Most game design schools in Wisconsin come down to one public name, University of Wisconsin-Stout in Menomonie, which ranks 7 of 89 and graduates 67 students a year at a net price of $15,574. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee adds an animation bachelor's. Wisconsin also has four associate programs, which makes a two-step route possible. Pay is below the national median in most roles, but Madison and Milwaukee both do better than the state figure.
Kevin ToFounder & EditorB.S. in Computer Science, Temple UniversityUpdated
1Game Design Bachelor's Ranked for 2027top score: University of Wisconsin-StoutOur ranking
7Game-Related Programs in the State3 bachelor's, 4 associate, 0 graduateIPEDS
$16.0kMedian Net Pricebachelor's schools here, aided first-year studentsIPEDS
University of Wisconsin-Stout leads at 82.0.It is the only ranked program in Wisconsin, scored on completion, net price and size. It finishes 59% of its students and has a $15,574 net price.The Ranking ›
Software developers earn $122,660 here.The U.S. median for the same job is $135,980. About 21,730 people work as software developers in Wisconsin. In Wisconsin, web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, earn $95,340, which is 8% under the national median of $104,000. Living costs work in your favor in Wisconsin: BEA puts prices 5.9% 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 Wisconsin: BEA puts prices 5.9% below the U.S. average, so a paycheck or a student budget goes further.Prices ›
Public in-state tuition averages $7,030.The Wisconsin Grant is Wisconsin's main state grant. Aided in-state students pay $13,521 on average across 18 public four-year colleges, about what the median state charges. Out of state, tuition averages $15,234.Costs ›
City guides: Milwaukee.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 ›
Wisconsin in brief
Key Facts About Studying Game Design in Wisconsin
Wisconsin has seven game-related programs at five colleges, but only one is a ranked bachelor's. University of Wisconsin-Stout is public, files its program under simulation, and scores 82.0 with a completion rate of 59%. Its yearly class of 67 is a large one for a single program, and its rank of 7 of 89 puts it in the national top ten.
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has an animation bachelor's that scores 69.8 at $16,499 after aid. The four associate programs fill out the state's picture and can be a cheaper first step before a transfer. Wisconsin has no graduate programs in the data, and no ranked private school. Across its game and animation bachelor's schools, the median net price is $16,037.
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 Wisconsin
The Game Design School in Wisconsin for 2027
University of Wisconsin-Stout leads, ranked 7 of 89 in the national game design ranking, with a completion rate of 59% and an average net price of $15,574. Every school on this list is public. 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.
For Wisconsin residents, this is a state school with a game program already inside the state. Published in-state tuition is $7,715 a year, compared with $16,279 for out-of-state students. The B.F.A. in Game Design and Development sits in a town campus at Menomonie and trains game artists in drawing, 3D modeling, animation and lighting.
Students start in a Pre-B.F.A. first year, then choose deeper art skills before joining the three capstone project courses. Aided first-years pay $15,574 net school-wide, and cost of attendance is $23,693 before aid. Across the university, 59% of entering students complete within eight years and 88% of applicants are admitted. About 67 students graduate from the program each year, and an accelerated B.F.A. plus M.F.A. in Design option is available.
Animation bachelor's programs in Wisconsin, 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.
Wisconsin's programmers earn a respectable living, while artists earn less. Software developers have a median of $122,660 and 21,730 jobs, trailing the national median by $13,320. BLS publishes no state median for computer programmers, though 3,080 people hold that job. Interface designers, the group that includes game designers, earn $95,340 with 880 jobs.
Graphic designersWhere many art and UI graduates start
$59,900
$48,390–$73,360$48k–$73k$48,390 to $73,360
4,130
$62,960
Computer programmersProgramming roles outside software development
$109,580May 2024
$77,720–$145,950$78k–$146k$77,720 to $145,950, May 2024May 2024
3,080May 2025
$100,390
Art directorsSenior art leads; rarely a first job
$81,130
$66,240–$106,260$66k–$106k$66,240 to $106,260
730
$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 Wisconsin in the current release.
Pay in Wisconsin's Largest Metro Areas
Metro area
Software developers
Web and digital interface designers
Special effects artists and animators
Price level
Milwaukee-Waukesha
$123,730
$100,710
Not published
96.9
Madison
$130,630
$81,080
$55,970May 2024
97.3
Green Bay
$103,160
$88,550
Not published
93.1
Median annual wages, BLS OEWS May 2025, for the state's largest metropolitan areas by total employment, all in Wisconsin. 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.
Animation pays least. Animators and effects artists have a median of $64,890, which is $37,140 under the national median, and only 210 are employed. Art directors have $81,130 across 730 jobs, and graphic designers have $59,900 across 4,130 jobs, a gap of only $3,060 to the national figure. Graphic design is the best-covered art role in the state.
Madison is the strongest metro for developers at $130,630, ahead of Milwaukee-Waukesha at $123,730 and Green Bay at $103,160. Milwaukee-Waukesha leads for interface designers at $100,710 and art directors at $91,260. Madison leads for programmers at $97,410. Those are the two metros to target if you plan to stay in the state, and each has a different strength to build around.
Living costs help a little. Wisconsin's price level is 94.1, about 5.9% below the national average, with Milwaukee-Waukesha at 96.9, Madison at 97.3 and Green Bay at 93.1. Typical starting points are QA tester, junior designer, UI artist and junior programmer, and Wisconsin graduates often start in general software roles.
About 21,730 people work as software developers in Wisconsin. In Wisconsin, web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, earn $95,340, which is 8% under the national median of $104,000. Living costs work in your favor in Wisconsin: BEA puts prices 5.9% 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 Wisconsin
Paying for School in Wisconsin
Wisconsin's 18 public four-year colleges charge residents $7,030 in tuition on average and nonresidents $15,234, a premium of $8,204. Net price after aid for in-state students averages $13,521. Between the schools with game or animation bachelor's degrees, resident tuition is $7,715 and nonresident tuition is $16,279, a difference of $8,564.
Public colleges in WI
Figure
Public four-year colleges
18
Average in-state tuition
$7,030
Average out-of-state tuition
$15,234
Average net price, aided in-state students
$13,521
Means across Wisconsin's public four-year degree-granting colleges that offer undergraduate study: tuition from IPEDS for 2023-24 (17 colleges reporting), net price for 2022-23 (15 reporting). Net price is what first-year students with grant aid paid after grants.
Aided in-state students pay $13,521 on average across 18 public four-year colleges, about what the median state charges.
The Wisconsin Grant, a need-based award from the Wisconsin Higher Educational Aids Board, is the state aid to check. Wisconsin takes part in the Midwest Student Exchange Program, or MSEP, but no member state nearby has a public game program in this data, so it won't lower the cost of a game degree right now.
State Aid in Wisconsin
Wisconsin's main need program for undergraduates is the Wisconsin Grant, run by the Wisconsin Higher Educational Aids Board. In its own words: "The Wisconsin Grant (WG-PNP) Program provides grant assistance to undergraduate, Wisconsin residents enrolled in a degree or certificate program" Fill out the FAFSA early, since many state programs award money until it runs out.
Tuition Exchanges
Wisconsin 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"
Your first question is whether you want University of Wisconsin-Stout's approach. It files under simulation, which suggests technical and systems-minded coursework, and it has the numbers to back it up: 67 graduates and a net price of $15,574. If you're a Wisconsin resident, it's both the best-ranked and the cheapest bachelor's program in the state.
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is the alternative for artists. It isn't a game design degree, and its $16,499 net price runs a little higher than Stout's, but it sits in the state's biggest city, Milwaukee, where interface designers earn $100,710. Check the catalog for game courses before you count on it for design work.
If you want a lower-cost start, one of the four associate programs could lead to a transfer. Keep in mind that net price and completion rate are school-wide figures. For programming, a computer science degree makes sense, since developers hold 21,730 jobs in the state. Michigan, with three game bachelor's programs, is the nearest out-of-state alternative, and Illinois and Iowa each have one, so you can compare drives and prices before you decide.
Neighboring States
Neighboring stateMichigan3 ranked game bachelor's · 10 programs in allView the Michigan guide ›
Neighboring stateIllinois1 ranked game bachelor's · 12 programs in allView the Illinois guide ›
Neighboring stateIowa1 ranked game bachelor's · 4 programs in allView the Iowa guide ›
Neighboring stateMinnesota4 related programs, no game bachelor'sView the Minnesota guide ›
City guides
Cities in Wisconsin
One city in Wisconsin 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.
Milwaukee, WI15 programs within 100 miles · 1 ranked game bachelor'sView the Milwaukee guide ›
University of Wisconsin-Stout is the top-ranked game design school in Wisconsin, 7 of 89 in our national ranking. It finishes 59% of its students and has an average net price of $15,574 for aided first-year students, both school-wide IPEDS figures, and the program graduates about 67 students a year. It's the only ranked game bachelor's in Wisconsin, out of 7 game-related programs in the state at every level. Out-of-state students pay $8,564 more a year in published tuition there. See its full profile in the state ranking.
What Do Game Artists and Designers Earn in Wisconsin?
In Wisconsin, web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, earn $95,340, which is 8% under the national median of $104,000. Software developers, the BLS occupation that counts game programmers, earn a median of $122,660 in Wisconsin, against $135,980 nationally (BLS May 2025). Living costs work in your favor in Wisconsin: BEA puts prices 5.9% below the U.S. average, so a paycheck or a student budget goes further. About 21,730 people work as software developers in Wisconsin. See what game jobs pay in Wisconsin.
Which Wisconsin Game Program Costs Least After Aid?
The lowest-priced ranked option in Wisconsin is University of Wisconsin-Stout, at an average net price of $15,574 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 Wisconsin averages $7,030, if a related program at home fits. See paying for school in Wisconsin.
Does the Midwest Student Exchange Program Help for Game Design?
Yes, through the Midwest Student Exchange Program (MSEP): Wisconsin is a member, and in the exchange'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" 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 Wisconsin's own public colleges averages $15,234 against $7,030 in state. See paying for school in Wisconsin.
How Much More Do Out-of-State Students Pay in Wisconsin?
Out-of-state students pay about $8,204 more a year in tuition at Wisconsin's public four-year colleges, where in-state tuition averages $7,030 against $15,234 for nonresidents (IPEDS 2023-24). After grants, aided in-state students pay an average net price of $13,521. Wisconsin belongs to the Midwest Student Exchange Program (MSEP), which can cut nonresident tuition at public colleges in member states, though each college picks which programs take part. See paying for school in Wisconsin.
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.
