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Best Game Design Schools Near Cedar Rapids, IA (2026)
Updated September 5, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Cedar Rapids, Iowa is home to about 136,859 residents. Median household income is $67,859 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 32.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Cedar Rapids, IA metro area, the top-earning game design-related role is Computer and Information Systems Managers at a median $129,910 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Game Design Schools to Cedar Rapids
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer game design programs near Cedar Rapids, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Cedar Rapids 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 Cedar Rapids.
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 Iowa schools on the Iowa game design page.
Game Design Wages Near Cedar Rapids
Cedar Rapids is part of the Cedar Rapids, IA metro area (BLS area code 16300). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Iowa statewide.
Occupation
Median Wage
Source
COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Software Developers
$114,340
Cedar Rapids, IA
$128,472
Special Effects Artists and Animators
$47,530
IA statewide
$53,404
Graphic Designers
$58,520
Cedar Rapids, IA
$65,753
Web and Digital Interface Designers
$74,440
Cedar Rapids, IA
$83,640
Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers
$84,270
Cedar Rapids, IA
$94,685
Writers and Authors
$62,110
Cedar Rapids, IA
$69,787
Computer Programmers
$76,530
Cedar Rapids, IA
$85,989
Computer and Information Systems Managers
$129,910
Cedar Rapids, IA
$145,966
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.
Cedar Rapids at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Population
136,859
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income
$67,859
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+
32.9%
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
89.0 (below U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other Cedar Rapids-Area Cities With Game Design Programs
What are the highest-paying game design roles near Cedar Rapids?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying game design-related roles near Cedar Rapids are: Computer and Information Systems Managers ($129,910), Software Developers ($114,340), Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers ($84,270). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Iowa statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Marion instead of Cedar Rapids?
Marion, IA is 7.2 miles from Cedar Rapids 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 Cedar Rapids an affordable place to study game design?
Cedar Rapids’s median household income of $67,859 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Cedar Rapids while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Iowa 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.
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.
