Best Schools for Software Development in 2026
These are the top schools offering Software Development, ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score. The score combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Software Development graduate earns $31,879/yr across 24 schools.
All Software Development Programs Ranked
Click any row for full AI scenario analysis, earnings projections, and career path breakdown.
| # | School | TSW Score | Earnings | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Madison Area Technical College
Madison, WI · Software Development |
78
71–81 |
$65,191/yr | 67.2x |
| 2 |
Dallas College
Dallas, TX · Software Development |
79
71–82 |
$41,477/yr | 174.0x |
| 3 |
Portland Community College
Portland, OR · Software Development |
66
56–69 |
$37,572/yr | 49.5x |
| 4 |
Hunter Business School
Levittown, NY · Software Development |
65
56–67 |
$45,301/yr | — |
| 5 |
Minneapolis Community and Technical College
Minneapolis, MN · Software Development |
63
54–66 |
$38,262/yr | 38.8x |
| 6 |
College of Western Idaho
Nampa, ID · Software Development |
63
56–66 |
$33,165/yr | 48.7x |
| 7 |
Valencia College
Orlando, FL · Software Development |
69
58–72 |
$32,099/yr | 84.6x |
| 8 |
Dunwoody College of Technology
Minneapolis, MN · Software Development |
62
52–64 |
$52,264/yr | 12.8x |
| 9 |
Harrisburg Area Community College
Harrisburg, PA · Software Development |
61
50–65 |
$35,284/yr | 38.0x |
| 10 |
St Petersburg College
St. Petersburg, FL · Software Development |
63
53–66 |
$27,889/yr | 67.8x |
| 11 |
Southern Careers Institute-Austin
Austin, TX · Software Development |
57
48–60 |
$31,841/yr | — |
| 12 |
Santa Fe College
Gainesville, FL · Software Development |
56
49–59 |
$24,448/yr | 46.7x |
| 13 |
Ogden-Weber Technical College
Ogden, UT · Software Development |
56
47–59 |
$30,535/yr | — |
| 14 |
Visible Music College
Memphis, TN · Software Development |
55
47–58 |
$35,734/yr | 15.2x |
| 15 |
DeVry University-Illinois
Lisle, IL · Software Development |
55
47–58 |
$33,504/yr | 18.2x |
| 16 |
Stark State College
North Canton, OH · Software Development |
51
41–55 |
$22,525/yr | 34.9x |
| 17 |
Hudson Valley Community College
Troy, NY · Software Development |
50
40–54 |
$24,099/yr | 29.5x |
| 18 |
Quinsigamond Community College
Worcester, MA · Software Development |
49
38–52 |
$21,803/yr | 29.5x |
| 19 |
Academy of Art University
San Francisco, CA · Software Development |
49
40–52 |
$30,273/yr | 4.4x |
| 20 |
CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College
New York, NY · Software Development |
49
38–52 |
$20,919/yr | 29.4x |
| 21 |
Academy of Interactive Entertainment
Seattle, WA · Software Development |
47
37–50 |
$24,750/yr | 14.7x |
| 22 |
Pittsburgh Technical College
Oakdale, PA · Software Development |
45
36–48 |
$25,671/yr | 6.8x |
| 23 |
CUNY LaGuardia Community College
Long Island City, NY · Software Development |
44
34–48 |
$14,786/yr | 22.3x |
| 24 |
Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Carolina Campus
Carolina, PR · Software Development |
45
37–48 |
$15,712/yr | 21.4x |
Methodology
Programs are ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score, which combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), AI automation resilience (based on OpenAI and academic research), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (projected earnings vs. program tuition).
Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.