Best Online Human Services Programs in Alton, IL (2026)

Alton, Illinois has 5 accredited schools offering human services programs, with tuition ranging from $3,048 to $13,629 per year for indexed programs. Alton has a population of about 25,430. Median household income is $53,005 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 21.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area, the top-earning human services-related role is Social and Community Service Manager at a median $73,980 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Human Services Schools to Alton

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

#1

University of Illinois Springfield

Springfield, IL 63.9 miles from Alton BOC Score 65.0
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,103
Avg net price $9,833/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 22

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Quincy University

Quincy, IL 97.3 miles from Alton 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

#3

Joliet Junior College

Joliet, IL 207.1 miles from Alton BOC Score 55.1
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Graduation rate 21%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,889
Avg net price $1,672/yr
Tuition
In‑state$4,530
Out‑of‑state$13,800
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 82

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, IL 221.3 miles from Alton BOC Score 65.0
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,808
Avg net price $13,391/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 42

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Elgin Community College

Elgin, IL 235.8 miles from Alton BOC Score 50.2
  • 2 year
Graduation rate 33%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,516
Avg net price $6,026/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 68

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Judson University

Elgin, IL 239.1 miles from Alton BOC Score 52.6
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Acceptance rate 48%
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,313
Avg net price $18,558/yr
Tuition
In‑state$31,360
Out‑of‑state$31,360
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 66%
  • Programs offered: 22

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Rasmussen University-Illinois

Rockford, IL 239.2 miles from Alton BOC Score 45.8
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 42%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,080
Avg net price $19,854/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 37

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Dominican University

River Forest, IL 240.8 miles from Alton BOC Score 68.6
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 59%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $60,327
Avg net price $11,745/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 30

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Human Services Wages Near Alton

Alton 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)
Social and Human Service Assistant$45,430St. Louis, MO-IL$47,771
Social and Community Service Manager$73,980St. Louis, MO-IL$77,792
Child, Family and School Social Worker$51,080St. Louis, MO-IL$53,712
Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselor$58,570St. Louis, MO-IL$61,588

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.


Alton at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population25,430Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$53,005Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+21.2%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)95.1 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Alton-Area Cities With Human Services Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited human services schools are near Alton, IL?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering human services programs near Alton. The closest is Saint Louis Community College in Bridgeton, MO (18.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is St Charles Community College (28.1 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying human services roles near Alton?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying human services-related roles near Alton are: Social and Community Service Manager ($73,980), Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselor ($58,570), Child, Family and School Social Worker ($51,080). 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 Edwardsville instead of Alton?

Edwardsville, IL is 11.7 miles from Alton and has its own set of local human services programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Alton an affordable place to study human services?

Alton’s median household income of $53,005 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Alton 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 Human Services Programs

Other Programs Available in Alton

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

Data verified: July 30, 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.