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Best Game Design Schools Near Oak Harbor, WA (2026)
Updated September 5, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Oak Harbor, Washington has 3 accredited schools offering game design programs. Oak Harbor has a population of about 24,396. Median household income is $72,041 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 27.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Washington, the top-earning game design-related role is Computer and Information Systems Managers at a median $209,370 annually (BLS, May 2025).
Closest Game Design Schools to Oak Harbor
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer game design programs near Oak Harbor, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Oak Harbor 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 Oak Harbor.
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 Washington schools on the Washington game design page.
Game Design Wages Near Oak Harbor
Occupation
Median Annual Wage (Washington, statewide)
Software Developers
$166,540
Special Effects Artists and Animators
$133,480
Graphic Designers
$72,710
Web and Digital Interface Designers
$130,480
Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers
$128,480
Writers and Authors
$85,700
Computer Programmers
$125,620
Computer and Information Systems Managers
$209,370
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.
Oak Harbor at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Population
24,396
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income
$72,041
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+
27.9%
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Other Oak Harbor-Area Cities With Game Design Programs
How many accredited game design schools are near Oak Harbor, WA?
Our directory has 3 accredited schools offering game design programs near Oak Harbor. The closest is Skagit Valley College in Mount Vernon, WA (17.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Cornish College of the Arts (48.8 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying game design roles in Washington?
Based on BLS May 2025 state wage data, the top-paying game design-related roles in Washington are: Computer and Information Systems Managers ($209,370), Software Developers ($166,540), Special Effects Artists and Animators ($133,480). Wages for Oak Harbor workers will track these statewide medians, adjusted for local cost of living.
Should I look at programs in Mount Vernon instead of Oak Harbor?
Mount Vernon, WA is 17.1 miles from Oak Harbor 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 Oak Harbor an affordable place to study game design?
Oak Harbor’s median household income of $72,041 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Oak Harbor while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Washington 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.
