Best Game Design Schools Near Cathedral City, CA (2026)

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

Cathedral City, California has 5 accredited schools offering game design programs, with tuition ranging from $1,146 to $57,989 per year for indexed programs. Cathedral City has a population of about 52,047. Median household income is $67,031 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 25.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area, the top-earning game design-related role is Computer and Information Systems Managers at a median $176,320 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Game Design Schools to Cathedral City

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer game design programs near Cathedral City, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Cathedral City 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 Cathedral City. 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

Laguna College of Art and Design

Laguna Beach, CA 77.5 miles from Cathedral City
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
38.8 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 94%
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $47,867
Avg net price $42,505/yr
Tuition
In‑state$37,500
Out‑of‑state$37,500
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 84%
  • Programs offered: 5

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of California-Irvine

Irvine, CA 80.1 miles from Cathedral City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
90.2 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 29%
Graduation rate 86%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $80,735
Avg net price $14,251/yr
Tuition
In‑state$15,722
Out‑of‑state$49,922
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 94%
  • Programs offered: 134

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

San Diego Mesa College

San Diego, CA 82.1 miles from Cathedral City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
57.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 34%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,120
Avg net price $5,814/yr
Tuition
In‑state$1,146
Out‑of‑state$10,002
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 75

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Azusa Pacific University

Azusa, CA 84.0 miles from Cathedral City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
72.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 73%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $66,677
Avg net price $22,212/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 84%
  • Programs offered: 75

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Biola University

La Mirada, CA 88.9 miles from Cathedral City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
61.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,778
Avg net price $31,495/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 67

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA 105.0 miles from Cathedral City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
80.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $92,498
Avg net price $32,740/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 96%
  • Programs offered: 267

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

New York Film Academy

Burbank, CA 109.3 miles from Cathedral City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
35.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $29,633
Avg net price $39,011/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 73%
  • Programs offered: 9

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Woodbury University

Burbank, CA 110.4 miles from Cathedral City
  • 4 year
48.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $65,668
Avg net price $33,692/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 23

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California game design page.

Game Design Wages Near Cathedral City

Cathedral City is part of the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area (BLS area code 40140). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Software Developers $133,270 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA $125,254
Special Effects Artists and Animators $95,420 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA $89,680
Graphic Designers $65,900 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA $61,936
Web and Digital Interface Designers $136,110 CA statewide $127,923
Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers $105,720 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA $99,361
Writers and Authors $78,990 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA $74,239
Computer Programmers $101,810 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA $95,686
Computer and Information Systems Managers $176,320 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA $165,714

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.

Cathedral City at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 52,047 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $67,031 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 25.8% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 106.4 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Cathedral City-Area Cities With Game Design Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited game design schools are near Cathedral City, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering game design programs near Cathedral City. The closest is Norco College in Norco, CA (63.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is San Diego Mesa College (82.1 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying game design roles near Cathedral City?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying game design-related roles near Cathedral City are: Computer and Information Systems Managers ($176,320), Web and Digital Interface Designers ($136,110), Software Developers ($133,270). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with California statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Palm Springs instead of Cathedral City?

Palm Springs, CA is 4.8 miles from Cathedral City and has its own set of local game design programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Cathedral City an affordable place to study game design?

Cathedral City’s median household income of $67,031 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Cathedral City while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and California 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 Game Design Programs

Other Programs Available in Cathedral City

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

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.

Back to Best Game Design Schools in California: Online Programs (2026)