Best Forensic Science Schools Near Belleville, IL (2026)

Belleville, Illinois has 4 accredited schools offering forensic science programs, with tuition ranging from $12,922 to $55,760 per year for indexed programs. Belleville has a population of about 41,722. Median household income is $60,529 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 28.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area, the top-earning forensic science-related role is Detective and Criminal Investigator at a median $80,930 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Forensic Science Schools to Belleville

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

#1

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Edwardsville, IL 19.3 miles from Belleville BOC Score 60.9
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 59%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,346
Avg net price $14,889/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 30

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Lake Land College

Mattoon, IL 106.2 miles from Belleville BOC Score 53.4
  • 2 year
  • Accredited
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,877
Avg net price $2,254/yr
Tuition
In‑state$4,415
Out‑of‑state$14,301
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 79

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Quincy University

Quincy, IL 123.7 miles from Belleville BOC Score 44.9
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 54%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $50,369
Avg net price $20,359/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 67%
  • Programs offered: 27

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Illinois Valley Community College

Oglesby, IL 198.4 miles from Belleville BOC Score 58.3
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Graduation rate 43%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $40,810
Avg net price $2,232/yr
Tuition
In‑state$4,200
Out‑of‑state$16,385
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 53

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Lewis University

Romeoville, IL 236.2 miles from Belleville BOC Score 73.8
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Acceptance rate 71%
Graduation rate 65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $66,099
Avg net price $17,028/yr
Tuition
In‑state$39,200
Out‑of‑state$39,200
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 81%
  • Programs offered: 59

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Kishwaukee College

Malta, IL 243.6 miles from Belleville BOC Score 66.2
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Graduation rate 42%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,657
Avg net price $4,574/yr
Tuition
In‑state$4,560
Out‑of‑state$13,680
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 43

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

University of Illinois Chicago

Chicago, IL 262.7 miles from Belleville BOC Score 79.6
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,740
Avg net price $10,974/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 53

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

William Rainey Harper College

Palatine, IL 266.4 miles from Belleville BOC Score 59.2
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 38%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,071
Avg net price $11,607/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 79

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Forensic Science Wages Near Belleville

Belleville is part of the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area (BLS area code 41180). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Illinois statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Forensic Science Technician$62,760St. Louis, MO-IL$65,994
Detective and Criminal Investigator$80,930St. Louis, MO-IL$85,100
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer$73,240St. Louis, MO-IL$77,014

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.


Belleville at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population41,722Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$60,529Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+28.0%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)95.1 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Belleville-Area Cities With Forensic Science Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited forensic science schools are near Belleville, IL?

Our directory has 4 accredited schools offering forensic science programs near Belleville. The closest is Saint Louis University in Saint Louis, MO (15.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Maryville University of Saint Louis (29.5 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying forensic science roles near Belleville?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying forensic science-related roles near Belleville are: Detective and Criminal Investigator ($80,930), Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer ($73,240), Forensic Science Technician ($62,760). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Illinois statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in O’Fallon instead of Belleville?

O’Fallon, IL is 6.8 miles from Belleville and has its own set of local forensic science programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Belleville an affordable place to study forensic science?

Belleville’s median household income of $60,529 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Belleville while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Illinois 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 Forensic Science Programs

Other Programs Available in Belleville

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

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 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.