Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology

MIT's aerospace engineering program carries debt of just $17,724—lower than 95% of programs nationally and well below both the Massachusetts median ($22,362) and national median ($25,000) for this field. When national data suggests first-year earnings around $72,000, that debt loads out to a ratio of 0.25, meaning graduates could theoretically pay off their loans in three months of gross income. By year four, when actual reported earnings reach nearly $110,000, that initial debt burden becomes even more manageable.

The caveat: those first-year earnings are estimated from comparable aerospace programs nationally, not tracked outcomes from MIT's specific graduates. Given the school's 5% admission rate and 1553 average SAT score, it's reasonable to expect MIT graduates might outperform that $72,000 benchmark—Worcester Polytech, the only other Massachusetts school reporting data in this major, shows $75,000. But without actual first-year data, there's inherent uncertainty about how quickly graduates launch.

What matters most is the debt picture. At under $18,000, even if early earnings disappoint expectations, the financial burden remains light. Combined with strong mid-career outcomes and MIT's reputation in aerospace, this program offers a low-risk path into a lucrative field—assuming your student can handle the academic intensity of one of the nation's most selective engineering programs.