Expert: David A. NewMyer - 2/11/2004

Question
First of all, thanks for the great response.

 I would also like to know if there are any scholorships available for these academies, if it is hard to get accepted into these, and if so, if attaining a private pilot lesson at my local airport would help.

Answer
Hi, David:

You caught me just before I went home for the day....so, here is your follow up answer:

The academies that provide flight training (NOT the universities) will have some sorts of loan programs and they might even offer you some sort of discount off of the total price if you sign up for certain times of the year.  But, I know of no sort of outright financial aid avialable since they are not traditional colleges.

Now, if you are asking about colleges or universities that offer aviation programs, then, there are three sorts of basic financial aid information that you can obtain:

1.  All colleges and universities offer varying forms of financial aid and scholarships to entering freshmen.  The biggest variable in what you will get in this category will depend on two things:

A.  Your SAT or ACT score (the higher the better) along with your high school grades and class rank (same thing, the higher the better).  For example, a 30 ACT at many schools will man some sort of grants.

B.  Your financial NEED based on how much your family can or can not help you go to school (financially).  This is determined by filling out the "FAFSA" form available on line or via your high school guidance counselor office.

2.  Contact this website for aviation scholarship information:  www.AvScholars.com   It was assembled by a fellow who used to work in my department and has some very good aviation-related financial aid information.

3.  Contact the University Aviation Association at 334-844-2434 or by email at uaa@auburn.edu to order their COLLEGIATE AVIATION SCHOLARSHIP LISTING.  Cost is about $20 or so.  If you are interested, they also have the COLLEGIATE AVIATION GUIDE avialable which lists ALL of the aviation colleges and universities in the country.  It is worth the money.

I hope that helps!

Good luck to you and do not forget to rate this and my other answer to you via Allexperts.com

Sincerely,

David A. NewMyer, Ph.D., Professor and Chair
Aviation Management and Flight
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
http://www.siu.edu