Illinois has one ranked bachelor's program, and it's in Chicago, where Columbia College Chicago ranks 40 of 89 among the game design schools in Illinois, a game design program with a net price of $29,790. The state's other strength is animation, with five bachelor's options that include Bradley University, plus DePaul University, and Chicago pays the highest wages in the state.
Kevin ToFounder & EditorB.S. in Computer Science, Temple UniversityUpdated
1Game Design Bachelor's Ranked for 2027top score: Columbia College ChicagoOur ranking
12Game-Related Programs in the State5 bachelor's, 6 associate, 1 graduateIPEDS
$29.8kMedian Net Pricebachelor's schools here, aided first-year studentsIPEDS
Columbia College Chicago leads at 60.9.It is the only ranked program in Illinois, scored on completion, net price and size. It finishes 56% of its students and has a $29,790 net price.The Ranking ›
Software developers earn $132,110 here.The U.S. median for the same job is $135,980. About 56,310 people work as software developers in Illinois. In Illinois, web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, earn $85,710, which is 18% under the national median of $104,000. BEA's index puts prices in Illinois near the U.S. average, at 100.Pay ›
Living costs sit near the U.S. average.BEA's index puts prices in Illinois near the U.S. average, at 100.Prices ›
Public in-state tuition averages $10,150.The Monetary Award Program is Illinois's main state grant. Aided in-state students pay $13,575 on average across 14 public four-year colleges, about what the median state charges. Out of state, tuition averages $15,646.Costs ›
City guides: Chicago.Each ranks the programs nearby with distances, and covers local pay, the software and media employers in the metro, how many graduates compete for jobs, and rent.City Guides ›
Illinois in brief
Key Facts About Studying Game Design in Illinois
Illinois has no ranked public game program. The only one is private: Columbia College Chicago is a nonprofit and sits at 40 of 89 on a score of 60.9, a 56% completion rate and 47 graduates a year. Net price is $29,790, and that's a school-wide figure.
The depth is in animation and the associate level. Bradley University scores 71.4 at a net price of $24,703, Elmhurst University scores 64.2 at $22,760, and DePaul University scores 62.5 at $32,129. Illinois lists 12 game-related programs at 10 colleges, including six associate programs and one graduate program.
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 Illinois
The Game Design School in Illinois for 2027
Columbia College Chicago leads, ranked 40 of 89 in the national game design ranking, with a completion rate of 56% and an average net price of $29,790. None of them is a public university. 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.
Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit · Game design program
60.9
#40 of 89 nationally
Private
Illinois residents pay the same $32,272 tuition at Columbia College Chicago as out-of-state students, because the college is private. School-wide, aided first-years pay a net price of $29,790 against a $59,907 cost of attendance before aid.
The curriculum starts with introductory classes on genres, career paths and toolsets, then narrows in the junior and senior years, when students collaborate across disciplines to build a complete game or interactive project from concept to delivery. A senior capstone adds work for the portfolio. About 47 students a year earn the degree, and the college enrolls 5,570 in total.
Ten-year earnings for graduates of all majors are $42,195, and the admit rate is 89%. Students begin practical coding and prototyping assignments in their first year.
Animation bachelor's programs in Illinois, 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.
Programs reported to IPEDS, with graduates per year averaged 2022 to 2024. Associate and graduate programs aren't in the bachelor's ranking, so they carry no score here.
Illinois developers sit near the national line. Software developers in Illinois are paid a median of $132,110, $3,870 off the national median, and 56,310 people hold jobs in that category. That's a deep pool of programming jobs. Programming roles are the most plentiful path for a graduate, so a design-focused student should plan on a few extra skills such as scripting.
Graphic designersWhere many art and UI graduates start
$62,560
$47,530–$81,320$48k–$81k$47,530 to $81,320
8,960
$62,960
Computer programmersProgramming roles outside software development
$72,540
$50,640–$110,980$51k–$111k$50,640 to $110,980
1,280
$100,390
Art directorsSenior art leads; rarely a first job
$103,550
$79,820–$134,680$80k–$135k$79,820 to $134,680
2,960
$114,850
Annual wages, BLS OEWS May 2025. The middle half earns between the 25th and 75th percentile.
Pay in Illinois's Largest Metro Areas
Metro area
Software developers
Web and digital interface designers
Special effects artists and animators
Price level
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
$134,380
$87,920
$83,200
103.6
Peoria, IL
$130,590
$87,950
Not published
91.2
Rockford, IL
$107,640
Not published
Not published
92.2
Median annual wages, BLS OEWS May 2025, for the state's largest metropolitan areas by total employment. Price level is BEA's Regional Price Parity for 2024, where the U.S. average is 100. 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.
Everything else trails. Game designers show up under web and digital interface designers, who earn $85,710, $18,290 off the national median. Special effects artists and animators earn $81,180, $20,850 below, and computer programmers earn just $72,540, $27,850 below. Graphic designers are the one near-match at $62,560, only $400 below.
Chicago is the pay center. Its software developers earn $134,380, web and digital interface designers $87,920, animators $83,200 and graphic designers $66,490. Peoria is the only other metro with a wage for web and digital interface designers, at $87,950, and Rockford's software developers earn $107,640. Chicago is also the only Illinois metro with a published animator wage.
Starting out, you'd likely land in testing, a junior design seat, art or interface work, or junior programming. Art directors earn $103,550 and there are 2,960 of them, but it's rarely a first job. Illinois prices sit at the national average, a price level of 100 on the BEA scale, so no discount or premium on your paycheck.
About 56,310 people work as software developers in Illinois. In Illinois, web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, earn $85,710, which is 18% under the national median of $104,000. BEA's index puts prices in Illinois near the U.S. average, at 100.
The game design salary pages explain what each occupation covers and how game studios fit inside it.
Cost in Illinois
Paying for School in Illinois
Fourteen public four-year colleges operate in Illinois. Their tuition is $10,150 for residents and $15,646 for nonresidents, and that $5,496 premium is small by national standards. An Illinois resident averages a $13,575 net price once aid is counted, though no public school here has a ranked game program. If you live in Illinois and want a public degree, a computer science program is the closest fit, but it's a related degree and not a game design degree.
Public colleges in IL
Figure
Public four-year colleges
14
Average in-state tuition
$10,150
Average out-of-state tuition
$15,646
Average net price, aided in-state students
$13,575
Means across Illinois's public four-year degree-granting colleges that offer undergraduate study: tuition from IPEDS for 2023-24 (12 colleges reporting), net price for 2022-23 (12 reporting). Net price is what first-year students with grant aid paid after grants.
Aided in-state students pay $13,575 on average across 14 public four-year colleges, about what the median state charges.
The Monetary Award Program, run by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, is need-based. Illinois has no tuition exchange, so there's no regional discount to chase. Your aid depends on your income and the school's own awards.
State Aid in Illinois
Illinois's main need program for undergraduates is the Monetary Award Program, run by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. In its own words: "The Monetary Award Program (MAP) provides grant assistance to eligible students demonstrating financial need." Fill out the FAFSA early, since many state programs award money until it runs out.
Tuition Exchanges
No regional undergraduate tuition exchange covers Illinois, so public schools in other states charge their full nonresident rate.
Choosing
How to Choose a Game Design Program in Illinois
Private costs dominate. The one ranked game program costs $29,790 net and the animation schools range from $22,760 to $32,129. Elmhurst University is the least expensive of the animation bachelor's options and Columbia College Chicago is the only one a game design program. On a visit to Columbia College Chicago, ask how many graduates work in studios and how many work in related fields.
Field is a simple call. Columbia College Chicago leans design, and the other schools lean animation, so Illinois offers no ranked game programming bachelor's. Missouri has three game bachelor's programs and Indiana, Iowa and Wisconsin have one each, so programming-minded students might look across the border. Find out from Elmhurst University how its animation courses connect to game production.
Since the public schools have no ranked game program, your in-state price advantage mostly doesn't apply. The median net price at the state's game and animation schools is $27,247, which is a useful yardstick against online options. If you want a lower bill without leaving the state, a public computer science degree plus a game project portfolio is a related path, not a game design degree.
Neighboring States
Neighboring stateMissouri3 ranked game bachelor's · 8 programs in allView the Missouri guide ›
Neighboring stateIndiana1 ranked game bachelor's · 3 programs in allView the Indiana guide ›
Neighboring stateIowa1 ranked game bachelor's · 4 programs in allView the Iowa guide ›
Neighboring stateWisconsin1 ranked game bachelor's · 7 programs in allView the Wisconsin guide ›
Neighboring stateKentucky1 related programs, no game bachelor'sView the Kentucky guide ›
City guides
Cities in Illinois
One city in Illinois has its own guide, ranking every program inside the metro and within 50 miles of the city center, with distances, metro pay and nearby public college costs.
Chicago, IL11 programs within 50 miles · 1 ranked game bachelor'sView the Chicago guide ›
Are There Game Design Degrees Offered in Illinois?
Columbia College Chicago is the top-ranked game design school in Illinois, 40 of 89 in our national ranking. It finishes 56% of its students and has an average net price of $29,790 for aided first-year students, both school-wide IPEDS figures, and the program graduates about 47 students a year. It's the only ranked game bachelor's in Illinois, out of 12 game-related programs in the state at every level. See its full profile in the state ranking.
Which Illinois Colleges Offer Animation Bachelor's Degrees?
Special effects artists and animators earn a median of $81,180 in Illinois (BLS May 2025), against $102,030 nationally. The occupation covers film, TV and advertising as well as games. In all, 11 animation programs are offered in Illinois across every degree level. Illinois has 4 ranked animation bachelor's programs, led by Bradley University. See what game jobs pay in Illinois.
What Do Illinois Software Developers Earn?
Software developers, the BLS occupation that counts game programmers, earn a median of $132,110 in Illinois, against $135,980 nationally (BLS May 2025). In Illinois, web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, earn $85,710, which is 18% under the national median of $104,000. BEA's index puts prices in Illinois near the U.S. average, at 100. About 56,310 people work as software developers in Illinois. See what game jobs pay in Illinois.
Does Illinois Have a State Grant for Students?
Illinois's main state grant for undergraduates is the Monetary Award Program, run by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. In its own words: "The Monetary Award Program (MAP) provides grant assistance to eligible students demonstrating financial need." State grants usually require you to study at an eligible college in Illinois, so they rarely follow you out of state, and award rules change from year to year. Aided in-state students at public four-year colleges pay an average net price of $13,575 after grants. See paying for school in Illinois.
How Much More Do Out-of-State Students Pay in Illinois?
Out-of-state students pay about $5,496 more a year in tuition at Illinois's public four-year colleges, where in-state tuition averages $10,150 against $15,646 for nonresidents (IPEDS 2023-24). After grants, aided in-state students pay an average net price of $13,575. Illinois isn't in a regional tuition exchange for bachelor's students, so public colleges elsewhere charge you their out-of-state rate. See paying for school in Illinois.
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.
