Indianapolis is a big city with no ranked game program inside it, but the game design schools near Indianapolis start just under 50 miles out. Indiana University-Bloomington sits 47 miles from the city center and ranks 6 of 89. Ball State University, over in Muncie, is 49 miles out and ranks 12 of 82 for animation. Both are public and in-state, so Indiana residents get the lower tuition.
Kevin ToFounder & EditorB.S. in Computer Science, Temple UniversityUpdated
0Game Programs Within 25 Milesgame design, programming, simulation and animation, all levelsIPEDS locations
2Game Programs Within 50 Milesabout an hour outIPEDS locations
5Game Programs Within 100 Milesat 5 colleges; 3 ranked game bachelor'sIPEDS locations
Game Design Schools Near Indianapolis in 60 Seconds
Nearest top pick: Indiana University-Bloomington, 47 miles out.No ranked program sits inside the Indianapolis, Carmel and Greenwood metro itself. It scores 85.2. It beats the ranking's medians on both counts: 81% of its students finish, against 59%, and aided first-year students pay $16,282, against $26,150.Nearby Programs ›
Software developers earn $106,870 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 0.60), with about 7,140 people in the occupation. In Indianapolis, web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, earn $67,530, which is 35% under the national median of $104,000.Pay ›
87 software and game publishers in the metro.Concentration 1.01, where 1.00 matches the U.S. Those publishers employ 7,146 people. The metro also has 416 custom programming studios and 77 film, video and animation production companies.Employers ›
In-state tuition starts at $8,948.4 public colleges nearby offer a game-related program. The highest in-state tuition nearby is $14,420, so where you enroll changes the bill a lot.Costs ›
A one-bedroom rents for $1,087 a month.The U.S. median one-bedroom is $1,301. Rent helps here, at a $1,273 monthly median in the Indianapolis, Carmel and Greenwood metro, $214 under the national figure. The lowest on-campus room and board nearby is $9,880 a year at Huntington University.Living Costs ›
Nearest to Indianapolis
The Nearest Ranked Game Design Programs to Indianapolis for 2027
Indiana University-Bloomington leads the 5 ranked programs within 100 miles, with a score of 85.2, a school-wide completion rate of 81% and an average net price of $16,282. Miles are straight-line distance from central Indianapolis.
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 Indianapolis.
Bloomington, IN · Public · Game design program · 47 miles
85.2
#6 of 89 nationally
47 miles from Indianapolis
Public
Bloomington is 47 miles from Indianapolis, close enough for a metro student to live on campus and still get home easily. The B.S. in Game Design at Indiana University is a joint offering of two units, an arts and sciences college and a media school, and it pairs technical and creative training.
Students deepen one of six focal areas with nine credit hours, such as programming, art or sound. Costs matter for a family in the metro: in-state tuition is $10,622, school-wide net price is $16,282, and the cost of attendance is $30,602 before aid. The university enrolls 48,424 students, and 81% of them finish within eight years. About 20 people graduate from the program yearly, and the setting is a city.
Muncie, IN · Public · Animation program · 49 miles
80.0
#12 of 82 in animation
49 miles from Indianapolis
Lowest net price near Indianapolis
Net price earns full cost points
Animation
Public
Muncie is 49 miles from Indianapolis, which makes Ball State's BFA in Animation a reasonable commute for central Indiana students who want a public university price. Net price for aided first-years is $13,017 school-wide, the lowest near Indianapolis among the programs we cover, and published tuition is $8,948 for residents.
Out-of-state students pay $27,496, an $18,548 premium. The city campus has 21,089 students, and about 14 people graduate from this animation program a year. Completion across the university is 66% within eight years, the admit rate is 85%, and earnings for graduates of all majors were $51,833 a decade after entry. As an Indiana resident, a student from Indianapolis pays the lower rate. The program is a BFA, a studio degree in animation.
Huntington, IN · Private nonprofit · Animation program · 85 miles
71.9
#23 of 82 in animation
85 miles from Indianapolis
Animation
Private
Huntington University is 85 miles from Indianapolis, in a small Indiana town where the campus is one of the few town settings among the 82 animation programs we cover. Its Animation B.S. teaches the foundations of art before moving into motion graphics and 3D sculpting, with an emphasis on quality visuals and storytelling.
Graduates are listed working at Disney, Riot Games and TTP, and student films have earned Rocky Mountain Emmys. Published tuition is $31,870, with aided first-years paying a net price of $21,149 school-wide. About 15 students graduate from the major yearly, and earnings for graduates of all majors were $46,672 ten years out across the university. Alumni also work as artists and marketers, including at The RealReal. Completion across the university is 68% within eight years.
Completion
68%school-wide
Net price
$21,149aided first-years
Grads a year
15this program
Earnings
$46,67210 yrs, all majors
Out-of-state premium
None (private)same tuition for all students
Campus setting
Townone of the few town campuses of the 82 ranked in animation
Oxford, OH · Public · Game programming program · 77 miles
71.7
#21 of 89 nationally
77 miles from Indianapolis
Highest completion near Indianapolis
Largest program near Indianapolis
Technical track: game programming
Public
Oxford sits 77 miles from Indianapolis, so a student from the metro can reach Miami University by car in a little over an hour. The Games + Simulation program here is the largest near Indianapolis, with about 30 graduates a year, and the university has the highest completion among nearby options: 82% of entering students finish within eight years school-wide.
The B.S. mixes game art, design and development, and its courses include game studies and an introduction to game careers. As a public school it charges nonresidents $35,866 in published tuition, against $14,420 for Ohioans. Net price after aid is $27,928 across the university, the cost of attendance is $39,576 before aid, and the SAT midpoint is 1305. Earnings ten years after entry average $55,076 across all majors.
Cincinnati, OH · Public · Simulation program · 98 miles
71.5
#22 of 89 nationally
98 miles from Indianapolis
Technical track: simulation
Public
Indianapolis is 98 miles from Cincinnati, too far for a daily commute, so students would plan to relocate. Students from the Indiana metro would join a city campus where the B.F.A. in Games & Animation has no portfolio requirement and a minimum 2.5 GPA, so a student who has taught themselves, or never made a frame, can apply.
Out-of-state published tuition is $27,019 a year, compared with $11,685 for Ohio residents. The cost of attendance is $35,764 before aid, and aided first-years pay $21,511 net school-wide. Co-op lets majors work full-time in the field for two semesters. The university enrolls 45,026 students and admits 85% of applicants. School-wide, 72% of entering students complete within eight years, and about 11 students a year graduate from the program.
The rest of the Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN metro and the nearby areas are covered on the Indiana page.
StateIndiana1 ranked game bachelor's · 3 programs in allView the Indiana guide ›
Pay in Indianapolis
What Game Jobs Pay in Indianapolis
Indianapolis pays below the national figures for most game jobs. Developers (game programmers and engine developers included) have a median of $106,870, sitting $29,110 under the national figure and $950 over the state figure. There are 7,140 of them in the metro, the largest group on the list by far.
Graphic designersWhere many art and UI graduates start
$60,520
$48,830–$81,230$49k–$81k$48,830 to $81,230
1,530
$55,480
$62,960
Computer programmersProgramming roles outside software development
$102,070
$85,790–$131,380$86k–$131k$85,790 to $131,380
550
$97,000
$100,390
Art directorsSenior art leads; rarely a first job
$105,270
$83,130–$155,180$83k–$155k$83,130 to $155,180
160
$105,690
$114,850
BLS doesn't publish special effects artists and animators pay for the Indianapolis, Carmel and Greenwood metro. Nationally, the median is $102,030. See animator salary › Annual wages, BLS OEWS May 2025, for the Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN metropolitan area. The middle half earns between the 25th and 75th percentile.
Computer programmers stand out: a median of $102,070 beats the national median by $1,680 and the state's by $5,070. Interface designers, a group that includes game and UI designers, earn $67,530, which tops the state by $4,100 but trails the nation by $36,470. Graphic designers earn $60,520, which beats the state median by $5,040. Art directors reach $105,270.
BLS publishes no Indianapolis metro median for special effects artists and animators, so you can't judge animation pay locally. Prices run at 95.7 against a national 100, with housing at 88.9.
Software development is a smaller share of jobs in the Indianapolis, Carmel and Greenwood metro than nationally (location quotient 0.60), with about 7,140 people in the occupation. In Indianapolis, web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, earn $67,530, which is 35% under the national median of $104,000. Living costs work in your favor in the Indianapolis, Carmel and Greenwood metro: BEA puts prices 4.3% below the U.S. average, so a paycheck or a student budget goes further.
No college inside the Indianapolis, Carmel and Greenwood metro graduated students in game design, game programming, simulation or animation from 2022 to 2024; the nearest programs are in the ranking above.
Employment at software firms in Indianapolis sits right at the national level. Software and game publishers, where Census files most game studios, have 87 businesses and 7,146 employees, at 1.0 times the national concentration. Contract programming shops are bigger still, with 416 businesses and 7,370 employees, also matching the national share. Census data has no game studio category of its own.
Industry
What it covers
Businesses
Employees
Concentration
Software and game publishers
Software publishers (game publishers and studios are filed here)
87
7,146
1.01
Custom programming studios
Custom computer programming services (contract and co-development studios)
416
7,370
1.04
Film, video and animation production
Motion picture and video production (animation and VFX studios)
77
197
0.18
Graphic design firms
Graphic design services
127
617
1.78
Establishments and March payroll employees in the Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN 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.
Graphic design firms are the standout at 1.8 times the national concentration, and graphic designers are the lone occupation running above national levels here, at 1.09. Everything else is below: software developers 0.60, web and digital interface designers 0.61, computer programmers 0.83 and art directors 0.42. Film, video and animation production is only 18% of the national concentration.
In practice, you'll find programming and design work here, though software developers are less common than nationally, and there are few animation studios. Artists may need to look remotely or elsewhere.
How Common Game-Adjacent Jobs Are in Indianapolis
Occupation
Jobs per 1,000
Location quotient
Software developers
6.46
0.60
Web and digital interface designers
0.45
0.61
Graphic designers
1.38
1.09
Computer programmers
0.49
0.83
Art directors
0.14
0.42
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.
Cost near Indianapolis
Paying for School in Indianapolis
Both closest colleges are in Indiana, which is the same state as the city, and that matters a lot. Indiana University-Bloomington costs Indiana residents $10,622 and everyone else $40,369, a $29,747 premium, with a school-wide net price of $16,282. Ball State University costs $8,948 for residents and $27,496 for others, an $18,548 premium, with a net price of $13,017.
The public colleges within 100 miles that offer a game-related program. 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).
Farther out, Miami University-Oxford and University of Cincinnati-Main Campus are in Ohio, so Indiana students pay out-of-state rates of $35,866 and $27,019. Indiana residents can look at the Frank O'Bannon Grant, from the Indiana Commission for Higher Education. The Midwest Student Exchange Program (MSEP) is the tuition exchange to ask about for the Ohio schools.
State Aid in Indiana
Indiana's main need program for undergraduates is the Frank O'Bannon Grant, run by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education. In its own words: "The Frank O'Bannon Grant, which includes the Higher Education Award and the Freedom of Choice Award, is Indiana's primary need-based financial aid program." The Indiana page covers state aid and public college costs in more detail.
Tuition Exchanges
Indiana 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 Indianapolis as a Student
Rent in Indianapolis is easy on a student budget. Indianapolis posts a median of $1,273 against the U.S. $1,487, a $214 gap. A one-bedroom runs $1,087 a month, or $13,044 across twelve months, against $1,301 nationally. Sharing a two-bedroom brings it to about $665 per person. Prices overall are at 95.7 against a national 100, and housing at 88.9.
Monthly rent
Indianapolis, Carmel and Greenwood metro
U.S.
All rentals, median
$1,273
$1,487
One bedroom, median
$1,087
$1,301
Two bedrooms, median
$1,329
$1,490
Median gross rent (rent plus utilities the tenant pays), American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates, tables B25064 and B25031.
All five nearby colleges have campus housing. Room and board is cheapest at Huntington University at $9,880 and priciest at Miami University-Oxford at $16,714. Indiana University-Bloomington is $13,380 and Ball State University $12,064. Because these campuses are 47 miles and farther out, you'd pay campus prices rather than Indianapolis rent.
Rent helps here, at a $1,273 monthly median in the Indianapolis, Carmel and Greenwood metro, $214 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.
How to Choose a Game Design Program in Indianapolis
The mix is balanced. Indiana University-Bloomington covers game and interactive media design. Ball State's listing is animation. Miami University-Oxford is game programming and Cincinnati is modeling and simulation. Artists lean toward Muncie or Huntington, designers toward Bloomington and coders toward Oxford. The three game programs here are all public, and the lone private choice is an animation school.
Commuting from Indianapolis isn't practical for any of these. At 47 and 49 miles straight-line, Bloomington and Muncie are the nearest, but the road is longer, so most students live on campus. On-campus room and board is $13,380 at Bloomington and $12,064 at Ball State.
We list no studios in the Indianapolis area, so don't count on a local studio internship pipeline. Plan around campus clubs, remote work and relocation, and remember that 7,140 software developers work in the metro.
None of the 5 colleges on this page is open admission, and fall 2024 admission ran from 75% at Miami University-Oxford to 85% at University of Cincinnati-Main Campus. None requires SAT or ACT scores.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Game Design Schools Near Indianapolis Rank Highest?
Indiana University-Bloomington is the top-ranked game design school near Indianapolis, scoring 85.2 and ranked 6 of 89 nationally, 47 miles from the city center. It beats the ranking's medians on both counts: 81% of its students finish, against 59%, and aided first-year students pay $16,282, against $26,150. About 20 students a year graduate from it, a mid-sized program by the ranking's standards. Ball State University is next at 80.0, one of 5 ranked programs within 100 miles. The cheapest ranked option within 100 miles is Ball State University at $13,017, with 66% completion. See the ranked programs.
What's a Realistic Game Developer Salary Around Indianapolis?
Software developers, the BLS occupation that counts game programmers, earn a median of $106,870 in the Indianapolis, Carmel and Greenwood metro, against $135,980 nationally (BLS May 2025). In the Indianapolis, Carmel and Greenwood metro, web and digital interface designers, where game designers are counted, earn $67,530, which is 35% under the national median of $104,000. Living costs work in your favor in the Indianapolis, Carmel and Greenwood metro: BEA puts prices 4.3% below the U.S. average, so a paycheck or a student budget goes further. See what game jobs pay in Indianapolis.
What Does an Indiana Resident Pay at Indiana University-Bloomington?
Indiana University-Bloomington has an average net price of $16,282 a year for aided first-year students (IPEDS), the price after grants rather than the published one. Published tuition is $10,622 for in-state students and $40,369 out of state. It is 47 miles from central Indianapolis, ranked 6 of 89 nationally, with a school-wide completion rate of 81%. About 20 students a year graduate from it, a mid-sized program by the ranking's standards. See the ranked programs.
How Far Is Indianapolis From the Nearest Game Design School?
5 ranked programs sit within 100 miles of Indianapolis. Indiana University-Bloomington scores highest, 47 miles from the city center, at 85.2. At 47 miles out, the top program is a move or a long commute from central Indianapolis, so count housing into its price. 0 game-related programs sit within 25 miles of central Indianapolis and 2 within 50, counting every level. The rest of the metro and the nearby areas are on the Indiana page. See the ranked programs.
How Much Is Rent in Indianapolis?
Median rent in the Indianapolis, Carmel and Greenwood metro was $1,273 a month in 2024, $214 below the U.S. median of $1,487 (Census ACS). A one-bedroom runs $1,087. On-campus room and board at nearby colleges starts at $9,880 a year at Huntington University, which bundles meals and avoids a lease. Housing is where Indianapolis saves you money, at 88.9 on BEA's index against 100 nationally. See living in Indianapolis as a student.
What Are the Odds of Admission to Colleges Around Indianapolis?
None of the 5 colleges on this page is open admission, and fall 2024 admission ran from 75% at Miami University-Oxford to 85% at University of Cincinnati-Main Campus. None requires SAT or ACT scores. With no open-admission college nearby, apply to more than one program. The median published rate among them is 78%. Each program card shows its college's admission rate where one is reported. See how to choose a program.
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.
