South Dakota has no bachelor's game design programs in the federal data, and the search for game design schools near South Dakota ends quickly. Only one ranked campus sits in a bordering state, Grand View University (Des Moines, Iowa), 207 miles from Sioux Falls. Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota and Wyoming have none. For most South Dakota students the real choices are that one drive, a move farther away, or an online degree.
Kevin ToFounder & EditorB.S. in Computer Science, Temple UniversityUpdated
0Game Design Bachelor's in South Dakotagame design, game programming or simulationIPEDS
1Ranked Programs in Nearby StatesIAOur ranking
207 miTo the Closest Program From Sioux Fallsstraight-line distanceOur analysis
Game Design Schools Near South Dakota in 60 Seconds
Top nearby pick: Grand View University.South Dakota has no bachelor's game design program, so these are across the border. It scores 60.5. Grand View University is in Iowa, with a $22,296 net price and 59% completion.Nearby Schools ›
Closest fit at home: Dakota State University.It graduates bachelor's students in computer and information sciences. It awarded 64 bachelor's degrees in 2023-24, as a related program outside the game design ranking. South Dakota School of Mines and Technology is another option at home.Related Programs ›
Software developers earn $96,310 here.The U.S. median for the same job is $135,980. About 2,380 people work as software developers in South Dakota. Living costs work in your favor in South Dakota: BEA puts prices 11.4% below the U.S. average, so a paycheck or a student budget goes further.Pay ›
Public in-state tuition averages $6,250.The South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship is South Dakota's main state grant. Aided in-state students pay $13,743 on average across 9 public four-year colleges, about what the median state charges. Out of state, tuition averages $8,553.Costs ›
Heads up South Dakota belongs to the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE), which can cut nonresident tuition at public schools in member states.
No program in South Dakota
Game Design Schools Near South Dakota for 2027
Grand View University is the only bordering-state option, and it is private. It sits in Des Moines, 207 miles from Sioux Falls, files its program under game design, and scores 60.4. The net price is $22,296, the completion rate is 59% and about four students graduate each year, so it is a small program with a close-knit feel.
Because it is the only campus in range, it is also the cheapest and the most expensive. Iowa has one game bachelor's, while Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota and Wyoming have none. South Dakota is in the Western Undergraduate Exchange, but no member state nearby has a public game program in the data, so WUE won't lower the price of a degree here. South Dakota itself has one associate program at one college, which is a start but not a bachelor's.
Ranked by this site's score. Miles are straight-line distance from Sioux Falls (Census Vintage 2024 largest city) to each campus (IPEDS coordinates). Completion and net price are school-wide IPEDS figures.
Des Moines, IA · Private nonprofit · Game design program · 207 miles
60.5
#41 of 89 nationally
207 miles from Sioux Falls
Private
Sioux Falls lies 207 miles from Grand View University, about a half-day drive for a South Dakota student interested in studying game design in Des Moines. The college is a private city campus, and out-of-state students pay the same $34,112 tuition as Iowans.
The school-wide net price for aided first-years is $22,296, well below the $54,440 cost of attendance before aid. With 99% of applicants admitted, entry is straightforward. Across the university, 59% of entering students complete within eight years. The game design major itself awards roughly 4 degrees a year.
The college enrolls 1,856 students, so the setting is small and personal. Ten-year earnings for graduates of all majors across the university are $52,824. Tuition does not vary with residency.
These are not game design degrees. South Dakota has no bachelor's in game design, game programming or simulation, but these programs in the state teach skills game studios hire for: programming in computer science and software, art and animation in the art programs. They're a way to stay in state and build toward game work.
Similar Bachelor's Programs in South Dakota
Bachelor's first majors reported to IPEDS (C2024_A) in computer science, software, animation, digital media and graphic design fields: the 5 most relevant to game work of 12 in South Dakota, computer science and software first, then digital media and animation, then graphic design, with graduates in 2023-24.
Pay in South Dakota is modest, so weigh it against the lower prices. Developers, the occupation that holds game programmers, earn a state median of $96,310, well short of the national $135,980 by $39,670. About 2,380 people hold that job here. Computer programmers earn $58,240, $42,150 under the national figure, though only 70 are employed.
$67,760–$128,850$68k–$129k$67,760 to $128,850, May 2024May 2024
70May 2024
$104,000
Graphic designersWhere many art and UI graduates start
$48,390
$40,990–$57,560$41k–$58k$40,990 to $57,560
470
$62,960
Computer programmersProgramming roles outside software development
$58,240
$55,200–$70,850$55k–$71k$55,200 to $70,850
70
$100,390
Art directorsSenior art leads; rarely a first job
$66,610
$61,060–$74,660$61k–$75k$61,060 to $74,660
30
$114,850
BLS doesn't publish special effects artists and animators pay for South Dakota. 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 South Dakota in the current release.
Pay in South Dakota's Largest Metro Areas
Metro area
Software developers
Web and digital interface designers
Price level
Sioux Falls, SD-MN
$101,040
$84,330May 2024
90.6
Rapid City, SD
$91,840
Not published
89.2
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. Figures tagged May 2024 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.
The design side is thinner. BLS publishes no state wage for web and digital interface designers, the group that includes game designers, and none for special effects artists and animators. Graphic designers earn $48,390 and art directors earn $66,610, which is $48,240 below the national median for art directors. Only 30 art directors work in the state, so those jobs are rare.
Sioux Falls pays software developers $101,040 and graphic designers $50,030. Rapid City pays $91,840 and $49,990. Start by looking for QA tester, junior designer, UI and junior programmer roles, many of them at non-game companies. Remote work for a studio elsewhere is the other path, since the state has few game employers in the data.
Costs push the other way. South Dakota has a state price level of 88.6, so prices run about 11.4% below the national average. Sioux Falls sits at 90.6 and Rapid City at 89.2. A modest salary stretches farther here than the raw wage gap suggests.
About 2,380 people work as software developers in South Dakota. Living costs work in your favor in South Dakota: BEA puts prices 11.4% 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 South Dakota
Paying for School in South Dakota
South Dakota has nine public four-year colleges, and they are cheap. Resident tuition averages $6,250 and nonresident tuition $8,553, a premium of only $2,303. Residents who receive aid end up near $13,743. None of these colleges has a ranked game design bachelor's, so this is the price of studying a related subject at home.
Public colleges in SD
Figure
Public four-year colleges
9
Average in-state tuition
$6,250
Average out-of-state tuition
$8,553
Average net price, aided in-state students
$13,743
Means across South Dakota's public four-year degree-granting colleges that offer undergraduate study: tuition from IPEDS for 2023-24 (9 colleges reporting), net price for 2022-23 (9 reporting). Net price is what first-year students with grant aid paid after grants.
Aided in-state students pay $13,743 on average across 9 public four-year colleges, about what the median state charges.
The South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship, a merit award from the South Dakota Board of Regents, is the state aid to check. The Western Undergraduate Exchange lets residents pay reduced rates at public colleges in other member states, but this page finds no member state with a nearby public game program, so it matters less for game design than for other majors.
State Aid in South Dakota
South Dakota's main merit program for undergraduates is the South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship, run by the South Dakota Board of Regents. In its own words: "The South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship allows South Dakota’s most academically accomplished high school graduates to receive up to $7,500 scholarship" Fill out the FAFSA early, since many state programs award money until it runs out.
Tuition Exchanges
South Dakota 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."
How to Choose a Game Design Program If You Live in South Dakota
Your decision is mostly between one private campus, an online program and a related degree at home. Grand View University is design-leaning, at $22,296 net, and has the added cost of living 207 miles from Sioux Falls. Compare that with the $13,743 average net price at South Dakota public colleges, which is the cheaper base for a computer science or art degree.
If you want game programming, online is hard to beat on price. If you want design, Grand View University is the only bordering-state campus, so visit before you commit and ask how its small cohort of about four graduates a year gets placed. Keep in mind that the completion rate and net price are school-wide, not the program's own.
A useful middle path is a computer science degree at a nearby public college and a game portfolio built on the side. The wage data supports staying flexible, since software developers earn far more than any other job in the table, at $96,310.
Neighboring States
Neighboring stateIowa1 ranked game bachelor's · 4 programs in allView the Iowa guide ›
Neighboring stateMinnesota4 related programs, no game bachelor'sView the Minnesota guide ›
Neighboring stateMontanaNo programs; the guide lists the nearestView the Montana guide ›
Neighboring stateNebraskaNo programs; the guide lists the nearestView the Nebraska guide ›
Neighboring stateNorth DakotaNo programs; the guide lists the nearestView the North Dakota guide ›
Neighboring stateWyomingNo programs; the guide lists the nearestView the Wyoming guide ›
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Are There Game Design Schools in South Dakota?
South Dakota has no bachelor's game design program in the federal data, so the closest ranked options are in neighboring states. Grand View University in Iowa scores highest at 60.5, 207 miles from Sioux Falls, with 59% completion and a $22,296 net price. South Dakota 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 the nearby programs, ranked.
What Do Game Developers Earn in South Dakota?
Software developers, the BLS occupation that counts game programmers, earn a median of $96,310 in South Dakota, against $135,980 nationally (BLS May 2025). Living costs work in your favor in South Dakota: BEA puts prices 11.4% below the U.S. average, so a paycheck or a student budget goes further. About 2,380 people work as software developers in South Dakota. See what game jobs pay in South Dakota.
What Is the Cheapest Way to Study Game Design From South Dakota?
The lowest-priced ranked option for South Dakota students is Grand View University in Iowa, at an average net price of $22,296 a year for aided first-year students. It doesn't trade completion for price: 59% of its students finish, above the 59% median among ranked programs. Public in-state tuition in South Dakota averages $6,250, if a related program at home fits. See paying for school in South Dakota.
Does the Western Undergraduate Exchange Help for Game Design?
Yes, through the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE): South Dakota is a member, and in the exchange'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." 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 South Dakota's own public colleges averages $8,553 against $6,250 in state. See paying for school in South Dakota.
How Much More Do Out-of-State Students Pay in South Dakota?
Out-of-state students pay about $2,303 more a year in tuition at South Dakota's public four-year colleges, where in-state tuition averages $6,250 against $8,553 for nonresidents (IPEDS 2023-24). After grants, aided in-state students pay an average net price of $13,743. South Dakota 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 South Dakota.
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.
