Best Software Engineering Schools Near Altoona, PA (2026)

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

Altoona, Pennsylvania has 4 accredited schools offering software engineering programs, with tuition ranging from $20,644 to $83,654 per year for indexed programs. Altoona has a population of about 43,508. Median household income is $50,171 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 19.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Pennsylvania, the top-earning software engineering-related role is Computer Network Architects at a median $131,840 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest Software Engineering Schools to Altoona

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

Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus

University Park, PA 34.5 miles from Altoona
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
62.5 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 61%
Graduation rate 86%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,435
Avg net price $32,875/yr
Tuition
In‑state$20,644
Out‑of‑state$41,790
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 92%
  • Programs offered: 214

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Pennsylvania State University-World Campus

University Park, PA 34.5 miles from Altoona
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
47.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 39%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,435
Avg net price $19,550/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 66%
  • Programs offered: 117

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania

Shippensburg, PA 55.8 miles from Altoona
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
51.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,351
Avg net price $23,726/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 76%
  • Programs offered: 62

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA 81.1 miles from Altoona
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
80.5 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 12%
Graduation rate 93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $114,862
Avg net price $31,944/yr
Tuition
In‑state$66,246
Out‑of‑state$66,246
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 98%
  • Programs offered: 128

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College

Erie, PA 138.3 miles from Altoona
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
43.5 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 97%
Graduation rate 45%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,435
Avg net price $24,558/yr
Tuition
In‑state$15,972
Out‑of‑state$26,958
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 57

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Gannon University

Erie, PA 142.1 miles from Altoona
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
61.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $58,845
Avg net price $22,553/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 76%
  • Programs offered: 87

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

University of Scranton

Scranton, PA 156.0 miles from Altoona
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
72.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $74,652
Avg net price $32,568/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 86%
  • Programs offered: 75

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Villanova University

Villanova, PA 164.6 miles from Altoona
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
77.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 89%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $100,423
Avg net price $43,756/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 95%
  • Programs offered: 94

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Software Engineering Wages Near Altoona

Altoona is part of the Altoona, PA metro area (BLS area code 11020). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Pennsylvania statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Software Developers $101,670 Altoona, PA $113,598
Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers $93,030 PA statewide $103,944
Computer Programmers $89,180 PA statewide $99,642
Web Developers $86,380 PA statewide $96,514
Computer and Information Systems Managers $128,380 Altoona, PA $143,441
Computer Occupations, All Other $98,060 Altoona, PA $109,564
Computer Network Architects $131,840 PA statewide $147,307
Computer Systems Analysts $92,880 Altoona, PA $103,777

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.

Altoona at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 43,508 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $50,171 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 19.9% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 89.5 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Altoona-Area Cities With Software Engineering Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited software engineering schools are near Altoona, PA?

Our directory has 4 accredited schools offering software engineering programs near Altoona. The closest is Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus in University Park, PA (34.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Carnegie Mellon University (81.1 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying software engineering roles near Altoona?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying software engineering-related roles near Altoona are: Computer Network Architects ($131,840), Computer and Information Systems Managers ($128,380), Software Developers ($101,670). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Pennsylvania statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Johnstown instead of Altoona?

Johnstown, PA is 30.0 miles from Altoona 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 Altoona an affordable place to study software engineering?

Altoona’s median household income of $50,171 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Altoona while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Pennsylvania 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 Altoona

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

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.

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