Best Software Engineering Schools Near Bristol, TN (2026)

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

Bristol, Tennessee has 2 accredited schools offering software engineering programs, with tuition ranging from $12,456 to $25,356 per year for indexed programs. Bristol has a population of about 27,490. Median household income is $55,007 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 29.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA metro area, the top-earning software engineering-related role is Computer Network Architects at a median $131,420 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Software Engineering Schools to Bristol

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

Lipscomb University

Nashville, TN 257.1 miles from Bristol
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
62.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,541
Avg net price $24,739/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 107

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Software Engineering Wages Near Bristol

Bristol is part of the Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA metro area (BLS area code 28700). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Tennessee statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Software Developers $115,310 Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA $133,461
Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers $91,040 TN statewide $105,370
Computer Programmers N/A TN statewide –
Web Developers $75,670 Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA $87,581
Computer and Information Systems Managers $130,830 Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA $151,424
Computer Occupations, All Other $71,880 Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA $83,194
Computer Network Architects $131,420 Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA $152,106
Computer Systems Analysts $94,840 Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA $109,769

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.

Bristol at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 27,490 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $55,007 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 29.8% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 86.4 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Bristol-Area Cities With Software Engineering Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited software engineering schools are near Bristol, TN?

Our directory has 2 accredited schools offering software engineering programs near Bristol. The closest is University of Virginia’s College at Wise in Wise, VA (34.4 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is American National University-Pikeville (65.6 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying software engineering-related roles near Bristol are: Computer Network Architects ($131,420), Computer and Information Systems Managers ($130,830), Software Developers ($115,310). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Tennessee statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Johnson City instead of Bristol?

Johnson City, TN is 17.6 miles from Bristol 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 Bristol an affordable place to study software engineering?

Bristol’s median household income of $55,007 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Bristol while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Tennessee 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 Bristol

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

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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