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Best Game Design Schools Near Iowa City, IA (2026)
Updated September 5, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Iowa City, Iowa is home to about 75,264 residents. Median household income is $57,533 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 60.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Iowa City, IA metro area, the top-earning game design-related role is Computer and Information Systems Managers at a median $134,210 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Game Design Schools to Iowa City
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer game design programs near Iowa City, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Iowa 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:
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 Iowa City.
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 Iowa City
Iowa City is part of the Iowa City, IA metro area (BLS area code 26980). 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
$107,680
Iowa City, IA
$117,683
Special Effects Artists and Animators
$47,530
IA statewide
$51,945
Graphic Designers
$49,350
Iowa City, IA
$53,934
Web and Digital Interface Designers
$69,060
IA statewide
$75,475
Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers
$75,330
Iowa City, IA
$82,328
Writers and Authors
$49,000
Iowa City, IA
$53,552
Computer Programmers
$113,590
Iowa City, IA
$124,142
Computer and Information Systems Managers
$134,210
Iowa City, IA
$146,678
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.
Iowa City at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Population
75,264
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income
$57,533
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+
60.7%
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
91.5 (below U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other Iowa City-Area Cities With Game Design Programs
What are the highest-paying game design roles near Iowa City?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying game design-related roles near Iowa City are: Computer and Information Systems Managers ($134,210), Computer Programmers ($113,590), Software Developers ($107,680). 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 Coralville instead of Iowa City?
Coralville, IA is 4.5 miles from Iowa 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 Iowa City an affordable place to study game design?
Iowa City’s median household income of $57,533 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Iowa City 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.
