CollegeCostWise

Bachelor's · Boulder, Colorado

Is Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering at University of Colorado Boulder worth it?

High confidence High confidence: 100+ graduates behind the earnings figures.

The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans

Pays back fast: graduates typically recover the cost in about 2.5 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating
$86,334
Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating
$124,974
Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation
$22,750
NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Net cost to graduate, all families
$101k (likely $101k – $131k)
AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4
$81k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in CO
2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback
2.5 years (likely 2.2–3.0)
Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return
$456k (likely $339k – $570k)
Today's dollars
20-year net return
$1.40M (likely $1.14M – $1.71M)
Today's dollars
Odds of finishing (school-wide)
74%
Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26

Change income, residency or loans Compare Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering at other schools

🏗️ Getting ready in high school

Students heading toward engineering & architecture majors like this one often take these classes. Every school offers a different mix, so check with your counselor.

AP classes

  • AP Calculus AB or BC
  • AP Physics 1
  • AP Physics C: Mechanics
  • AP Chemistry

IB Higher Level

  • Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches HL
  • Physics HL

Build my roadmap 🗺️ Middle school to career, plus high schools near you that offer these classes.

Other majors at University of Colorado Boulder