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Best Game Design Schools Near Council Bluffs, IA (2026)
Updated September 5, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Council Bluffs, Iowa is home to about 62,564 residents. Median household income is $64,092 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 21.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Omaha, NE-IA metro area, the top-earning game design-related role is Computer and Information Systems Managers at a median $145,500 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Game Design Schools to Council Bluffs
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer game design programs near Council Bluffs, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Council Bluffs 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 Council Bluffs.
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.
Sort:
#1
Grand View University
📍
Des Moines, IA
•
119.6 miles from Council Bluffs
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Iowa schools on the Iowa game design page.
Game Design Wages Near Council Bluffs
Council Bluffs is part of the Omaha, NE-IA metro area (BLS area code 36540). 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
$125,220
Omaha, NE-IA
$136,257
Special Effects Artists and Animators
$53,280
Omaha, NE-IA
$57,976
Graphic Designers
$58,020
Omaha, NE-IA
$63,134
Web and Digital Interface Designers
$71,210
Omaha, NE-IA
$77,486
Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers
$99,580
Omaha, NE-IA
$108,357
Writers and Authors
$67,390
Omaha, NE-IA
$73,330
Computer Programmers
$95,150
Omaha, NE-IA
$103,536
Computer and Information Systems Managers
$145,500
Omaha, NE-IA
$158,324
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.
Council Bluffs at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Population
62,564
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income
$64,092
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+
21.7%
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
91.9 (below U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other Council Bluffs-Area Cities With Game Design Programs
What are the highest-paying game design roles near Council Bluffs?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying game design-related roles near Council Bluffs are: Computer and Information Systems Managers ($145,500), Software Developers ($125,220), Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers ($99,580). 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 Bellevue instead of Council Bluffs?
Bellevue, NE is 7.2 miles from Council Bluffs 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 Council Bluffs an affordable place to study game design?
Council Bluffs’s median household income of $64,092 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Council Bluffs 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.
