Air Transportation at Jacksonville University

Jacksonville University's aviation program shows strong earnings growth and manageable debt, but there's an important caveat: the numbers are based on fewer than 30 graduates, making them less reliable than data from larger programs. That said, the trajectory is encouraging. Students start at $45,875—slightly above the national median—and see earnings jump 29% to nearly $60,000 by year four. The debt load of $25,125 translates to a 0.55 debt-to-earnings ratio, meaning graduates owe about half their starting salary, which is quite reasonable for an aviation program.

The challenge is Florida's competitive aviation market. While this program ranks in the 68th percentile nationally, it sits at just the 40th percentile among Florida programs, where the state median is $50,499. You're essentially paying private school tuition to land in the middle of the pack in-state, with nearby Embry-Riddle graduates starting $9,000 higher. The earnings gap matters in aviation, where initial wages affect career progression and seniority-based pay scales.

For families comfortable with the uncertainty of small sample data and without access to Florida's stronger aviation programs, the fundamentals work—the debt is containable and earnings do grow. But if your child can gain admission to one of Florida's top-tier aviation schools, those programs deliver measurably better starting salaries that compound over a career in an industry where seniority is everything.