Best Software Development Schools Near Alton, IL (2026)

Alton, Illinois has 5 accredited schools offering software development 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 software development-related role is Software Developer at a median $129,030 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Software Development Schools to Alton

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer software development 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.

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

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#1

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Edwardsville, IL 11.2 miles from Alton
  • 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

#2

Western Illinois University

Macomb, IL 111.8 miles from Alton
  • 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

#3

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, IL 196.8 miles from Alton
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
54.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $53,213
Avg net price $20,729/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 69%
  • Programs offered: 85

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

DeVry University-Illinois

Lisle, IL 227.5 miles from Alton
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
39.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 28%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,987
Avg net price $30,770/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 65%
  • Programs offered: 19

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Saint Xavier University

Chicago, IL 232.4 miles from Alton
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
66.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 60%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $58,656
Avg net price $10,970/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 75%
  • Programs offered: 61

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, IL 237.2 miles from Alton
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
64.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $61,462
Avg net price $24,185/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 74

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Judson University

Elgin, IL 239.1 miles from Alton
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
52.6 BOC Score
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: 39

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Concordia University-Chicago

River Forest, IL 240.9 miles from Alton
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
49.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $54,089
Avg net price $18,436/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 61%
  • Programs offered: 70

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Software Development 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)
Software Developer$129,030St. Louis, MO-IL$135,678
Software Quality Assurance Analyst and Tester$94,590St. Louis, MO-IL$99,464
Computer Programmer$96,920St. Louis, MO-IL$101,914
Computer Systems Analyst$96,290St. Louis, MO-IL$101,251

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 Software Development Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited software development schools are near Alton, IL?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering software development programs near Alton. The closest is Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in Edwardsville, IL (11.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Saint Louis University (18.9 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying software development roles near Alton?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying software development-related roles near Alton are: Software Developer ($129,030), Computer Programmer ($96,920), Computer Systems Analyst ($96,290). 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 software development 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 software development?

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 Software Development Programs

Other Programs Available in Alton

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

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.