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Best Game Design Schools Near Nicholasville, KY (2026)
Updated September 5, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Nicholasville, Kentucky is home to about 31,625 residents. Median household income is $67,514 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 27.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Lexington-Fayette, KY metro area, the top-earning game design-related role is Computer and Information Systems Managers at a median $144,160 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Game Design Schools to Nicholasville
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer game design programs near Nicholasville, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Nicholasville 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 Nicholasville.
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
Western Kentucky University
📍
Bowling Green, KY
•
121.1 miles from Nicholasville
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Kentucky schools on the Kentucky game design page.
Game Design Wages Near Nicholasville
Nicholasville is part of the Lexington-Fayette, KY metro area (BLS area code 30460). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Kentucky statewide.
Occupation
Median Wage
Source
COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Software Developers
$123,510
Lexington-Fayette, KY
$132,949
Special Effects Artists and Animators
$50,970
KY statewide
$54,865
Graphic Designers
$58,880
Lexington-Fayette, KY
$63,380
Web and Digital Interface Designers
$74,590
Lexington-Fayette, KY
$80,291
Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers
$78,800
Lexington-Fayette, KY
$84,822
Writers and Authors
$51,170
Lexington-Fayette, KY
$55,081
Computer Programmers
$90,850
Lexington-Fayette, KY
$97,793
Computer and Information Systems Managers
$144,160
Lexington-Fayette, KY
$155,178
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.
Nicholasville at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Population
31,625
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income
$67,514
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+
27.0%
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
92.9 (below U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other Nicholasville-Area Cities With Game Design Programs
What are the highest-paying game design roles near Nicholasville?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying game design-related roles near Nicholasville are: Computer and Information Systems Managers ($144,160), Software Developers ($123,510), Computer Programmers ($90,850). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Kentucky statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Lexington instead of Nicholasville?
Lexington, KY is 12.0 miles from Nicholasville 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 Nicholasville an affordable place to study game design?
Nicholasville’s median household income of $67,514 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Nicholasville while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Kentucky 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.
