There are only two game design schools in Oklahoma with ranked bachelor's programs, and both are private nonprofits. University of Tulsa ranks 29 of 89 in simulation with a net price of $23,681, and Oklahoma City University ranks 50 of 89 in game design at $23,143. No public school is ranked, which makes price and fit the main questions.
Kevin ToFounder & EditorB.S. in Computer Science, Temple UniversityUpdated
2Game Design Bachelor's Programs Ranked for 2027top score: University of TulsaOur ranking
2Game-Related Programs in the State2 bachelor's, 0 associate, 0 graduateIPEDS
$23.4kMedian Net Pricebachelor's schools here, aided first-year studentsIPEDS
University of Tulsa leads at 67.6.2 ranked programs in Oklahoma, scored on completion, net price and size. It finishes 72% of its students and has a $23,681 net price. Oklahoma City University is next at 57.6.The Ranking ›
Software developers earn $118,100 here.The U.S. median for the same job is $135,980. About 6,880 people work as software developers in Oklahoma. In Oklahoma, web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, earn $76,440, which is 27% under the national median of $104,000. Living costs work in your favor in Oklahoma: 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 Oklahoma: 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 $5,355.The Oklahoma's Promise is Oklahoma's main state grant. Oklahoma's public four-year colleges are a good deal: aided in-state students pay $11,917 on average across 18, under the $13,240 median state. Out of state, tuition averages $13,853.Costs ›
City guides: Oklahoma City.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 ›
Oklahoma in brief
Key Facts About Studying Game Design in Oklahoma
The two programs are close in price and different in size. University of Tulsa graduates nine a year and completes 72% of students, while Oklahoma City University graduates three and completes 58%. Those completion and net price figures are school-wide, not the program's own.
That's all Oklahoma has at the bachelor's level. The state has two game-related programs at two colleges, with no associate, graduate or animation bachelor's programs listed. Median net price at the two schools is $23,412. If you need a public school, look at the neighbors, where Texas has four bachelor's programs, Colorado and Missouri have three each, Arkansas has two and Kansas has one.
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 Oklahoma
The 2 Best Game Design Schools in Oklahoma for 2027
University of Tulsa leads, ranked 29 of 89 in the national game design ranking, with a completion rate of 72% and an average net price of $23,681. None of them is a public university. The best game design schools ranking shows how these compare with every school in the country.
Each ranked program in Oklahoma, in rank order: 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.
Tulsa, OK · Private nonprofit · Simulation program
67.6
#29 of 89 nationally
Technical track: simulation
Private
Oklahoma residents will not find a resident tuition rate at the University of Tulsa, which is private and charges $48,340 to everyone. What brings the price down is aid: first-year students who receive it pay a school-wide net price of $23,681, compared with a $70,179 cost of attendance.
The Computer Simulation & Gaming B.S.C.S.G. is offered in the city of Tulsa and graduates about 9 students a year. It draws on a university with 3,914 students and an 11:1 student-faculty ratio. The SAT midpoint is 1377, and 72% of entering students finish within eight years.
The major covers game design, interactive media, 3D modeling and VR development, with a minor available. Ten-year earnings for graduates of all majors are $61,408 across the university.
Oklahoma City, OK · Private nonprofit · Game design program
57.6
#50 of 89 nationally
Private
Every Game Design & Animation major at Oklahoma City University receives a $6,000 scholarship each year for up to four years, which the school totals at $24,000 and says can stack with other aid. That matters against published tuition of $29,804, which is the same for Oklahoma residents and students from elsewhere because the university is private. Across the school, net price for aided first-years is $23,143.
The Bachelor of Arts is a 66-hour major with a 30-hour art core covering art history, drawing, painting and graphic design, and it ends with a digital portfolio course and a senior exhibition. Students work in Maya, Blender, Houdini, Unity and Unreal Engine. The campus is in a city setting in Oklahoma City, and about 3 students a year graduate. School-wide, 58% complete within eight years.
Oklahoma pays less than the national median across the board, though programmers come close. Software developers number 6,880 in Oklahoma, and since BLS files game programmers there, their $118,100 median matters most. It trails the national median by $17,880. Computer programmers earn $99,780, only $610 below the national median.
$52,920–$69,560$53k–$70k$52,920 to $69,560, May 2025May 2025
450May 2023
$102,030
Graphic designersWhere many art and UI graduates start
$53,630
$39,410–$65,980$39k–$66k$39,410 to $65,980
2,040
$62,960
Computer programmersProgramming roles outside software development
$99,780
$76,280–$152,460$76k–$152k$76,280 to $152,460
990
$100,390
Art directorsSenior art leads; rarely a first job
$80,680
$73,900–$99,990$74k–$100k$73,900 to $99,990
290
$114,850
Annual wages, BLS OEWS May 2025. The middle half earns between the 25th and 75th percentile. Figures tagged May 2023 are from that earlier BLS release, because BLS didn't publish one for Oklahoma in the current release.
Pay in Oklahoma's Largest Metro Areas
Metro area
Software developers
Web and digital interface designers
Special effects artists and animators
Price level
Oklahoma City
$122,390
$70,610
$60,630May 2023
90.4
Tulsa
$108,730
$76,890
$62,370May 2024
89.2
Lawton
$107,240
Not published
Not published
85.9
Median annual wages, BLS OEWS May 2025, for the state's largest metropolitan areas by total employment, all in Oklahoma. Price level is BEA's Regional Price Parity for 2024, where the U.S. average is 100. Figures tagged May 2024 or 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 and art lag. The web and digital interface designer median is $76,440, with 340 employed, $27,560 below the national median. The animation median is $66,980, $35,050 below, and BLS publishes no headcount. Graphic designers earn $53,630 where 2,040 work, and art directors earn $80,680, $34,170 below the national median.
Oklahoma City is the better metro for programmers, with software developers at $122,390 and computer programmers at $92,790. Tulsa pays web and digital interface designers more, $76,890 against $70,610, and Tulsa software developers earn $108,730. Lawton publishes only a software developer wage, $107,240. No metro publishes an animator wage. Expect first jobs in QA testing, junior design, art and UI work, or junior programming.
Oklahoma is one of the cheaper states to live in, with a price level of 87.8, meaning prices about 12.2% below the national average. Lawton is 85.9, Tulsa 89.2 and Oklahoma City 90.4. A software developer median of $118,100 covers more here than it would in a high-cost state.
About 6,880 people work as software developers in Oklahoma. In Oklahoma, web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, earn $76,440, which is 27% under the national median of $104,000. Living costs work in your favor in Oklahoma: 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 Oklahoma
Paying for School in Oklahoma
Public four-year college is the budget route. Oklahoma's 18 public four-year colleges charge residents $5,355 in tuition and outsiders $13,853, an added $8,498. Aided in-state students pay an average net price of $11,917, far less than the $23,412 median at the two ranked private schools. No public school is ranked, so there's no in-state tuition figure for game schools.
Public colleges in OK
Figure
Public four-year colleges
18
Average in-state tuition
$5,355
Average out-of-state tuition
$13,853
Average net price, aided in-state students
$11,917
Means across Oklahoma's public four-year degree-granting colleges that offer undergraduate study: tuition from IPEDS for 2023-24 (18 colleges reporting), net price for 2022-23 (17 reporting). Net price is what first-year students with grant aid paid after grants.
Oklahoma's public four-year colleges are a good deal: aided in-state students pay $11,917 on average across 18, under the $13,240 median state.
Oklahoma's Promise is the state aid to check for in-state students, and it's based on need and merit, so grades count as well as family income. It is run by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. The Academic Common Market is the tuition exchange, and Arkansas has a public game program nearby, so you may be able to study there at a reduced rate if the program is on the exchange list.
State Aid in Oklahoma
Oklahoma's main need and merit program for undergraduates is the Oklahoma's Promise, run by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. In its own words: "Oklahoma's Promise offers qualified Oklahoma students an opportunity to earn a scholarship for college tuition." Fill out the FAFSA early, since many state programs award money until it runs out.
Tuition Exchanges
Oklahoma belongs to the Academic Common Market (ACM). In the program's own words, "Many students qualify for in-state tuition to study at out-of-state institutions.." It also says: "Not all colleges participate, not all programs are offered, and not every offered program is available to students in all states."
With two private programs and no public one, decide between simulation and design. University of Tulsa offers a simulation program and has the higher score of 67.5, so look at the course list to see how much is game-specific. Oklahoma City University is game design and scores 57.6.
Net price barely separates them, $23,681 against $23,143. What separates them is scale. University of Tulsa graduates nine a year and Oklahoma City University three, so the Oklahoma City class is small and the peer group thin. For a bigger cohort, look at Texas, which has four bachelor's programs.
A public degree means looking out of state. Arkansas has two bachelor's programs and is the exchange member with public game programs nearby, so it's the first place to check. Colorado and Missouri have three each. Distance matters less for an online or hybrid program, so ask whether campus visits are required. Compare each school's net price against the $11,917 you'd pay at an Oklahoma public college for a related degree.
Neighboring States
Neighboring stateTexas4 ranked game bachelor's · 15 programs in allView the Texas guide ›
Neighboring stateColorado3 ranked game bachelor's · 10 programs in allView the Colorado guide ›
Neighboring stateMissouri3 ranked game bachelor's · 8 programs in allView the Missouri guide ›
Neighboring stateArkansas2 ranked game bachelor's · 2 programs in allView the Arkansas guide ›
Neighboring stateKansas1 ranked game bachelor's · 5 programs in allView the Kansas guide ›
Neighboring stateNew Mexico4 related programs, no game bachelor'sView the New Mexico guide ›
City guides
Cities in Oklahoma
One city in Oklahoma has its own guide, ranking every program inside the metro and within 50 miles of the city center (100 miles for a large city with few programs close by), with distances, metro pay and nearby public college costs.
Oklahoma City, OK2 programs within 100 miles · 2 ranked game bachelor'sView the Oklahoma City guide ›
University of Tulsa is the top-ranked game design school in Oklahoma, 29 of 89 in our national ranking, followed by Oklahoma City University at 50. It finishes 72% of its students and has an average net price of $23,681 for aided first-year students, both school-wide IPEDS figures, and the program graduates about 9 students a year. The cheapest ranked option is Oklahoma City University at $23,143, though it finishes 58% of students. See all 2 ranked Oklahoma programs in the state ranking.
How Much Can a Game Designer Earn in Oklahoma?
In Oklahoma, web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, earn $76,440, which is 27% under the national median of $104,000. Software developers, the BLS occupation that counts game programmers, earn a median of $118,100 in Oklahoma, against $135,980 nationally (BLS May 2025). Living costs work in your favor in Oklahoma: BEA puts prices 12.2% below the U.S. average, so a paycheck or a student budget goes further. About 6,880 people work as software developers in Oklahoma. See what game jobs pay in Oklahoma.
Which Oklahoma School Has the Lower Net Price?
The lowest-priced ranked option in Oklahoma is Oklahoma City University, at an average net price of $23,143 a year for aided first-year students. The catch is completion: 58% of its students finish, under the 59% median, and a program you don't finish costs more than its sticker. Public in-state tuition in Oklahoma averages $5,355, if a related program at home fits. See paying for school in Oklahoma.
Can I Get In-State Tuition Elsewhere?
Yes, through the Academic Common Market (ACM): Oklahoma is a member, and in the exchange's own words, "Many students qualify for in-state tuition to study at out-of-state institutions.." It also says: "Not all colleges participate, not all programs are offered, and not every offered program is available to students in all states." Each college decides which programs and how many seats take part, so check the specific game program before you count on a discount. For comparison, out-of-state tuition at Oklahoma's own public colleges averages $13,853 against $5,355 in state. See paying for school in Oklahoma.
Is Oklahoma Cheap to Live In?
Oklahoma 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 62.8. Housing pulls the cost down most, at 62.8 on BEA's housing index against 100 nationally. Oklahoma's public four-year colleges are a good deal: aided in-state students pay $11,917 on average across 18, under the $13,240 median state. The city guides show local rent and room and board. See what game jobs pay in Oklahoma.
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.
