Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics
About
The Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics (PIA) is a private trade school focused on aviation-related programs with its main location in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. The institution's headquarters is at the Allegheny County Airport and it has three branch campuses. PIA's aviation programs are accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Non-Pell students graduate at a 17.3-point higher rate than Pell recipients.
Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 3 Title IV programs, 1 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 2 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing1 · 33.3%
- No Data2 · 66.7%
- Failing0 · 0.0%
Severity spectrum
Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.
Earnings premium gap
Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges
Action history · 5
- Aug 2024Renewal of AccreditationAccrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges
- May 2024Renewal of AccreditationAccrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges
- Jun 2020Removal of Monitoring StatusAccrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges
- Sep 2019Renewal of AccreditationAccrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges
- Sep 2019Renewal of AccreditationAccrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 485 students received $2.5M in Pell grants, alongside $5.7M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 209 borrowers who entered repayment, 3 (1.4%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.
Academic programs at PIA
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
No hate crimes reported.
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
PIA vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions PIA selected for federal comparison reporting.
A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.
| Carnegie | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectPittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics | 76% | — | 663 | $32,618 | Special Focus Two-Year: Technical Professions |
| — | — | 410 | $15,576 | — | |
| — | — | 272 | $27,320 | — | |
| — | — | 385 | $25,437 | — | |
| — | — | 695 | $24,800 | — | |
| 45% | 18.5% | 684 | $18,953 | Baccalaureate | |
| — | — | 118 | $15,827 | Special Focus Two-Year: Health Professions | |
| — | — | 465 | $8,095 | Community College | |
| 58% | 51.3% | 836 | $12,513 | Baccalaureate | |
| — | — | 200 | $14,190 | — | |
| — | — | 241 | $27,871 | — | |
Pittsburgh Technical College | 74% | 85.9% | — | $25,754 | Baccalaureate |
| — | 75.0% | 475 | $19,760 | Special Focus Two-Year: Technical Professions | |
| — | 76.9% | 840 | $29,776 | Baccalaureate | |
| Peer group median | 66% | 75.0% | 465 | $22,280 |
Institutions like PIA
Explore the federal data for institutions in PIA's comparison group.
- Pennsylvania
All-State Career School-Pittsburgh
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment410Net price$15,576View data - Virginia
Aviation Institute of Maintenance-Manassas
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment272Net price$27,320View data - Pennsylvania
Aviation Institute of Maintenance-Philadelphia
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment385Net price$25,437View data - New Jersey
Aviation Institute of Maintenance-Teterboro
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment695Net price$24,800View data - BaccalaureatePennsylvania
Central Penn College
Grad rate45%Admit rate18.5%Enrollment684Net price$18,953View data - Special Focus Two-Year: Health ProfessionsOhio
East Ohio College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment118Net price$15,827View data - Community CollegeWest Virginia
Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment465Net price$8,095View data - BaccalaureateTexas
Hallmark University
Grad rate58%Admit rate51.3%Enrollment836Net price$12,513View data - Arizona
HDS Truck Driving Institute
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment200Net price$14,190View data - Massachusetts
National Aviation Academy of New England
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment241Net price$27,871View data - BaccalaureatePennsylvania
Pittsburgh Technical College
Grad rate74%Admit rate85.9%Enrollment—Net price$25,754 - Special Focus Two-Year: Technical ProfessionsPennsylvania
Rosedale Technical College
Grad rate—Admit rate75.0%Enrollment475Net price$19,760View data - BaccalaureateOklahoma
Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology
Grad rate—Admit rate76.9%Enrollment840Net price$29,776View data
Reports & documents (1)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
Grants & funding (3)
Federal grant awards and open funding opportunities awarded to this institution.
Frequently asked questions about Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about PIA.
What is the graduation rate at Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics?
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About the data on this page
Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.
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