Best Software Engineering Schools Near Harlingen, TX (2026)

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

Harlingen, Texas is home to about 71,669 residents. Median household income is $55,891 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 21.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Brownsville-Harlingen, TX metro area, the top-earning software engineering-related role is Computer and Information Systems Managers at a median $137,880 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Software Engineering Schools to Harlingen

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

St. Mary's University

San Antonio, TX 231.5 miles from Harlingen
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
53.0 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 98%
Graduation rate 60%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,955
Avg net price $21,145/yr
Tuition
In‑state$37,434
Out‑of‑state$37,434
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 51

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of Houston-Clear Lake

Houston, TX 283.0 miles from Harlingen
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
65.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,004
Avg net price $15,563/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 75%
  • Programs offered: 60

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Howard Payne University

Brownwood, TX 389.6 miles from Harlingen
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
30.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 39%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,376
Avg net price $23,627/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 53%
  • Programs offered: 34

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

The University of Texas at Arlington

Arlington, TX 453.1 miles from Harlingen
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
64.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 58%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,199
Avg net price $13,951/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 73%
  • Programs offered: 99

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Southern Methodist University

Dallas, TX 462.9 miles from Harlingen
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
73.4 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 63%
Graduation rate 84%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $78,354
Avg net price $40,892/yr
Tuition
In‑state$67,040
Out‑of‑state$67,040
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 90%
  • Programs offered: 105

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

The University of Texas at Dallas

Richardson, TX 472.8 miles from Harlingen
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
78.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 72%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,227
Avg net price $18,267/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 89%
  • Programs offered: 73

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, TX 568.6 miles from Harlingen
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
71.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,454
Avg net price $19,070/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 168

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX 656.8 miles from Harlingen
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
57.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $50,923
Avg net price $9,403/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 114

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Software Engineering Wages Near Harlingen

Harlingen is part of the Brownsville-Harlingen, TX metro area (BLS area code 15180). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Texas statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Software Developers $106,990 Brownsville-Harlingen, TX $124,407
Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers $101,850 TX statewide $118,430
Computer Programmers $99,330 TX statewide $115,500
Web Developers $85,800 TX statewide $99,767
Computer and Information Systems Managers $137,880 Brownsville-Harlingen, TX $160,326
Computer Occupations, All Other $94,380 Brownsville-Harlingen, TX $109,744
Computer Network Architects $133,310 TX statewide $155,012
Computer Systems Analysts $90,140 Brownsville-Harlingen, TX $104,814

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.

Harlingen at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 71,669 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $55,891 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 21.7% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 86.0 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Harlingen-Area Cities With Software Engineering Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying software engineering-related roles near Harlingen are: Computer and Information Systems Managers ($137,880), Computer Network Architects ($133,310), Software Developers ($106,990). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Texas statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in San Benito instead of Harlingen?

San Benito, TX is 5.4 miles from Harlingen 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 Harlingen an affordable place to study software engineering?

Harlingen’s median household income of $55,891 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Harlingen while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Texas 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 Harlingen

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

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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