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Austin, Minnesota has 2 accredited schools offering forensic science programs, with tuition ranging from $19,475 to $50,004 per year for indexed programs. Austin has a population of about 26,167. Median household income is $66,488 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 23.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Minnesota, the top-earning forensic science-related role is Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer at a median $83,360 annually (BLS, May 2025).
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer forensic science programs near Austin, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Austin city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
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:
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Austin. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Minnesota schools on the Minnesota forensic science page.
| Occupation | Median Annual Wage (Minnesota, statewide) |
|---|---|
| Forensic Science Technician | $76,960 |
| Detective and Criminal Investigator | $80,000 |
| Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer | $83,360 |
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.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 26,167 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $66,488 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 23.2% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
Our directory has 2 accredited schools offering forensic science programs near Austin. The closest is Upper Iowa University in Fayette, IA (82.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Hamline University (89.9 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
Based on BLS May 2025 state wage data, the top-paying forensic science-related roles in Minnesota are: Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer ($83,360), Detective and Criminal Investigator ($80,000), Forensic Science Technician ($76,960). Wages for Austin workers will track these statewide medians, adjusted for local cost of living.
Owatonna, MN is 31.7 miles from Austin 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.
Austin’s median household income of $66,488 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Austin while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Minnesota public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.
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.
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Austin:
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.
