Best Game Design Schools Near Oakland, CA (2026)

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

Oakland, California has 5 accredited schools offering game design programs. Oakland has a population of about 438,072. Median household income is $97,369 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 47.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, the top-earning game design-related role is Computer and Information Systems Managers at a median $232,890 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Game Design Schools to Oakland

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

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, CA 10.1 miles from Oakland
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
20.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 25%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,008
Avg net price $40,613/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 36

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

California College of the Arts

San Francisco, CA 10.1 miles from Oakland
  • 4 year
46.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 73%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,414
Avg net price $53,909/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 90%
  • Programs offered: 25

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Foothill College

Los Altos Hills, CA 30.0 miles from Oakland
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
61.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 25%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,072
Avg net price $7,653/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 69

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

University of Silicon Valley

San Jose, CA 30.1 miles from Oakland
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
36.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 50%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $51,017
Avg net price $27,815/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 64%
  • Programs offered: 7

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

University of California-Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, CA 55.6 miles from Oakland
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
71.8 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 66%
Graduation rate 75%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,396
Avg net price $17,890/yr
Tuition
In‑state$16,005
Out‑of‑state$50,205
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 89%
  • Programs offered: 81

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

#6

California State University-Chico

Chico, CA 135.5 miles from Oakland
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
79.3 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 93%
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $64,172
Avg net price $14,480/yr
Tuition
In‑state$8,472
Out‑of‑state$21,072
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 74

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

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#7

Moorpark College

Moorpark, CA 306.2 miles from Oakland
  • 4 year
65.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 34%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,044
Avg net price $-2,296/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 63

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Gnomon

North Hollywood, CA 328.3 miles from Oakland
  • 4 year
60.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $114,785
Avg net price $51,949/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 89%
  • Programs offered: 2

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 Oakland

Oakland is part of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area (BLS area code 41860). 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 $186,640 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $161,453
Special Effects Artists and Animators $136,770 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $118,313
Graphic Designers $92,050 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $79,628
Web and Digital Interface Designers $163,810 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $141,704
Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers $134,630 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $116,462
Writers and Authors $86,480 CA statewide $74,810
Computer Programmers $130,730 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $113,088
Computer and Information Systems Managers $232,890 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $201,462

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.

Oakland at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 438,072 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $97,369 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 47.9% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 115.6 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Oakland-Area Cities With Game Design Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited game design schools are near Oakland, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering game design programs near Oakland. The closest is Berkeley City College in Berkeley, CA (6.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Foothill College (30.0 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying game design roles near Oakland?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying game design-related roles near Oakland are: Computer and Information Systems Managers ($232,890), Software Developers ($186,640), Web and Digital Interface Designers ($163,810). 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 Alameda instead of Oakland?

Alameda, CA is 3.2 miles from Oakland 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 Oakland an affordable place to study game design?

Oakland’s median household income of $97,369 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Oakland 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 Oakland

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

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)