Purdue University’s undergraduate program in aerospace engineering is ranked the No. 2 at a public university for a fourth consecutive year. It is the program’s highest ranking in U.S. News and World Report.

Figures released today place Purdue’s School of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AAE) as the No. 3 program overall, behind MIT and Georgia Tech – and ahead of CalTech, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, and Embry-Riddle.

“Being in the top three again shows that our commitment to a solid aerospace engineering education combined with numerous hands-on or co-curricular design-build activities is working,” says department head and professor Bill Crossley.

Purdue AAE is famed for its cutting-edge aerospace research and its large cadre of astronaut alumni. It is also one of the largest aerospace engineering programs in the country, having more than doubled the number of graduates since 2019.

Crossley, who has served as department head during this time of rapid growth, says the program’s success during this growth phase is no accident.

“Providing opportunities for students to participate in hands-on activities is a key piece of our university’s land-grant promise. It sets us apart from our peers,” Crossley says. “We’ve expanded and added equipment to our teaching labs during my time as head. We partnered with industry to make sure our students get to use modern digital engineering tools. We also bring industry into the classroom by hiring teaching-focused faculty with relevant aerospace experience.”

Collegiate competitions are part of the playbook, Crossley says. In 2026, he allocated funding for new tools and equipment in the AAE Maker Space, where student teams build vehicles for design-build-fly competitions.

This latest ranking update from U.S. News and World Report also showed continued strength in Purdue’s reputation across engineering disciplines, with five programs total ranked in the top five in their field. The College of Engineering as a whole is ranked eighth in the country.

For more on this new rankings report, read the announcement from the Purdue College of Engineering.