Best Computer Engineering Schools Near Elk River, MN (2026)

Elk River, Minnesota has 7 accredited schools offering computer engineering programs, with tuition ranging from $9,572 to $54,398 per year for indexed programs. Elk River has a population of about 26,367. Median household income is $99,457 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 30.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area, the top-earning computer engineering-related role is Computer Hardware Engineer at a median $134,300 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Computer Engineering Schools to Elk River

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer computer engineering programs near Elk River, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Elk River city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Elk River. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Minnesota State University-Mankato

Mankato, MN 84.6 miles from Elk River BOC Score 58.9
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,922
Avg net price $19,139/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 81

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Minnesota State College Southeast

Winona, MN 131.7 miles from Elk River BOC Score 51.4
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 45%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,613
Avg net price $16,140/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 58

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Minnesota schools on the Minnesota computer engineering page.


Computer Engineering Wages Near Elk River

Elk River is part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area (BLS area code 33460). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Minnesota statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Computer Hardware Engineer$134,300Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$128,149
Electronics Engineer$116,630Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$111,288
Software Developer$130,920Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$124,924
Computer Network Architect$134,230Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$128,082

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Elk River at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population26,367Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$99,457Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+30.8%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)104.8 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Elk River-Area Cities With Computer Engineering Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited computer engineering schools are near Elk River, MN?

Our directory has 7 accredited schools offering computer engineering programs near Elk River. The closest is Dunwoody College of Technology in Minneapolis, MN (28.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Minnesota State University-Mankato (84.6 miles). 7 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying computer engineering roles near Elk River?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying computer engineering-related roles near Elk River are: Computer Hardware Engineer ($134,300), Computer Network Architect ($134,230), Software Developer ($130,920). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Minnesota statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Ramsey instead of Elk River?

Ramsey, MN is 7.5 miles from Elk River and has its own set of local computer engineering programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Elk River an affordable place to study computer engineering?

Elk River’s median household income of $99,457 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Elk River while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Minnesota public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About Computer Engineering Programs

Other Programs Available in Elk River

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Elk River:

Data verified: August 11, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.