A lot of these college teams are mentored by someone in the HPR (high powered rocketry) hobby. Many of the college level competitions require it. HPR hobbyist

A lot of these college teams are mentored by someone in the HPR (high powered rocketry) hobby. Many of the college level competitions require it. HPR hobbyists have flown above 300k feet, and once you’ve reached 100k going higher it largely a propellant cost problem. 100k feet is a goal for many hobbyists because you’re above Mach2, doing staging, plus recovery and altimeters have to work differently at that altitude. However, going higher just means more propellant. There’s an annual event called BALLS out in Nevada where HPR flyers can go as high as they want. There’s also a site called FAR (friends of amateur rocketry) where you can fly above 100k ft as well as liquid biprop engines if you want. https://www.tripoli.org/content.aspx?page_id=4002&club_id=795696&item_id=2104846 https://www.tripoli.org/content.aspx?page_id=4002&club_id=79... https://friendsofamateurrocketry.org/ https://friendsofamateurrocketry.org/