Photo: Paul Sableman · CC BY 2.0Lewis and Clark Community College is 6.2 miles from West Alton
No college sits inside West Alton’s boundary, but Lewis and Clark Community College’s campus in Godfrey, with 3,931 students on campus, is 6.2 miles from the center of town, and Ranken Technical College is 14.7 miles away in Saint Louis. About 2% of West Alton’s residents are enrolled in college, below Missouri (6%).
From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of West Alton. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from West Alton
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of West Alton
Three private colleges within 14.7 miles, two public colleges within 12.1 miles, and three community colleges.
Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.
What would your family pay?
The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.
Starts at Over $110k, where West Alton’s median household income ($111,500) falls.
The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.
Do students finish, and does it pay?
Each dot is a college within 15 miles of West Alton: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.
Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid.
Questions about college near West Alton
Is West Alton a college town?
No. About 2 of every 100 West Alton residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), below Missouri (6). The nearest campus, Lewis and Clark Community College, is 6.2 miles away in Godfrey.
What colleges are near West Alton?
7 colleges are within 15 miles. The largest: the University of Missouri-St Louis (12 miles, 12,200 students on campus), Saint Louis Community College (14.9 miles, 11,504) and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (12.1 miles, 10,104).
What is the closest community college to West Alton, and what does it cost?
Ranken Technical College in Saint Louis, 14.7 miles away. Tuition and fees are $18,008 a year for Missouri residents; the federal net price, $18,795, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does the University of Missouri-St Louis cost if we live in Missouri?
Tuition and fees are $14,112 a year in-state and $35,112 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $13,031 (under $30,000 income) to $21,608 (over $110,000), housing and food included.
Neighbors talk college
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of West Alton. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →