Cleveland has an art school at its core, which shapes everything about game design schools in Cleveland. Among the options, Cleveland Institute of Art sits 5 miles from downtown and runs ranked programs in both animation and game design, but it ranks low on our scores and costs far more than the community college nearby. The better-scoring schools are about 81 miles and 94 miles away, so the real decision is how much you value a campus you can reach daily.
Kevin ToFounder & EditorB.S. in Computer Science, Temple UniversityUpdated
2Game Programs Within 25 Milesgame design, programming, simulation and animation, all levelsIPEDS locations
3Game Programs Within 50 Milesat 2 collegesIPEDS locations
1Ranked Game Design Bachelor's Nearbyranked, within 50 miles; plus 1 animationOur ranking
Cleveland Institute of Art leads the metro at 52.1.2 ranked programs sit inside the Cleveland metro. It trails the ranking's medians on both counts, with 58% completion against 59% and a $33,527 net price against $26,150, so weigh what makes it worth that.The Ranking ›
Software developers earn $111,310 here.The U.S. median for the same job is $135,980. Software development is a smaller share of jobs in the metro than nationally (location quotient 0.76), with about 8,460 people in the occupation. In Cleveland, web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, earn $86,340, which is 17% under the national median of $104,000.Pay ›
85 software and game publishers in the metro.Concentration 0.81, where 1.00 matches the U.S. Those publishers employ 5,667 people. The metro also has 374 custom programming studios and 56 film, video and animation production companies.Employers ›
In-state tuition starts at $3,036.1 public college nearby offers a game-related program.Costs ›
A one-bedroom rents for $874 a month.The U.S. median one-bedroom is $1,301. Rent helps here, at a $1,087 monthly median in the Cleveland metro, $400 under the national figure. The lowest on-campus room and board nearby is $12,520 a year at Cleveland Institute of Art.Living Costs ›
Ranked in Cleveland
The Best Game Design Schools in Cleveland, OH for 2027
Cleveland Institute of Art appears twice. Animation is 55 of 82 with 52.1 points, while game design is 73 of 89 with 47.6. Those are low placements, and published tuition is $45,600 a year, with a school-wide net price of $33,527.
The school-wide completion rate is 58%, and the animation program graduates 19 students a year against 7 for game design.
Game design, game programming, simulation and animation programs are all scored the same way, on completion, net price and program size. On each card, completion is the school's 8-year award rate and net price its average for aided first-year students, both from IPEDS; grads a year is the program's own average, 2022 to 2024. Miles are straight-line from central Cleveland.
Cleveland, OH · Private nonprofit · Animation program · 5 miles
52.1
#55 of 82 in animation
5 miles from Cleveland
Animation
Private
Cleveland Institute of Art is a 5-mile trip from downtown Cleveland, and its animation majors work in a building that holds motion-capture systems, green-screen studios, drawing tablets and a render farm. A new Interactive Media Lab adds an extended reality studio and an in-house arcade for testing game concepts. The faculty bring more than 20 feature film credits and 200 TV episodes between them.
Living in or near Cleveland, a student weighs a school-wide net price of $33,527 for aided first-years against published tuition of $45,600 and a $69,300 cost of attendance. About 19 students a year finish the animation program, which is a sizable group for a college with 545 students. Across the school, 58% of students complete a degree within eight years, and earnings ten years after enrollment average $42,509 across all majors.
Cleveland, OH · Private nonprofit · Game design program · 5 miles
47.6
#73 of 89 nationally
5 miles from Cleveland
Private
Cleveland Institute of Art is five miles from downtown Cleveland, and its Game Design major begins with game theory: metaphor, story, mechanics and chance, applied to both physical games and virtual worlds. Students check out video, lighting and sound equipment with their ID card and can use a network-connected game design editing suite and a motion capture studio.
An Interactive Media Lab adds an extended reality studio and an in-house arcade for testing concepts. The college is small, with 545 students, and about 7 people finish this major each year. Tuition is $45,600, and aided first-years pay a net price of $33,527 school-wide. Across the college, earnings for graduates of all majors were $42,509 ten years out. Applications for the next terms are open.
The rest of the Cleveland, OH metro and the nearby areas are covered on the Ohio page.
StateOhio5 ranked game bachelor's · 11 programs in allView the Ohio guide ›
Pay in Cleveland
What Game Jobs Pay in Cleveland
Pay in the Cleveland metro tracks Ohio closely but sits well under the national median. Software developers, where game programmers and engine developers are counted, earn $111,310, which is $2,780 below the state median and $24,670 below the national median. There are 8,460 of them in the metro.
$61,820–$63,970$62k–$64k$61,820 to $63,970, May 2024May 2024
40May 2025
$67,000May 2025
$102,030
Graphic designersWhere many art and UI graduates start
$59,780
$47,310–$74,260$47k–$74k$47,310 to $74,260
1,430
$60,080
$62,960
Computer programmersProgramming roles outside software development
$79,290
$61,820–$106,830$62k–$107k$61,820 to $106,830
400
$85,270
$100,390
Art directorsSenior art leads; rarely a first job
$95,420
$78,920–$113,300$79k–$113k$78,920 to $113,300
180
$94,390
$114,850
Annual wages, BLS OEWS May 2025, for the Cleveland, OH metropolitan area. The middle half earns between the 25th and 75th percentile. Figures tagged May 2024 are from that earlier BLS release, because BLS didn't publish one for the Cleveland metro in the current release.
The art side is steadier. Web and digital interface designers earn $86,340, or $2,980 above the Ohio median, and art directors earn $95,420, $1,030 above the state. Graphic designers earn $59,780 and computer programmers $79,290. BLS publishes no metro median for animators.
Housing is the quiet advantage. Overall prices here score 93.9 with the country at 100, and housing sits at 79.4, so these salaries go further here than they would at the national price level.
Software development is a smaller share of jobs in the Cleveland metro than nationally (location quotient 0.76), with about 8,460 people in the occupation. In Cleveland, web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, earn $86,340, which is 17% under the national median of $104,000. Living costs work in your favor in the Cleveland metro: BEA puts prices 6.1% below the U.S. average, so a paycheck or a student budget goes further.
Cleveland isn't a game city, but it isn't empty either. Game studios get no Census category of their own and mostly sit under software publishers, which stand at 81% of the national concentration across 85 firms and 5,667 workers. Custom programming studios are close behind at 76%, with 374 businesses.
Industry
What it covers
Businesses
Employees
Concentration
Software and game publishers
Software publishers (game publishers and studios are filed here)
85
5,667
0.81
Custom programming studios
Custom computer programming services (contract and co-development studios)
374
5,316
0.76
Film, video and animation production
Motion picture and video production (animation and VFX studios)
56
206
0.19
Graphic design firms
Graphic design services
106
300
0.88
Establishments and March payroll employees in the Cleveland, OH metro, County Business Patterns 2023. Concentration is the industry's share of metro employees divided by its share nationally: 1.00 matches the U.S., 2.00 is twice as concentrated.
The animation side is where the gap shows. Animation and film production is down at 19% of the national concentration, and special effects artists and animators come in at 0.28, far less common than nationally. Art directors (0.51), web and digital interface designers (0.47) and software developers (0.76) are all less common here too.
Graphic design is the one brighter spot. Graphic designers score 1.09 on the location quotient, though graphic design firms still sit at 88% of the national concentration. If you're a visual artist, that's the closest local match for your skills, but for dedicated game roles you should plan to move or work remotely.
How Common Game-Adjacent Jobs Are in Cleveland
Occupation
Jobs per 1,000
Location quotient
Software developers
8.20
0.76
Web and digital interface designers
0.35
0.47
Special effects artists and animators
0.04
0.28
Graphic designers
1.39
1.09
Computer programmers
0.39
0.66
Art directors
0.17
0.51
BLS OEWS May 2025. Jobs per 1,000 of all metro jobs; a location quotient above 1.00 means the occupation is more common in the metro than nationally.
Talent pipeline
How Many Game Graduates Cleveland Produces
Programs within 50 miles produce 33 graduates a year, 26 of them at the bachelor's level. All 26 inside the metro come from Cleveland Institute of Art, with 19 in animation and related fields and 7 in game and interactive media design. Against 8,820 core jobs in the metro, that is 0.3%. Stark State College, 44 miles out, adds 7 associate graduates, but it sits outside the metro.
The 3 largest game-related programs within 50 miles of central Cleveland by graduates a year, IPEDS completions averaged 2022 to 2024:
Such a small output is more a sign of limited options than of an open job market. Most of the 8,820 core jobs aren't in games, and graduates often leave Ohio for larger studio cities. If you stay, you'd be competing in a modest local market where the usable roles are software and design more than game production.
Cost near Cleveland
Paying for School in Cleveland
Stark State College is the only public college in range, and it's in Ohio like Cleveland. Ohio residents pay $3,036 and others pay $6,132, so the premium is $3,096. Its school-wide net price is $6,740, a fraction of the $33,527 school-wide net price at Cleveland Institute of Art, which is private.
The public colleges within 50 miles that offer a game-related program, all in Ohio. Tuition is the published undergraduate rate for 2023-24 (IPEDS IC), before aid; net price is the school-wide average for aided first-year students, 2022-23 (IPEDS SFA).
Ohio students can use the Ohio College Opportunity Grant from the Ohio Department of Higher Education. Ohio is also in the Midwest Student Exchange Program (MSEP), which can lower out-of-state tuition at participating schools in other member states. Check each school's participation before you count on it.
State Aid in Ohio
Ohio's main need program for undergraduates is the Ohio College Opportunity Grant, run by the Ohio Department of Higher Education. In its own words: "Ohio residents in an associate degree, first bachelor's degree, or nurse diploma program at an eligible Ohio or Pennsylvania institution with an SAI (Student Aid Index) of $3,750 or less" The Ohio page covers state aid and public college costs in more detail.
Tuition Exchanges
Ohio belongs to the Midwest Student Exchange Program (MSEP). In the program's own words, "MSEP offers a discounted tuition rate with an average annual tuition savings of $7,000.." It also says: "The program is volunteer based"
Living costs
Living in Cleveland as a Student
Rent in Cleveland sits well under the national figure. Renters pay a median $1,087, a big $400 below the U.S. median. One-bedroom units average $874 monthly, $10,488 across the year. Share a two-bedroom at $1,126 and it's about $563 each. The metro price level is 93.9 and the housing price level is 79.4.
Monthly rent
Cleveland metro
U.S.
All rentals, median
$1,087
$1,487
One bedroom, median
$874
$1,301
Two bedrooms, median
$1,126
$1,490
Median gross rent (rent plus utilities the tenant pays), American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates, tables B25064 and B25031.
Cleveland Institute of Art is the only college reporting on-campus room and board here, at $12,520. Stark State College has no campus housing and lists $9,384 off campus. If you attend Cleveland Institute of Art, the $563 shared-bedroom figure gives you a cheaper off-campus comparison to weigh against that.
Rent helps here, at a $1,087 monthly median in the Cleveland metro, $400 under the national figure.
Each college's own yearly estimates for a full-time undergraduate, 2023-24 (IPEDS IC). Off-campus is for a student not living with family.
The local mix is art-leaning, with an animation program and a game design program and nothing in game programming or simulation. If you want to code, pair a computer science degree with game projects or use an online program. If you like drawing, motion and storytelling, the Cleveland Institute of Art fits.
Public versus private is lopsided. The only ranked bachelor's here is private and expensive, while the public option is a community college. Stark State College is 44 miles out, so living near campus there is more realistic than commuting.
Cleveland Institute of Art at 5 miles is an easy commute, so you can live at home and save on housing. Stark State is a 44-mile straight-line distance, which would be a long daily trip. Heidelberg University at 81 miles means moving, and you'd want its program to justify the housing bill.
The one college on this page isn't open admission; Cleveland Institute of Art admitted 61% of applicants for fall 2024. None requires SAT or ACT scores.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Where Can I Study Game Design in Cleveland?
Cleveland Institute of Art is the top-ranked game design school in Cleveland, scoring 52.1 and ranked 73 of 89 nationally. It trails the ranking's medians on both counts, with 58% completion against 59% and a $33,527 net price against $26,150, so weigh what makes it worth that. About 19 students a year graduate from it, a mid-sized program by the ranking's standards. Cleveland Institute of Art is next at 47.6, one of 2 ranked programs in the metro. See the ranked programs.
How Close Is Cleveland Institute of Art to Downtown?
Cleveland Institute of Art has an average net price of $33,527 a year for aided first-year students (IPEDS), the price after grants rather than the published one. Published tuition is $45,600 for every student, in state or not. It is 5 miles from central Cleveland, ranked 73 of 89 nationally, with a school-wide completion rate of 58%. About 19 students a year graduate from it, a mid-sized program by the ranking's standards. See the ranked programs.
Is Cleveland Cheap for Game Design Students?
In-state tuition at public colleges near Cleveland starts at $3,036 a year, at Stark State College. Nonresidents pay $6,132 at Stark State College. 1 public college within 50 miles offers a game-related program, and private colleges charge every student the same tuition. After grants, Stark State College has the lowest average net price nearby, $6,740, under the $13,240 public average in the median state. See paying for school in Cleveland.
How Many Game Design Programs Are Near Cleveland?
2 ranked programs sit inside the Cleveland metro. Cleveland Institute of Art scores highest, at 52.1. The top program is 5 miles from central Cleveland, close enough to commute if housing nearby is out of reach. 2 game-related programs sit within 25 miles of central Cleveland and 3 within 50, counting every level. The rest of the metro and the nearby areas are on the Ohio page. See the ranked programs.
What Do Game Jobs Pay in Cleveland?
Software developers, the BLS occupation that counts game programmers, earn a median of $111,310 in the Cleveland metro, against $135,980 nationally (BLS May 2025). In the Cleveland metro, web and digital interface designers, where game designers are counted, earn $86,340, which is 17% under the national median of $104,000. Living costs work in your favor in the Cleveland metro: BEA puts prices 6.1% below the U.S. average, so a paycheck or a student budget goes further. See what game jobs pay in Cleveland.
Keep exploring
Related Pages
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2NCES, IPEDS Outcome Measures 2023 The completion factor: the share of all entering students, full-time, part-time and transfer, who earned an award within eight years. School-wide.
