Elmwood Park, Illinois has 5 accredited schools offering forensic science programs, with tuition ranging from $39,200 to $47,313 per year for indexed programs. Elmwood Park has a population of about 23,982. Median household income is $84,121 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 29.5% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area, the top-earning forensic science-related role is Forensic Science Technician at a median $112,790 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Forensic Science Schools to Elmwood Park
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer forensic science programs near Elmwood Park, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Elmwood Park 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:
BOCSCORE
- 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 Elmwood Park.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$68,740
Avg net price
$10,974/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 79%
- Programs offered: 140
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
71%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$71,530
Avg net price
$36,079/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 83%
- Programs offered: 168
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
16%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$47,852
Avg net price
$5,183/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
38%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$48,071
Avg net price
$11,607/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
71%
Graduation rate
65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$66,099
Avg net price
$17,028/yr
TuitionIn‑state$39,200
Out‑of‑state$39,200
Key stats- Retention rate: 81%
- Programs offered: 85
Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
42%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$39,657
Avg net price
$4,574/yr
TuitionIn‑state$4,560
Out‑of‑state$13,680
Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
43%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$40,810
Avg net price
$2,232/yr
TuitionIn‑state$4,200
Out‑of‑state$16,385
Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$38,877
Avg net price
$2,254/yr
TuitionIn‑state$4,415
Out‑of‑state$14,301
Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Illinois schools on the Illinois forensic science page.
Forensic Science Wages Near Elmwood Park
Elmwood Park is part of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (BLS area code 16980). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Illinois statewide.
| Occupation | Median Wage | Source | COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
|---|
| Forensic Science Technician | $112,790 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $108,871 |
| Detective and Criminal Investigator | $102,260 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $98,707 |
| Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer | $107,810 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $104,064 |
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.
Elmwood Park at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 23,982 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $84,121 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 29.5% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 103.6 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Elmwood Park-Area Cities With Forensic Science Programs
- Oak Park, IL – 2.8 mi away (51,774 pop)
- Melrose Park, IL – 2.8 mi away (25,229 pop)
- Maywood, IL – 3.3 mi away (23,756 pop)
- Berwyn, IL – 5.6 mi away (55,748 pop)
- Cicero, IL – 6.1 mi away (82,992 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited forensic science schools are near Elmwood Park, IL?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering forensic science programs near Elmwood Park. The closest is University of Illinois Chicago in Chicago, IL (9.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Lewis University (25.8 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying forensic science roles near Elmwood Park?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying forensic science-related roles near Elmwood Park are: Forensic Science Technician ($112,790), Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer ($107,810), Detective and Criminal Investigator ($102,260). 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 Oak Park instead of Elmwood Park?
Oak Park, IL is 2.8 miles from Elmwood Park 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 Elmwood Park an affordable place to study forensic science?
Elmwood Park’s median household income of $84,121 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Elmwood Park 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 Elmwood Park
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Elmwood Park:
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- Statistics programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Taxation programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Corrections programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Crime Analysis programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Criminal Justice Administration programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Criminology programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Cybercrime programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Emergency Management programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Fire Science programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Legal Services programs in Elmwood Park, IL
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- Paralegal programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Security Management programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Cloud Computing programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Computer Engineering programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Innovation programs in Elmwood Park, IL
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- Artificial Intelligence programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Machine Learning programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Supply Chain Management programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Data Analytics programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Public Health programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Human Resources programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Project Management programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Special Education programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Homeland Security programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Marketing programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Finance programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Kinesiology programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Sports Management programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Early Childhood Education programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Elementary Education programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Biology programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Communications programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Graphic Design programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Human Services programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- MBA programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Criminal Justice programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Nursing programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Business Administration programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Computer Science programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Psychology programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Education programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Engineering programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Technology programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Liberal Arts programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Healthcare programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Cybersecurity programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Accounting programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Healthcare Administration programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Social Work programs in Elmwood Park, IL
- Counseling programs in Elmwood Park, IL
Data verified: August 31, 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.
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