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Best Game Design Schools Near Columbus, IN (2026)
Updated September 5, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Columbus, Indiana has 2 accredited schools offering game design programs, with tuition ranging from $18,161 to $41,221 per year for indexed programs. Columbus has a population of about 51,970. In the Columbus, IN metro area, the top-earning game design-related role is Computer and Information Systems Managers at a median $139,430 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Game Design Schools to Columbus
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer game design programs near Columbus, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Columbus 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:
BOCSCORE
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 Columbus.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
BOC
Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Indiana schools on the Indiana game design page.
Game Design Wages Near Columbus
Columbus is part of the Columbus, IN metro area (BLS area code 18020). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Indiana statewide.
Occupation
Median Wage
Source
COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Software Developers
$104,880
Columbus, IN
$112,774
Special Effects Artists and Animators
$75,250
IN statewide
$80,914
Graphic Designers
$55,480
IN statewide
$59,656
Web and Digital Interface Designers
$63,430
IN statewide
$68,204
Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers
$87,020
IN statewide
$93,570
Writers and Authors
$75,820
IN statewide
$81,527
Computer Programmers
$97,000
IN statewide
$104,301
Computer and Information Systems Managers
$139,430
Columbus, IN
$149,925
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.
Columbus at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
93.0 (below U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other Columbus-Area Cities With Game Design Programs
How many accredited game design schools are near Columbus, IN?
Our directory has 2 accredited schools offering game design programs near Columbus. The closest is Indiana University-Bloomington in Bloomington, IN (32.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Miami University-Oxford (66.8 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying game design roles near Columbus?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying game design-related roles near Columbus are: Computer and Information Systems Managers ($139,430), Software Developers ($104,880), Computer Programmers ($97,000). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Indiana statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Seymour instead of Columbus?
Seymour, IN is 18.0 miles from Columbus 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.
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.
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.
