
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University traces its origins to an aviation company founded in Cincinnati in 1925 by Talton Higbee Embry and John Paul Riddle. Its early work in flight training grew into a college focused on aviation, and the institution moved its main campus from Miami to Daytona Beach in 1965.
That history explains the Daytona Beach campus's continuing emphasis on flight, aerospace engineering and aviation management. Embry-Riddle has since expanded into fields such as cybersecurity, business, meteorology and space science. Applicants should distinguish the residential Daytona Beach campus from the university's Prescott, Arizona, campus and its Worldwide division: programs and student services are not necessarily identical across them.
The Daytona Beach campus organizes its academic programs around aviation, engineering, arts and sciences, and business, security and intelligence. Students can pursue bachelor's and graduate study, with options that range beyond training to become a pilot.
Representative fields include aeronautical science, aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science, meteorology, aviation business administration and homeland security. The College of Aviation is particularly relevant to applicants considering flight or aviation operations; the College of Engineering serves students interested in designing and testing aerospace and other systems. Arts and sciences programs provide both standalone majors and the mathematics, physical sciences and other coursework used across technical degrees.
Prospective students should compare degree plans rather than assume similarly named programs have the same requirements. A flight-focused degree, for example, can involve training, scheduling and expenses that do not apply to every aviation major.
Embry-Riddle's Daytona Beach campus is in Daytona Beach, Florida, beside Daytona Beach International Airport. Its airport-adjacent setting is directly relevant to students interested in aviation, although living near an airport also means aircraft activity is part of the surrounding environment.
The campus is near Daytona International Speedway and a short drive from the Atlantic coast. Daytona Beach is a dispersed city, so a student's ability to reach shopping, work or off-campus housing depends on the address and available transportation. Students comparing housing options should check commute times rather than assume that a Daytona Beach address is within walking distance of campus. This is the Florida residential campus, not the university's Prescott campus or its network of Worldwide locations.
Embry-Riddle describes its educational purpose in terms of preparing students for work and leadership in aviation, aerospace and related fields. Its academic scope now includes engineering, science, business and security as well as flight.
The university emphasizes applied learning and links between classroom work and professional practice. For applicants, the practical question is how that focus appears in a particular degree plan: laboratory work, flight training, research, internships and licensing pathways have different requirements and costs. The institution is not presented as religiously affiliated.
Name of the institution
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona BeachLevel of institution
Four or more yearsControl of institution
PrivateSetting type
City: SmallInstitutional Category
Degree - granting, primarily baccalaureate or aboveInstitution size category
10,000 - 19,999School type
UniversityMain student body
CoeducationalCalendar system
SemestersFoundation year
1926Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach is institutionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Accreditation confirms that the school meets quality standards and is required for students to receive federal financial aid.
Associate's degree
Bachelor's degree
Postbaccalaureate certificate
Master's degree
Doctor's degree - research/scholarshipData last updated on November 5, 2026
Data sources: IPEDS 2024-25, Peterson 2026, College Scorecard 10/2026, Clery 2024 (2023-24), OpenAlex 2026
Figures on this profile come from federal and third-party datasets in the editions listed above and are refreshed periodically, so they may differ from what the institution currently reports. Confirm costs, deadlines and requirements with the school before making decisions.