49.9K academic papers made by 516 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 | Massachusetts

For Aviation

#1 in North America

#1 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 4%
Average SAT: 1555
Average ACT: 36
Net Price: $20,232

2. Georgia Institute of Technology

United States | Georgia

For Aviation

#2 in North America

#2 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 17%
Average SAT: 1460
Average ACT: 33
Receiving Aid: 73%

3. Beihang University

China | Beijing

For Aviation

#1 in Asia

#1 in China

Founded: 1952

4. Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics

For Aviation

#2 in Asia

#2 in China

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

5. Cranfield University

United Kingdom | England

For Aviation

#1 in Europe

#1 in the United Kingdom

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

6. Delft University of Technology

Netherlands | Delft

For Aviation

#2 in Europe

#1 in the Netherlands

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

7. University of California - Berkeley

United States | California

For Aviation

#3 in North America

#3 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 11%
Receiving Aid: 60%
Average Aid: $21,669
Enrollment: 45,307

8. Civil Aviation University of China

China | Tianjin

For Aviation

#3 in Asia

#3 in China

Enrollment: 28,000
Founded: 1951

9. University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign

United States | Illinois

For Aviation

#4 in North America

#4 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Average SAT: 1415
Average ACT: 32
Receiving Aid: 64%

10. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach

United States | Florida

For Aviation

#5 in North America

#5 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 65%
Average SAT: 1240
Average ACT: 26
Net Price: $38,983

11. University of Texas at Austin

United States | Texas

For Aviation

#6 in North America

#6 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 31%
Average SAT: 1365
Average ACT: 30
Receiving Aid: 89%

12. National Aviation University

For Aviation

#3 in Europe

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

13. San Jose State University

United States | California

For Aviation

#7 in North America

#7 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Receiving Aid: 65%
Average Aid: $9,210
Enrollment: 35,751

14. Imperial College London

United Kingdom | England

For Aviation

#4 in Europe

#2 in the United Kingdom

Enrollment: 17,565
Founded: 1907

15. National School of Civil Aviation

France | Occitanie

For Aviation

#5 in Europe

#1 in France

Enrollment: 3,000
Founded: 1949

16. Stanford University

United States | California

For Aviation

#8 in North America

#8 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 4%
Average SAT: 1540
Average ACT: 34
Net Price: $18,279

17. Purdue University

United States | Indiana

For Aviation

#9 in North America

#9 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 53%
Average SAT: 1335
Average ACT: 31
Receiving Aid: 60%

18. Northwestern Polytechnical University

For Aviation

#4 in Asia

#4 in China

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

19. Ohio State University

United States | Ohio

For Aviation

#10 in North America

#10 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 53%
Average SAT: 1395
Average ACT: 31
Receiving Aid: 83%

20. George Mason University

United States | Virginia

For Aviation

#11 in North America

#11 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Average SAT: 1245
Average ACT: 28
Receiving Aid: 80%

21. Loughborough University

United Kingdom | England

For Aviation

#6 in Europe

#3 in the United Kingdom

Enrollment: 19,449
Founded: 1966

22. Moscow Aviation Institute

Russia | Moscow

For Aviation

#7 in Europe

#1 in Russia

Acceptance Rate: 14%
Founded: 1930

23. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

United States | Virginia

For Aviation

#12 in North America

#12 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Average SAT: 1335
Average ACT: 30
Receiving Aid: 71%

24. University of Central Florida

United States | Florida

For Aviation

#13 in North America

#13 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 41%
Average SAT: 1280
Average ACT: 27
Receiving Aid: 96%

25. University of New South Wales

Australia | Sydney

For Aviation

#1 in Australia

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Founded: 1949

26. University of Cambridge

United Kingdom | England

For Aviation

#8 in Europe

#4 in the United Kingdom

Acceptance Rate: 21%
Founded: 1209

27. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

United States | Michigan

For Aviation

#14 in North America

#14 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 18%
Average SAT: 1440
Average ACT: 33
Receiving Aid: 74%

28. University of Maryland - College Park

United States | Maryland

For Aviation

#15 in North America

#15 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Average SAT: 1440
Average ACT: 32
Receiving Aid: 63%

29. Nanyang Technological University

Singapore | Singapore City

For Aviation

#5 in Asia

#1 in Singapore

Enrollment: 33,000
Founded: 1955

30. University of Washington - Seattle

United States | Washington

For Aviation

#16 in North America

#16 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 48%
Receiving Aid: 58%
Average Aid: $14,731
Enrollment: 52,319

31. University of Toronto

Canada | Ontario

For Aviation

#17 in North America

#1 in Canada

Enrollment: 27,651
Founded: 1827

32. University of Oxford

United Kingdom | England

For Aviation

#9 in Europe

#5 in the United Kingdom

Acceptance Rate: 22%
Founded: 1096

33. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich

Switzerland | Zurich

For Aviation

#10 in Europe

#1 in Switzerland

Acceptance Rate: 8%
Enrollment: 23,420

34. Civil Aviation Flight University of China

China | Guanghan

For Aviation

#6 in Asia

#5 in China

Acceptance Rate: 30%
Founded: 1956

35. RMIT University

Australia | Melbourne

For Aviation

#2 in Australia

Founded: 1887

36. Harvard University

United States | Massachusetts

For Aviation

#18 in North America

#17 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 3%
Average SAT: 1535
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $19,491

37. University of British Columbia

Canada | British Columbia

For Aviation

#19 in North America

#2 in Canada

Acceptance Rate: 52%
Enrollment: 20,893
Founded: 1908

38. Technical University of Madrid

For Aviation

#11 in Europe

#1 in Spain

Founded: 1971

39. University of Southampton

United Kingdom | England

For Aviation

#12 in Europe

#6 in the United Kingdom

Enrollment: 21,335
Founded: 1952

40. Arizona State University - Tempe

United States | Arizona

For Aviation

#20 in North America

#18 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Receiving Aid: 93%
Average Aid: $12,381
Enrollment: 80,065

41. University College London

United Kingdom | England

For Aviation

#13 in Europe

#7 in the United Kingdom

Enrollment: 42,000
Founded: 1826

42. Tsinghua University

China | Beijing

For Aviation

#7 in Asia

#6 in China

Enrollment: 48,739
Founded: 1911

43. University of Tokyo

For Aviation

#8 in Asia

#1 in Japan

Acceptance Rate: 36%
Enrollment: 28,218
Founded: 1877

44. Free University Amsterdam

Netherlands | Amsterdam

For Aviation

#14 in Europe

#2 in the Netherlands

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1880

45. University of Southern California

United States | California

For Aviation

#21 in North America

#19 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 12%
Average SAT: 1500
Average ACT: 34
Net Price: $36,808

46. Sapienza University of Rome

For Aviation

#15 in Europe

#1 in Italy

Enrollment: 100,155
Founded: 1303

47. University of Belgrade

Serbia | Belgrade

For Aviation

#16 in Europe

#1 in Serbia

Enrollment: 75,047

48. Czech Technical University in Prague

Czech Republic | Prague

For Aviation

#17 in Europe

#1 in the Czech Republic

Acceptance Rate: 65%
Enrollment: 19,080
Male:Female: 75:25
Founded: 1707

49. University of Bristol

United Kingdom | England

For Aviation

#18 in Europe

#8 in the United Kingdom

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

50. University of California - Santa Cruz

United States | California

For Aviation

#22 in North America

#20 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 47%
Receiving Aid: 74%
Average Aid: $21,202
Enrollment: 19,478

51. Monash University

Australia | Clayton

For Aviation

#3 in Australia

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

52. Braunschweig University of Technology

Germany | Lower Saxony

For Aviation

#19 in Europe

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

53. Johns Hopkins University

United States | Maryland

For Aviation

#23 in North America

#21 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 7%
Average SAT: 1545
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $24,034

54. University of Florida

United States | Florida

For Aviation

#24 in North America

#22 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 23%
Average SAT: 1395
Average ACT: 31
Receiving Aid: 94%

55. Hong Kong Polytechnic University

China | Hong Kong

For Aviation

#9 in Asia

#7 in China

Founded: 1937

56. University of Otago

New Zealand | Dunedin

For Aviation

#1 in New Zealand

Enrollment: 21,240
Founded: 1869

57. Technical University of Kosice

Slovakia | Kosice

For Aviation

#20 in Europe

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

58. University of Manchester

United Kingdom | England

For Aviation

#21 in Europe

#9 in the United Kingdom

Founded: 1824

59. Shanghai Jiao Tong University

China | Shanghai

For Aviation

#10 in Asia

#8 in China

Enrollment: 47,000
Founded: 1896

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. National University of Singapore

Singapore | Singapore City

For Aviation

#12 in Asia

#2 in Singapore

Enrollment: 30,098
Founded: 1905

62. 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

63. Tohoku University

For Aviation

#13 in Asia

#2 in Japan

Acceptance Rate: 30%
Enrollment: 17,591
Founded: 1907

64. Federico II University of Naples

Italy | Campania

For Aviation

#23 in Europe

#3 in Italy

Enrollment: 73,553
Founded: 1224

65. University of Nottingham

United Kingdom | England

For Aviation

#24 in Europe

#10 in the United Kingdom

Founded: 1948

66. Technical University of Munich

Germany | Bavaria

For Aviation

#25 in Europe

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

67. University of Birmingham

United Kingdom | England

For Aviation

#26 in Europe

#11 in the United Kingdom

Founded: 1900

68. University of Hong Kong

China | Hong Kong

For Aviation

#14 in Asia

#10 in China

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

69. National Cheng Kung University

Taiwan | Tainan

For Aviation

#15 in Asia

#1 in Taiwan

Enrollment: 21,292
Founded: 1931

70. Warsaw University of Technology

Poland | Warsaw

For Aviation

#27 in Europe

#1 in Poland

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

71. Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology

United States | New York State

For Aviation

#25 in North America

#23 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Net Price: $34,758
Receiving Aid: 96%
Average Aid: $6,444

72. University of California - Davis

United States | California

For Aviation

#26 in North America

#24 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 37%
Receiving Aid: 63%
Average Aid: $20,548
Enrollment: 39,679

73. Carnegie Mellon University

United States | Pennsylvania

For Aviation

#27 in North America

#25 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 11%
Average SAT: 1530
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $33,499

74. University of Sydney

Australia | Sydney

For Aviation

#4 in Australia

Enrollment: 63,602
Founded: 1850

75. Pennsylvania State University

United States | Pennsylvania

For Aviation

#28 in North America

#26 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 55%
Average SAT: 1300
Average ACT: 29
Receiving Aid: 68%

76. University of California-San Diego

United States | California

For Aviation

#29 in North America

#27 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 24%
Receiving Aid: 61%
Average Aid: $20,782
Enrollment: 42,006

77. Iowa State University

United States | Iowa State

For Aviation

#30 in North America

#28 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Average SAT: 1220
Average ACT: 25
Receiving Aid: 89%

78. Polytechnic University of Turin

Italy | Piedmont

For Aviation

#28 in Europe

#4 in Italy

Founded: 1859

79. Technical University of Catalonia

Spain | Barcelona

For Aviation

#29 in Europe

#2 in Spain

Enrollment: 29,812

80. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

United States | Minnesota

For Aviation

#31 in North America

#29 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Average SAT: 1395
Average ACT: 30
Receiving Aid: 82%

81. Anadolu University

Turkey | Eskisehir

For Aviation

#16 in Asia

#1 in Turkey

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

82. Griffith University

Australia | Brisbane

For Aviation

#5 in Australia

Founded: 1971

83. University of South Florida

United States | Florida

For Aviation

#32 in North America

#30 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 44%
Average SAT: 1235
Average ACT: 27
Receiving Aid: 90%

84. Brigham Young University - Provo

United States | Utah

For Aviation

#33 in North America

#31 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 67%
Average SAT: 1374
Average ACT: 30
Net Price: $13,521

85. Texas A&M University - College Station

United States | Texas

For Aviation

#34 in North America

#32 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Average SAT: 1270
Average ACT: 28
Receiving Aid: 74%

86. Manchester Metropolitan University

United Kingdom | England

For Aviation

#30 in Europe

#12 in the United Kingdom

Founded: 1992

87. Trinity College Dublin, University of Dublin

Ireland | Dublin

For Aviation

#31 in Europe

Enrollment: 20,430
Founded: 1592

88. University of Leeds

United Kingdom | England

For Aviation

#32 in Europe

#13 in the United Kingdom

Founded: 1904

89. Korea Aerospace University

South Korea | Goyang

For Aviation

#17 in Asia

#1 in South Korea

Enrollment: 6,465
Founded: 1952

90. University of Oklahoma - Norman

United States | Oklahoma State

For Aviation

#35 in North America

#33 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 73%
Average SAT: 1230
Average ACT: 26
Receiving Aid: 99%

91. Beijing Jiaotong University

China | Beijing

For Aviation

#18 in Asia

#11 in China

Founded: 1896

92. Polytechnic University, Rzeszow

Poland | Rzeszow

For Aviation

#33 in Europe

#2 in Poland

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

93. University of Queensland

Australia | St Lucia

For Aviation

#6 in Australia

Enrollment: 48,771
Founded: 1909

94. Rutgers University - New Brunswick

United States | New Jersey

For Aviation

#36 in North America

#34 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 66%
Average SAT: 1375
Average ACT: 31
Receiving Aid: 70%

95. Concordia University

Canada | Quebec State

For Aviation

#37 in North America

#3 in Canada

Acceptance Rate: 44%
Founded: 1974

96. Queensland University of Technology

Australia | Brisbane

For Aviation

#7 in Australia

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Founded: 1989

97. Sichuan University

China | Chengdu

For Aviation

#19 in Asia

#12 in China

Enrollment: 44,200
Founded: 1896

98. University of Virginia

United States | Virginia

For Aviation

#38 in North America

#35 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 19%
Average SAT: 1470
Average ACT: 33
Receiving Aid: 54%

99. United States Air Force Academy - Colorado Springs

United States | Colorado

For Aviation

#39 in North America

#36 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 16%
Average SAT: 1395
Average ACT: 31
Enrollment: 4,085

100. University of Sheffield

United Kingdom | England

For Aviation

#34 in Europe

#14 in the United Kingdom

Founded: 1905

Engineering subfields in the World

Acoustical Engineering4449

Aerospace Engineering4303

Agricultural Engineering1031

Applied/Engineering Physics1260

Architectural Engineering1513

Architecture1232

Automation and Control engineering1820

Automotive Engineering2183

Biochemical Engineering1129

Biomedical Engineering1654

Biotechnology3140

Chemical Engineering4260

Civil Engineering3470

Computer Engineering2056

Computer Networking4414

Construction Management1055

Electrical Engineering4893

Electronic Engineering3360

Engineering Management1383

Environmental Engineering2765

Firefighting and Fire Science1053

Geotechnical Engineering3318

Human-Computer Interaction2706

Industrial Engineering1025

Landscape Architecture1249

Marine Engineering1019

Materials Science5728

Mechanical Engineering5246

Metallurgical Engineering4859

Mining Engineering1031

Nanotechnology4040

Nuclear Engineering1013

Operations Research2129

Optical Engineering5230

Petroleum Engineering1251

Polymer science and Plastics engineering1013

Product and Industrial Design1024

Reliability and Quality Engineering1970

Remote Sensing2188

Renewable Energy Engineering2152

Structural Engineering3835

Systems Engineering3216

Technical Drawing1008

Telecommunications4557

Transportation Engineering1696