Best Computer Science Schools Near Lake Charles, LA (2026)

Lake Charles, Louisiana has 5 accredited schools offering computer science programs. Lake Charles has a population of about 81,679. Median household income is $56,864 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 29.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Lake Charles, LA metro area, the top-earning computer science-related role is Software Developer at a median $120,940 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Computer Science Schools to Lake Charles

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer computer science programs near Lake Charles, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Lake Charles 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 Lake Charles. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score โ€” U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

McNeese State University

Lake Charles, LA 1.7 miles from Lake Charles
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
46.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 47%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $46,453
Avg net price $12,493/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 44

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Computer Science Wages Near Lake Charles

Lake Charles is part of the Lake Charles, LA metro area (BLS area code 29340). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Louisiana statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Software Developer $120,940 Lake Charles, LA $140,792
Computer Systems Analyst $91,210 Lake Charles, LA $106,182
Computer Network Architect $106,620 LA statewide $124,121
Database Administrator $98,270 LA statewide $114,400
Database Architect N/A LA statewide
Information Security Analyst $92,990 LA statewide $108,254
Computer Network Support Specialist $76,950 Lake Charles, LA $89,581
Computer User Support Specialist $51,480 Lake Charles, LA $59,930
Web Developer $85,330 LA statewide $99,336
Web and Digital Interface Designer $68,790 LA statewide $80,081
Computer and Information Systems Manager $112,460 Lake Charles, LA $130,920

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.


Lake Charles at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 81,679 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $56,864 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 29.4% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 85.9 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024
Computer Science-related employment in Calcasieu County 115 workers, 79 establishments BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Lake Charles-Area Cities With Computer Science Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited computer science schools are near Lake Charles, LA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering computer science programs near Lake Charles. The closest is McNeese State University in Lake Charles, LA (1.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Unitech Training Academy-Lafayette (68.1 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying computer science roles near Lake Charles?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying computer science-related roles near Lake Charles are: Software Developer ($120,940), Computer and Information Systems Manager ($112,460), Computer Network Architect ($106,620). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Louisiana statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Sulphur instead of Lake Charles?

Sulphur, LA is 8.6 miles from Lake Charles and has its own set of local computer science programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Lake Charles an affordable place to study computer science?

Lake Charles’s median household income of $56,864 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Lake Charles while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Louisiana 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 Science Programs

Other Programs Available in Lake Charles

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Lake Charles:

Data verified: September 6, 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.