Iowa keeps it small. The game design schools in Iowa come down to one ranked bachelor's program, Grand View University, in Des Moines, which ranks 41 of 89 and is a game design program. The net price there is $22,296. Iowa is also one of the cheapest places to live in the country, with prices about 12.2% below the national average, which changes how the pay numbers read.
Kevin ToFounder & EditorB.S. in Computer Science, Temple UniversityUpdated
1Game Design Bachelor's Ranked for 2027top score: Grand View UniversityOur ranking
4Game-Related Programs in the State1 bachelor's, 3 associate, 0 graduateIPEDS
$22.3kMedian Net Pricebachelor's schools here, aided first-year studentsIPEDS
Grand View University leads at 60.5.It is the only ranked program in Iowa, scored on completion, net price and size. It finishes 59% of its students and has a $22,296 net price.The Ranking ›
Software developers earn $114,890 here.The U.S. median for the same job is $135,980. About 9,040 people work as software developers in Iowa. In Iowa, web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, earn $69,060, which is 34% under the national median of $104,000. Living costs work in your favor in Iowa: BEA puts prices 12.2% 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 Iowa: BEA puts prices 12.2% below the U.S. average, so a paycheck or a student budget goes further.Prices ›
Public in-state tuition averages $8,798.The Iowa Tuition Grant is Iowa's main state grant. Public colleges cost more here than in most states, with aided in-state students paying $17,802 on average across 3, against $13,240 in the median state. Out of state, tuition averages $25,696.Costs ›
Iowa in brief
Key Facts About Studying Game Design in Iowa
Grand View University is a private nonprofit in Des Moines, and it's Iowa's only ranked game bachelor's. It scores 60.4, has a 59% completion rate and graduates four students a year. Net price is $22,296, a school-wide figure. Des Moines is the state's largest city, with 213,096 people, so the campus sits in the biggest job market in the state.
There's no ranked public program and no animation bachelor's in the data. Iowa lists five game-related programs at five colleges, and four of them are associate programs. That makes the associate route a real option for students who want to start close to home and transfer.
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 Iowa
The Game Design School in Iowa for 2027
Grand View University leads, ranked 41 of 89 in the national game design ranking, with a completion rate of 59% and an average net price of $22,296. 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.
Des Moines, IA · Private nonprofit · Game design program
60.5
#41 of 89 nationally
Private
Grand View University offers a game design major in Des Moines, at a private college of 1,856 students in a city setting. For Iowa residents the pricing is flat: tuition is $34,112 for in-state and out-of-state students alike, so there is no residency rule that changes the bill.
What softens the sticker price is aid. School-wide, first-year students who receive aid pay a net price of $22,296, compared with a $54,440 cost of attendance before aid. The college admits 99% of applicants, and 59% of entering students across the university complete a degree within eight years. The game design major is small, graduating about 4 students a year.
The cost of attendance is a useful ceiling for budgeting. Ten-year earnings for graduates of all majors across the university are $52,824, a school-wide figure rather than one for game design.
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.
Iowa's price level of 87.8 is the story. Prices run about 12.2% below the national average, so wages that look low on paper buy more here. The median wage for Iowa software developers is $114,890, $21,090 less than the national median, and 9,040 people earn a living in that field. Put another way, an Iowa paycheck is worth more at the grocery store than the headline number suggests.
$42,580–$60,980$43k–$61k$42,580 to $60,980, May 2025May 2025
40May 2024
$102,030
Graphic designersWhere many art and UI graduates start
$50,310
$44,610–$63,640$45k–$64k$44,610 to $63,640
2,100
$62,960
Computer programmersProgramming roles outside software development
$79,180
$72,010–$103,940$72k–$104k$72,010 to $103,940
950
$100,390
Art directorsSenior art leads; rarely a first job
$80,940
$70,770–$106,910$71k–$107k$70,770 to $106,910
280
$114,850
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 Iowa in the current release.
Pay in Iowa's Largest Metro Areas
Metro area
Software developers
Web and digital interface designers
Price level
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
$126,460
$75,680
91.7
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL
$115,780
$68,680
89.1
Cedar Rapids, IA
$114,340
$74,440
89
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.
Des Moines is the standout metro. Its software developers earn $126,460, its web and digital interface designers $75,680 and its art directors $90,000. Davenport-Moline-Rock Island and Cedar Rapids sit lower for developers at $115,780 and $114,340, though Cedar Rapids art directors earn $103,120. Computer programmers in Des Moines earn $79,200 and graphic designers $56,520.
The design side is thin. On the design side, web and digital interface designers (the home of game designers) earn $69,060 statewide, $34,940 less than the national median, and 670 people hold those jobs. Special effects artists and animators earn $47,530, $54,500 less than the national median, and BLS gives no employment count. Treat animation as a remote or relocation field, and don't count on a local animation job right after graduation.
Graduates tend to begin as testers, junior designers, junior programmers or art and interface assistants. Graphic designers earn $50,310 and there are 2,100 of them, while computer programmers earn $79,180. Art directors earn $80,940, though that's rarely a first job.
About 9,040 people work as software developers in Iowa. In Iowa, web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, earn $69,060, which is 34% under the national median of $104,000. Living costs work in your favor in Iowa: BEA puts prices 12.2% 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 Iowa
Paying for School in Iowa
Only three public four-year colleges exist in Iowa. Residents pay $8,798 in tuition on average and nonresidents pay $25,696, a premium of $16,898. An in-state student's average net price after aid is $17,802, which is under the $22,296 net price at Grand View University. With so few public campuses, the associate programs matter more here than in most states.
Public colleges in IA
Figure
Public four-year colleges
3
Average in-state tuition
$8,798
Average out-of-state tuition
$25,696
Average net price, aided in-state students
$17,802
Means across Iowa's public four-year degree-granting colleges that offer undergraduate study: tuition from IPEDS for 2023-24 (3 colleges reporting), net price for 2022-23 (3 reporting). Net price is what first-year students with grant aid paid after grants.
Public colleges cost more here than in most states, with aided in-state students paying $17,802 on average across 3, against $13,240 in the median state.
The Iowa Tuition Grant, run through Iowa College Aid, is need-based. Iowa lists no tuition exchange, so out-of-state students shouldn't expect a regional discount. No public tuition figure is published for the game schools here because the one ranked program is private.
State Aid in Iowa
Iowa's main need program for undergraduates is the Iowa Tuition Grant, run by the Iowa College Aid (Iowa Department of Education). In its own words: "For reference, the maximum 2026-2027 award at participating Iowa not-for-profit private institutions was $7,500." Fill out the FAFSA early, since many state programs award money until it runs out.
Tuition Exchanges
No regional undergraduate tuition exchange covers Iowa, so public schools in other states charge their full nonresident rate.
Choosing
How to Choose a Game Design Program in Iowa
The first decision is whether to accept a private school's price. Grand View University costs $22,296 net, and the public average is $17,802 for residents. If a public route appeals, look at a related public program and build a game portfolio, since Iowa's public colleges have no ranked game degree. Find out from Grand View University what financial aid typically covers for students in the game program.
Field is not a decision here, because Grand View University offers a game design program and nothing in Iowa offers a game programming program or simulation. Programming-minded students should look at Missouri, which has three game bachelor's programs, or at Illinois and Wisconsin, which have one each. Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota have none, so Illinois and Wisconsin are the closest alternatives to Des Moines among states with a bachelor's.
Grand View University graduates just four students a year, so you'd join a very small cohort. That can mean close faculty contact, but it also means fewer classmates to collaborate with. Ask the school what share of its alumni land game jobs, and visit before you commit.
Neighboring States
Neighboring stateMissouri3 ranked game bachelor's · 8 programs in allView the Missouri guide ›
Neighboring stateIllinois1 ranked game bachelor's · 12 programs in allView the Illinois guide ›
Neighboring stateWisconsin1 ranked game bachelor's · 7 programs in allView the Wisconsin guide ›
Neighboring stateMinnesota4 related programs, no game bachelor'sView the Minnesota guide ›
Neighboring stateNebraskaNo programs; the guide lists the nearestView the Nebraska guide ›
Neighboring stateSouth Dakota1 related programs, no game bachelor'sView the South Dakota guide ›
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Iowa School Has a Ranked Game Design Bachelor's?
Grand View University is the top-ranked game design school in Iowa, 41 of 89 in our national ranking. It finishes 59% of its students and has an average net price of $22,296 for aided first-year students, both school-wide IPEDS figures, and the program graduates about 4 students a year. It's the only ranked game bachelor's in Iowa, out of 4 game-related programs in the state at every level. See its full profile in the state ranking.
Is Iowa Cheap to Live In?
Iowa is cheaper than average to live in: overall prices run at 87.8 on BEA's Regional Price Parities, where the U.S. average is 100, and housing at 65.3. Housing pulls the cost down most, at 65.3 on BEA's housing index against 100 nationally. Public colleges cost more here than in most states, with aided in-state students paying $17,802 on average across 3, against $13,240 in the median state. See what game jobs pay in Iowa.
What Do Des Moines Software Developers Earn?
Software developers, the BLS occupation that counts game programmers, earn a median of $114,890 in Iowa, against $135,980 nationally (BLS May 2025). In Iowa, web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, earn $69,060, which is 34% under the national median of $104,000. Living costs work in your favor in Iowa: BEA puts prices 12.2% below the U.S. average, so a paycheck or a student budget goes further. About 9,040 people work as software developers in Iowa. See what game jobs pay in Iowa.
Does Iowa Have an Animation Bachelor's?
Special effects artists and animators earn a median of $47,530 in Iowa (BLS May 2025), against $102,030 nationally. The occupation covers film, TV and advertising as well as games. In all, 3 animation programs are offered in Iowa across every degree level. Iowa has no ranked animation bachelor's, so the national animation ranking is the place to compare programs. See what game jobs pay in Iowa.
What State Aid Does Iowa Offer?
Iowa's main state grant for undergraduates is the Iowa Tuition Grant, run by the Iowa College Aid (Iowa Department of Education). In its own words: "For reference, the maximum 2026-2027 award at participating Iowa not-for-profit private institutions was $7,500." State grants usually require you to study at an eligible college in Iowa, 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 $17,802 after grants. See paying for school in Iowa.
How Wide Is Iowa's Game Program List?
Iowa has 4 game design, game programming, simulation and animation programs at every level in the federal data: 1 bachelor's, 3 associate and 0 graduate. They sit at 4 colleges, with the most in Ankeny (1). 1 of the bachelor's programs are ranked, led by Grand View University. An associate program at home can be a cheaper first two years before a transfer, if the four-year school accepts the credits. Beyond the state, 13 fully online game bachelor's programs are open to Iowa 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.
