Before Astronaut School, There Was College
Many children around the country dream of taking off into outer space.
A lucky few had that opportunity, but if you’d like to be one of them, you’ll have to head to college first.
Apollo 11 astronauts like Neil Armstrong, a Purdue University–West Lafayette alumnus, and Buzz Aldrin, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumnus, went to some of the best colleges for aerospace engineering.
With July 20 marking the 47th anniversary of America’s first moon landing, here’s a look at the colleges and graduate schools where the most astronauts have received degrees.
United States Naval Academy
Number of astronauts: 52
U.S. News rank: 9 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges
Learn more about the United States Naval Academy.
United States Air Force Academy
Number of astronauts: 36
U.S. News rank: 29 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges
Learn more about the United States Air Force Academy.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Number of astronauts: 34
U.S. News rank: 7, National Universities
Learn more about Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Naval Postgraduate School
Number of astronauts: 32
U.S. News rank: Unranked
Learn more about the Naval Postgraduate School.
Stanford University
Number of astronauts: 21
U.S. News rank: 4 (tie), National Universities
Learn more about Stanford University.
Purdue University–West Lafayette
Number of astronauts: 20
U.S. News rank: 61 (tie), National Universities
Learn more about Purdue University–West Lafayette.
United States Military Academy
Number of astronauts: 18
U.S. News rank: 22, National Liberal Arts Colleges
Learn more about the United States Military Academy.
University of Colorado–Boulder
Number of astronauts: 14
U.S. News rank: 89 (tie), National Universities
Learn more about the University of Colorado–Boulder.
Georgia Institute of Technology
Number of astronauts: 14
U.S. News rank: 36, National Universities
Learn more about the Georgia Institute of Technology.
University of Texas–Austin
Number of astronauts: 12
U.S. News rank: 52 (tie), National Universities
Learn more about the University of Texas–Austin.
University of Washington
Number of astronauts: 12
U.S. News rank: 52 (tie), National Universities
Learn more about the University of Washington.
Air Force Institute of Technology
Number of astronauts: 12
U.S. News rank: Unranked
Learn more about the Air Force Institute of Technology.
Find the College to Support Your Journey
Get more information about how to choose a college, and check out the complete rankings of the 2016 Best Colleges.
For more advice and information on how to select a college, connect with U.S. News Education on Twitter and Facebook.
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12 Colleges That Have Produced the Most Astronauts originally appeared on usnews.com
