Best Physics Schools Near East Saint Louis, IL (2026)

Updated September 5, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

East Saint Louis, Illinois has 5 accredited schools offering physics programs. East Saint Louis has a population of about 18,278. Median household income is $30,992 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 14.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Illinois, the top-earning physics-related role is Physicists at a median $137,140 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest Physics Schools to East Saint Louis

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

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

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#1

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Edwardsville, IL 14.3 miles from East Saint Louis
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
60.9 BOC Score
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: 70

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Greenville University

Greenville, IL 43.4 miles from East Saint Louis
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
46.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 58%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $46,827
Avg net price $19,533/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 34

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Illinois College

Jacksonville, IL 77.3 miles from East Saint Louis
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
58.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $52,575
Avg net price $18,298/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 39

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Southern Illinois University-Carbondale

Carbondale, IL 79.6 miles from East Saint Louis
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
55.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $53,390
Avg net price $13,297/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 68%
  • Programs offered: 121

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Millikin University

Decatur, IL 104.9 miles from East Saint Louis
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
51.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 61%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $51,262
Avg net price $21,989/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 71

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, IL 120.7 miles from East Saint Louis
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
56.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $51,989
Avg net price $12,786/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 76

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Western Illinois University

Macomb, IL 131.4 miles from East Saint Louis
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
54.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $54,163
Avg net price $12,937/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 60%
  • Programs offered: 83

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Physics Wages Near East Saint Louis

East Saint Louis 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.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Physicists $137,140 IL statewide $144,206
Biochemists and Biophysicists $79,550 St. Louis, MO-IL $83,649
Physics Teachers, Postsecondary $102,530 St. Louis, MO-IL $107,813
Mathematicians $130,970 IL statewide $137,718
Atmospheric and Space Scientists $111,650 St. Louis, MO-IL $117,403
Engineers, All Other $103,880 St. Louis, MO-IL $109,232
Software Developers $129,030 St. Louis, MO-IL $135,678
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $62,130 St. Louis, MO-IL $65,331

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.

East Saint Louis at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 18,278 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $30,992 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 14.7% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 95.1 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other East Saint Louis-Area Cities With Physics Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited physics schools are near East Saint Louis, IL?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering physics programs near East Saint Louis. The closest is Saint Louis University in Saint Louis, MO (5.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Principia College (25.9 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying physics roles near East Saint Louis?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying physics-related roles near East Saint Louis are: Physicists ($137,140), Mathematicians ($130,970), Software Developers ($129,030). 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 Saint Louis instead of East Saint Louis?

Saint Louis, MO is 6.3 miles from East Saint Louis and has its own set of local physics programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is East Saint Louis an affordable place to study physics?

East Saint Louis’s median household income of $30,992 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in East Saint Louis 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 Physics Programs

Other Programs Available in East Saint Louis

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for East Saint Louis:

Data verified: September 5, 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.

Back to Best Physics Schools in Illinois: Online Programs (2026)