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United urges Education Department to recognize flight training as a professional degree to expand loan access
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Summary
United Airlines asked the Education Department to issue guidance recognizing accredited undergraduate Part 141 flight programs as professional degrees under 34 CFR 668.2, which would allow higher federal borrowing limits to support pilot training and address an anticipated pilot shortage.
Capt. Michael Bonner, managing director of Aviate and Pilot Strategy at United Airlines, asked the Department of Education to issue clear guidance recognizing accredited undergraduate Part 141 flight‑training programs as professional degrees under 34 CFR 668.2.
Bonner said flight training “meets every test of a professional degree,” citing federal licensure requirements and skill intensity. He argued that undergraduate flight programs face the same federally required flight‑hour and testing costs as professional degrees in law or medicine but are constrained by undergraduate loan caps. United’s Aviate Academy — which Bonner said has graduated more than 300 students with nearly a 90% overall pass rate on FAA check rides — is presented as evidence that expanded loan limits would support completion and scale workforce pipelines.
Why this matters: Many pilot training pathways carry high, federally required training costs that may exceed current undergraduate loan caps. Recognizing certain accredited flight programs as professional degree programs could permit higher federal student‑loan limits for affected students and potentially expand the pilot pipeline.
What happens next: United asked the department to issue guidance; the department will gather written comments and consider technical clarifications as it moves into negotiated rulemaking and guidance drafting.
