Idaho is short on volume, and the game design schools in Idaho that make the ranking number just one. Boise State University ranks 15 of 89 at a net price of $19,037, a game design program. University of Idaho adds an animation bachelor's at $14,377, and Utah's WUE rates are worth a look.
Kevin ToFounder & EditorB.S. in Computer Science, Temple UniversityUpdated
1Game Design Bachelor's Ranked for 2027top score: Boise State UniversityOur ranking
2Game-Related Programs in the State2 bachelor's, 0 associate, 0 graduateIPEDS
$16.7kMedian Net Pricebachelor's schools here, aided first-year studentsIPEDS
Boise State University leads at 75.4.It is the only ranked program in Idaho, scored on completion, net price and size. It finishes 57% of its students and has a $19,037 net price.The Ranking ›
Software developers earn $131,590 here.The U.S. median for the same job is $135,980. About 5,750 people work as software developers in Idaho. In Idaho, web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, earn $64,250, which is 38% under the national median of $104,000. Living costs work in your favor in Idaho: BEA puts prices 4.5% below the U.S. average, so a paycheck or a student budget goes further.Pay ›
Living costs run below the U.S. average.Living costs work in your favor in Idaho: BEA puts prices 4.5% below the U.S. average, so a paycheck or a student budget goes further.Prices ›
Public in-state tuition averages $6,084.The Opportunity Scholarship is Idaho's main state grant. Aided in-state students pay $13,351 on average across 5 public four-year colleges, about what the median state charges. Out of state, tuition averages $20,994.Costs ›
Idaho in brief
Key Facts About Studying Game Design in Idaho
Idaho has one ranked bachelor's program, and it is public. Boise State University, in Boise, offers a game design program, with a score of 75.4, a 57% completion rate and 41 graduates a year. Net price is $19,037.
University of Idaho has an animation bachelor's with a score of 79.9 and a net price of $14,377. Only two colleges in the state have a game-related program at any level, which keeps the choice simple, and the state has no associate or graduate programs.
Every score on this page is the same score the national rankings use, built on completion, net price and program size, from federal data. The methodology has the details.
Ranked in Idaho
The Game Design School in Idaho for 2027
Boise State University leads, ranked 15 of 89 in the national game design ranking, with a completion rate of 57% and an average net price of $19,037. Every school on this list is public. The best game design schools ranking shows how these compare with every school in the country.
The program: what stands out, the trade-off to weigh, and the figures behind the score. Completion, net price and earnings are school-wide; graduates a year is the program's own; the score is out of 100.
For an Idaho student, Boise State is the in-state public choice for game development in the capital city. The Bachelor of Science in Games, Interactive Media, and Mobile is taught in a city setting, and Idaho residents pay $6,119 in published tuition, compared with $24,859 for students from out of state.
Residency saves $18,740 a year, which is a large share of what the degree costs. Aided first-year students across the university pay a net price of $19,037, and the school-wide cost of attendance is $31,191. About 41 graduates finish the major each year. The university admits 87% of applicants and enrolls 27,198 students, so a local student can start close to home. Only 57% of the university's students finish within eight years, and the median ten-year earnings of $51,658 cover all majors.
Animation bachelor's programs in Idaho, scored the same way and listed in score order. Completion and net price are school-wide IPEDS figures; grads a year is the program's 2022-2024 average.
Idaho software developers earn a median of $131,590, only $4,390 behind the national median, and 5,750 people are employed in the field. The middle half make $93,740 to $160,570. That puts programming pay close to the national figure while the state's price level is 95.5, or prices about 4.5% below the national average. Idaho's price level is a real part of the picture, since a lower rent and grocery bill makes the same salary last longer.
Graphic designersWhere many art and UI graduates start
$50,350
$40,930–$64,550$41k–$65k$40,930 to $64,550
920
$62,960
Computer programmersProgramming roles outside software development
$89,020May 2025
$86,950–$92,270$87k–$92k$86,950 to $92,270, May 2025May 2025
170May 2024
$100,390
Art directorsSenior art leads; rarely a first job
$80,680May 2025
$78,680–$80,680$79k–$81k$78,680 to $80,680, May 2025May 2025
220May 2024
$114,850
BLS doesn't publish special effects artists and animators pay for Idaho. Nationally, the median is $102,030. See animator salary › Annual wages, BLS OEWS May 2025. 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 Idaho in the current release.
Pay in Idaho's Largest Metro Areas
Metro area
Software developers
Web and digital interface designers
Price level
Boise City
$131,590
$58,240
98.4
Idaho Falls
$123,450
$51,710May 2023
94.4
Coeur d'Alene
$126,870
Not published
98.3
Median annual wages, BLS OEWS May 2025, for the state's largest metropolitan areas by total employment, all in Idaho. Price level is BEA's Regional Price Parity for 2024, where the U.S. average is 100. Figures tagged May 2023 are from that earlier BLS release, because BLS didn't publish one for that metro area in the current release. A cell marked with a dash means BLS (or BEA, for price level) didn't publish a figure for that metro area, usually because too few employers reported.
Design pay is where Idaho falls behind. Game designers and UI designers fall under web and digital interface designers, who earn $64,250, $39,750 behind the national median, and only 340 workers hold those positions. The BLS release lists no Idaho wage for special effects artists and animators, so there's no animator benchmark to cite.
Boise is not the top payer for everything. Boise software developers earn $131,590, matching the state, but Idaho Falls pays $123,450 and Coeur d'Alene $126,870. Boise's art directors earn $85,070 and its graphic designers $55,970, and its web and digital interface designers earn $58,240, below the state median. Idaho Falls graphic designers earn the most of any metro here at $59,290.
Early jobs are mostly testing, a junior design seat, or junior programming, with art and interface roles close behind. Graphic designers statewide earn $50,350, $12,610 behind the national median, and computer programmers earn $89,020. If you want the higher-paying path, the data points to programming.
About 5,750 people work as software developers in Idaho. In Idaho, web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, earn $64,250, which is 38% under the national median of $104,000. Living costs work in your favor in Idaho: BEA puts prices 4.5% below the U.S. average, so a paycheck or a student budget goes further.
The game design salary pages explain what each occupation covers and how game studios fit inside it.
Cost in Idaho
Paying for School in Idaho
Idaho's five public four-year colleges charge residents $6,084 on average and nonresidents $20,994, so an outsider carries an extra $14,910. Net price after aid for an in-state student averages $13,351. At the public game and animation schools, residents pay $6,438 while nonresidents pay $25,426. Those figures are averages across the state, so your own bill depends on which campus you pick and what aid you earn.
Public colleges in ID
Figure
Public four-year colleges
5
Average in-state tuition
$6,084
Average out-of-state tuition
$20,994
Average net price, aided in-state students
$13,351
Means across Idaho's public four-year degree-granting colleges that offer undergraduate study: tuition from IPEDS for 2023-24 (5 colleges reporting), net price for 2022-23 (5 reporting). Net price is what first-year students with grant aid paid after grants.
Aided in-state students pay $13,351 on average across 5 public four-year colleges, about what the median state charges.
The Opportunity Scholarship from the Idaho State Board of Education is based on need and merit. Idaho also belongs to the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE), and Utah has public game programs nearby. If you're a resident of a WUE state, ask Boise State University about the rate.
State Aid in Idaho
Idaho's main need and merit program for undergraduates is the Opportunity Scholarship, run by the Idaho State Board of Education. In its own words: "The Opportunity Scholarship is a “last dollars” award, meaning it is to assist in filling in the gap in your cost of attendance after other scholarships and grants." Fill out the FAFSA early, since many state programs award money until it runs out.
Tuition Exchanges
Idaho belongs to the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE). In the program's own words, "WUE enables eligible students to enroll as nonresidents in 170 participating public colleges and universities and pay 150% (or less) of the enrolling institution’s resident tuition."
The price spread is narrower than it looks, and the median net price across Idaho's game and animation bachelor's schools is $16,707. University of Idaho costs $14,377 net and Boise State University costs $19,037. Visit in person if you can, because the two campuses feel very different as places to spend four years.
Pick by field. Boise State University is the design-leaning choice and University of Idaho is the animation choice. Neither is a game programming program or simulation, so if you want to write engine code, plan on a computer science minor or look in Utah, which has three game bachelor's programs.
Residency matters more at Boise State University than anywhere else on the list. Residents pay about $6,438 in tuition and nonresidents pay $25,426, a gap of $18,988. Washington has two game bachelor's programs, but Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Wyoming have none, so Utah and Washington are the only neighbors worth a trip.
Neighboring States
Neighboring stateUtah3 ranked game bachelor's · 5 programs in allView the Utah guide ›
Neighboring stateWashington2 ranked game bachelor's · 9 programs in allView the Washington guide ›
Neighboring stateMontanaNo programs; the guide lists the nearestView the Montana guide ›
Neighboring stateNevadaNo programs; the guide lists the nearestView the Nevada guide ›
Neighboring stateOregon2 related programs, no game bachelor'sView the Oregon guide ›
Neighboring stateWyomingNo programs; the guide lists the nearestView the Wyoming guide ›
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the Best-Ranked Game Program in Idaho?
Boise State University is the top-ranked game design school in Idaho, 15 of 89 in our national ranking. It finishes 57% of its students and has an average net price of $19,037 for aided first-year students, both school-wide IPEDS figures, and the program graduates about 41 students a year. It's the only ranked game bachelor's in Idaho, out of 2 game-related programs in the state at every level. Out-of-state students pay $18,740 more a year in published tuition there. See its full profile in the state ranking.
Which Idaho School Costs Less, Boise State University or University of Idaho?
Boise State University has an average net price of $19,037 a year for aided first-year students (IPEDS), the price after grants rather than the published one. Published tuition is $6,119 for in-state students and $24,859 out of state. It is in Idaho, ranked 15 of 89 nationally, with a school-wide completion rate of 57%. Your own price depends on your family's income, so run the college's net price calculator before you compare it with others. See the state ranking.
What Do Idaho Game Designers Earn?
In Idaho, web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, earn $64,250, which is 38% under the national median of $104,000. Software developers, the BLS occupation that counts game programmers, earn a median of $131,590 in Idaho, against $135,980 nationally (BLS May 2025). Living costs work in your favor in Idaho: BEA puts prices 4.5% below the U.S. average, so a paycheck or a student budget goes further. About 5,750 people work as software developers in Idaho. See what game jobs pay in Idaho.
Does Idaho Publish an Animator Wage?
BLS doesn't publish a recent median for special effects artists and animators in Idaho, usually because too few are employed to estimate reliably, so the national median of $102,030 is the closest guide. The occupation covers film, TV and advertising as well as games. In all, one animation program is offered in Idaho across every degree level. Idaho has one ranked animation bachelor's, led by University of Idaho. See animator salary for national pay.
Can an Out-of-State Student Get a Break at an Idaho Public School?
Out-of-state students pay about $14,910 more a year in tuition at Idaho's public four-year colleges, where in-state tuition averages $6,084 against $20,994 for nonresidents (IPEDS 2023-24). After grants, aided in-state students pay an average net price of $13,351. Idaho belongs to the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE), which can cut nonresident tuition at public colleges in member states, though each college picks which programs take part. See paying for school in Idaho.
Is Idaho's List of Game Programs Long or Short?
Idaho has 2 game design, game programming, simulation and animation programs at every level in the federal data: 2 bachelor's, 0 associate and 0 graduate. They sit at 2 colleges, with the most in Boise (1). 1 of the bachelor's programs are ranked, led by Boise State University. Beyond the state, 13 fully online game bachelor's programs are open to Idaho students. See the state ranking.
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.
