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Best Game Design Schools Near Cookeville, TN (2026)
Updated September 5, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Cookeville, Tennessee has 1 accredited school offering game design programs. Cookeville has a population of about 35,544. Median household income is $48,501 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 35.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Tennessee, the top-earning game design-related role is Computer and Information Systems Managers at a median $158,700 annually (BLS, May 2025).
Closest Game Design Schools to Cookeville
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer game design programs near Cookeville, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Cookeville 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 Cookeville.
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 Tennessee schools on the Tennessee game design page.
Game Design Wages Near Cookeville
Occupation
Median Annual Wage (Tennessee, statewide)
Software Developers
$122,430
Special Effects Artists and Animators
$83,080
Graphic Designers
$57,270
Web and Digital Interface Designers
$63,510
Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers
$91,040
Writers and Authors
$58,870
Computer Programmers
N/A
Computer and Information Systems Managers
$158,700
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.
Cookeville at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Population
35,544
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income
$48,501
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+
35.4%
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Other Cookeville-Area Cities With Game Design Programs
How many accredited game design schools are near Cookeville, TN?
Our directory has 1 accredited schools offering game design programs near Cookeville. The closest is Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, KY (78.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Western Kentucky University (78.1 miles). 1 of the highlighted schools is flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying game design roles in Tennessee?
Based on BLS May 2025 state wage data, the top-paying game design-related roles in Tennessee are: Computer and Information Systems Managers ($158,700), Software Developers ($122,430), Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers ($91,040). Wages for Cookeville workers will track these statewide medians, adjusted for local cost of living.
Should I look at programs in Lebanon instead of Cookeville?
Lebanon, TN is 46.7 miles from Cookeville 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 Cookeville an affordable place to study game design?
Cookeville’s median household income of $48,501 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Cookeville while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Tennessee 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.
