Best Software Engineering Schools Near North Chicago, IL

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

North Chicago, Illinois has 5 accredited schools offering software engineering programs, with tuition ranging from $50,480 to $68,164 per year for indexed programs. North Chicago has a population of about 30,772. Median household income is $56,815 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 19.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area, the top-earning software engineering-related role is Computer and Information Systems Managers at a median $173,760 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Software Engineering Schools to North Chicago

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer software engineering programs near North Chicago, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from North Chicago 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 North Chicago. 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

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, IL 24.2 miles from North Chicago
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
66.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 71%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $71,530
Avg net price $36,079/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 168

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

DePaul University

Chicago, IL 32.6 miles from North Chicago
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
66.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,751
Avg net price $30,902/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 86%
  • Programs offered: 166

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Illinois Institute of Technology

Chicago, IL 35.6 miles from North Chicago
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
81.6 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 55%
Graduation rate 74%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $82,592
Avg net price $18,425/yr
Tuition
In‑state$52,386
Out‑of‑state$52,386
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 86%
  • Programs offered: 76

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

DeVry University-Illinois

Lisle, IL 37.6 miles from North Chicago
  • 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

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#5

Rasmussen University-Illinois

Rockford, IL 58.3 miles from North Chicago
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
45.8 BOC Score
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: 19

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Software Engineering Wages Near North Chicago

North Chicago is part of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (BLS area code 16980). 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)
Software Developers $134,380 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $129,710
Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers $105,580 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $101,911
Computer Programmers $99,750 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $96,284
Web Developers $96,870 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $93,504
Computer and Information Systems Managers $173,760 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $167,722
Computer Occupations, All Other $101,660 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $98,127
Computer Network Architects $143,800 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $138,803
Computer Systems Analysts $103,490 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $99,894

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.

North Chicago at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 30,772 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $56,815 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 19.1% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 103.6 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other North Chicago-Area Cities With Software Engineering Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited software engineering schools are near North Chicago, IL?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering software engineering programs near North Chicago. The closest is Loyola University Chicago in Chicago, IL (24.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Milwaukee School of Engineering (50.4 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying software engineering roles near North Chicago?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying software engineering-related roles near North Chicago are: Computer and Information Systems Managers ($173,760), Computer Network Architects ($143,800), Software Developers ($134,380). 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 Waukegan instead of North Chicago?

Waukegan, IL is 3.7 miles from North Chicago and has its own set of local software engineering programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is North Chicago an affordable place to study software engineering?

North Chicago’s median household income of $56,815 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in North Chicago 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 Engineering Programs

Other Programs Available in North Chicago

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

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 Software Engineering Schools in Illinois (2026)