Best Software Development Schools Near Amherst, MA (2026)

Amherst, Massachusetts has 71 accredited schools offering software development programs, with tuition ranging from $5,810 to $45,174 per year for indexed programs. Amherst has a population of about 40,989. In the Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area, the top-earning software development-related role is Software Developer at a median $126,670 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Software Development Schools to Amherst

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

#1

Holyoke Community College

Holyoke, MA 13.8 miles from Amherst BOC Score 43.9
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 26%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $37,277
Avg net price $8,068/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 37

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Springfield Technical Community College

Springfield, MA 17.9 miles from Amherst BOC Score 58.4
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 37%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,966
Avg net price $5,662/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 58

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Quinsigamond Community College

Worcester, MA 36.5 miles from Amherst BOC Score 58.1
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 31%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,949
Avg net price $9,090/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 78

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Berkshire Community College

Pittsfield, MA 41.8 miles from Amherst BOC Score 34.8
  • 2 year
Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,832
Avg net price $9,921/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 25

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

University of Massachusetts-Lowell

Lowell, MA 63.3 miles from Amherst BOC Score 73.2
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 66%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $64,874
Avg net price $17,163/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 39

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA 70.9 miles from Amherst BOC Score 90.2
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 98%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $101,817
Avg net price $19,066/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 98%
  • Programs offered: 38

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology

Boston, MA 73.4 miles from Amherst BOC Score 43.7
  • 4 year
Graduation rate 47%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,556
Avg net price $15,488/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 55%
  • Programs offered: 24

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Bunker Hill Community College

Boston, MA 73.4 miles from Amherst BOC Score 55.2
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Graduation rate 16%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $47,618
Avg net price $7,818/yr
Tuition
In‑state$6,168
Out‑of‑state$11,112
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 56

Source:Accreditor: New England Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Software Development Wages Near Amherst

Amherst is part of the Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area (BLS area code 11200). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Massachusetts statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Software Developer$126,670Amherst Town-Northampton, MA$126,417
Software Quality Assurance Analyst and Tester$122,210MA statewide$121,966
Computer Programmer$68,090Amherst Town-Northampton, MA$67,954
Computer Systems Analyst$101,480Amherst Town-Northampton, MA$101,277

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.


Amherst at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Regional Price Parity (US=100)100.2 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Amherst-Area Cities With Software Development Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited software development schools are near Amherst, MA?

Our directory has 71 accredited schools offering software development programs near Amherst. The closest is Holyoke Community College in Holyoke, MA (13.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Fitchburg State University (39.7 miles). 8 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying software development-related roles near Amherst are: Software Developer ($126,670), Software Quality Assurance Analyst and Tester ($122,210), Computer Systems Analyst ($101,480). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Massachusetts statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Northampton instead of Amherst?

Northampton, MA is 9.0 miles from Amherst 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.

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 Amherst

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

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.