The game design schools near Youngstown are mostly far away. Stark State College, 44 miles out, is the only program inside 50 miles, and it is an associate program. The ranked list starts 57 to 59 miles out, at Point Park University, Cleveland Institute of Art, and Chatham University, so the tradeoff here is a very low cost of living against a long way to campus.
Kevin ToFounder & EditorB.S. in Computer Science, Temple UniversityUpdated
0Game Programs Within 25 Milesgame design, programming, simulation and animation, all levelsIPEDS locations
1Game Program Within 50 Milesat 1 collegeIPEDS locations
0Ranked Game Design Bachelor's Programs Nearbyranked, within 50 milesOur ranking
Nearest top pick: Point Park University, 57 miles out.No ranked program sits inside the Youngstown and Warren metro itself. It scores 61.4. It beats the ranking's medians on both counts: 60% of its students finish, against 59%, and aided first-year students pay $25,477, against $26,150.Nearby Programs ›
Software developers earn $107,990 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 0.15), with about 260 people in the occupation. In Youngstown, web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, earn $58,990, which is 43% under the national median of $104,000.Pay ›
In-state tuition starts at $3,036.1 public college nearby offers a game-related program.Costs ›
A one-bedroom rents for $671 a month.The U.S. median one-bedroom is $1,301. Rent helps here, at a $838 monthly median in the Youngstown and Warren metro, $649 under the national figure.Living Costs ›
Nearest to Youngstown
The Nearest Ranked Game Design Programs to Youngstown for 2027
Point Park University leads the 4 ranked programs within 100 miles, with a score of 61.4, a school-wide completion rate of 60% and an average net price of $25,477. Miles are straight-line distance from central Youngstown.
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 Youngstown.
Pittsburgh, PA · Private nonprofit · Animation program · 57 miles
61.4
#40 of 82 in animation
57 miles from Youngstown
Lowest net price near Youngstown
Animation
Private
Faculty who keep working in the field define the B.F.A. in Animation at Point Park, 57 miles from Youngstown. One instructor has worked on visual effects for films such as Prometheus, Harry Potter and The Avengers. The department also offers fast-track routes into an M.A. or an MBA, and a related B.A. in cinema arts with an animation focus.
For a Youngstown student the money comes first. Net price school-wide for aided first-years is $25,477, with published tuition at $37,650. Across the university, 60% complete within eight years, earnings ten years after enrollment average $45,856 across all majors, and 11 students a year finish this program. The admit rate is 97%, enrollment is 3,448 students, and the cost of attendance before aid is $57,030.
Pittsburgh, PA · Private nonprofit · Animation program · 59 miles
53.8
#53 of 82 in animation
59 miles from Youngstown
Highest completion near Youngstown
Animation
Private
Students from Youngstown who drive 59 miles to Chatham get a degree that treats immersive media broadly: if it tells a story, shares a message or brings people together in a creative way, the program counts it, from VR to installation art to live theater. Career paths named on the program page span game design, healthcare, entertainment, software engineering and film.
Completion is solid at Chatham: 67% of students across the university finish within eight years. School-wide net price for aided first-years is $29,051, published tuition is $43,518, and earnings ten years after enrollment average $52,410 across all majors. About 3 students a year graduate from the program. The SAT midpoint is 1183, enrollment is 2,309 students, and 62% of applicants are admitted.
Cleveland, OH · Private nonprofit · Animation program · 57 miles
52.1
#55 of 82 in animation
57 miles from Youngstown
Largest program near Youngstown
Animation
Private
Alumni stories carry this page for Youngstown students weighing a drive of 57 miles. Graduates have gone on to work as a prop and character designer at Disney Television Animation, a 3D artist at NASA Glenn Research Center and a designer-animator for the Cleveland Guardians, and the school notes that students intern at Disney in summers. Animation faculty at Cleveland Institute of Art have credits on 100 TV series and 300 digital productions.
The animation program graduates about 19 students a year, the largest group of its kind near Youngstown. Money matters on a trip this long: school-wide net price is $33,527 for aided first-years, tuition is published at $45,600, and the full cost of attendance is $69,300. Completion across the school is 58%, with 545 students enrolled and an admit rate of 61%, and the SAT midpoint is 1130.
Cleveland, OH · Private nonprofit · Game design program · 57 miles
47.6
#73 of 89 nationally
57 miles from Youngstown
Private
From Youngstown, Cleveland Institute of Art is 57 miles up the road, close enough for a commuter or a student who goes home on weekends. Its Game Design major opens with a course in gaming theory and moves into studio work supported by a motion capture studio, a game design editing suite and equipment lending for video, lighting and sound.
A new Interactive Media Lab pairs an extended reality studio with an in-house arcade. Published tuition is $45,600 with no out-of-state premium, and aided first-years pay $33,527 on average school-wide. Roughly 7 students graduate each year, and the whole college enrolls 545. An admit rate of 61% means applicants should bring a solid portfolio and a clear sense of what they want to build.
The rest of the Youngstown-Warren, OH metro and the nearby areas are covered on the Ohio page.
StateOhio5 ranked game bachelor's · 11 programs in allView the Ohio guide ›
Pay in Youngstown
What Game Jobs Pay in Youngstown
Pay in the Youngstown-Warren metro is low, and the cost of living is lower. Under software developers you find game programmers and engine developers, and they earn $107,990, which is $27,990 below the national median and $6,100 below the Ohio median. Only 260 people work in that category here.
Graphic designersWhere many art and UI graduates start
$47,170
$39,820–$59,570$40k–$60k$39,820 to $59,570
130
$60,080
$62,960
Computer programmersProgramming roles outside software development
$73,440
$59,290–$100,630$59k–$101k$59,290 to $100,630
40
$85,270
$100,390
Art directorsSenior art leads; rarely a first job
$130,390May 2024
$130,390–$130,390$130k–$130k$130,390 to $130,390, May 2024May 2024
40May 2024
$94,390May 2025
$114,850
BLS doesn't publish special effects artists and animators pay for the Youngstown and Warren metro. Nationally, the median is $102,030. See animator salary › Annual wages, BLS OEWS May 2025, for the Youngstown-Warren, OH metropolitan area. 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 the Youngstown and Warren metro in the current release.
Design pay is much lower. Web and digital interface designers earn $58,990, or $24,370 below the state median, and graphic designers earn $47,170. Computer programmers earn $73,440. BLS publishes no metro median for animators or art directors.
The offset is housing. Overall prices score 87.4 when 100 is the national average, and housing scores 53.4, which is about half the national level. Those numbers matter alongside the median salary.
Software development is a smaller share of jobs in the Youngstown and Warren metro than nationally (location quotient 0.15), with about 260 people in the occupation. In Youngstown, web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, earn $58,990, which is 43% under the national median of $104,000. Living costs work in your favor in the Youngstown and Warren metro: BEA puts prices 12.6% below the U.S. average, so a paycheck or a student budget goes further.
The Census counted only 4 software publishers in the Youngstown and Warren metro in 2023, too few for a separate look at local employers, so most game work here means remote roles or a move.
No college inside the Youngstown and Warren metro graduated students in game design, game programming, simulation or animation from 2022 to 2024; the nearest programs are in the ranking above.
Stark State College is the only public college within 50 miles, and it's in Ohio like Youngstown. Ohioans pay $3,036 while out-of-state students pay $6,132, which makes the premium $3,096. The school-wide net price is $6,740.
The public colleges within 50 miles that offer a game-related program, all in Ohio. 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).
Ohio students can use the Ohio College Opportunity Grant from the Ohio Department of Higher Education. Ohio belongs to the Midwest Student Exchange Program (MSEP), which can reduce out-of-state tuition at participating schools in other member states. A school in Pennsylvania may or may not take part, so ask directly.
State Aid in Ohio
Ohio's main need program for undergraduates is the Ohio College Opportunity Grant, run by the Ohio Department of Higher Education. In its own words: "Ohio residents in an associate degree, first bachelor's degree, or nurse diploma program at an eligible Ohio or Pennsylvania institution with an SAI (Student Aid Index) of $3,750 or less" The Ohio page covers state aid and public college costs in more detail.
Tuition Exchanges
Ohio 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 Youngstown as a Student
Rent is where Youngstown stands out. The median is $838, $649 below the U.S. median of $1,487. Twelve months in a one-bedroom at $671 comes to $8,052, and sharing a two-bedroom at $849 costs about $425 each. Overall prices are at 87.4 and housing at 53.4, against a national 100.
Monthly rent
Youngstown and Warren metro
U.S.
All rentals, median
$838
$1,487
One bedroom, median
$671
$1,301
Two bedrooms, median
$849
$1,490
Median gross rent (rent plus utilities the tenant pays), American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates, tables B25064 and B25031.
No college in range reports on-campus room and board. Stark State College has no campus housing and estimates $9,384 off campus. With rents this low, a place of your own is a realistic plan.
Rent helps here, at a $838 monthly median in the Youngstown and Warren metro, $649 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.
The mix near Youngstown is thin. No ranked program sits inside 50 miles, and the associate program at Stark State College is game design. If you want to draw and animate, you'll be looking at the 57 to 59 mile ring.
Public versus private comes down to the first two years. Stark State College costs a fraction of any private bachelor's nearby. The private universities in the ring come with higher net prices.
No campus is within commuting range. Stark State College at 44 miles is a straight-line figure, and it would be a long daily trip. Most students would live near campus, so factor housing into the budget, and consider online programs that let you keep Youngstown's low prices.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Where Can I Study Game Design Near Youngstown?
Point Park University has the top-ranked program near Youngstown, an animation bachelor's scoring 61.4, 57 miles from the city center. It beats the ranking's medians on both counts: 60% of its students finish, against 59%, and aided first-year students pay $25,477, against $26,150. About 11 students a year graduate from it, a mid-sized program by the ranking's standards. Chatham University is next at 53.8, one of 4 ranked programs within 100 miles. See the ranked programs.
Can I Afford to Live in Youngstown on a Game Salary?
Median rent in the Youngstown and Warren metro was $838 a month in 2024, $649 below the U.S. median of $1,487 (Census ACS). A one-bedroom runs $671. A two-bedroom runs $849 a month, so sharing one with a classmate cuts each person's rent to about $425, the usual way students keep housing costs down off campus. Housing is where Youngstown saves you money, at 53.4 on BEA's index against 100 nationally. See living in Youngstown as a student.
Which Public College Is Nearest Youngstown?
4 ranked programs sit within 100 miles of Youngstown. Point Park University scores highest, 57 miles from the city center, at 61.4. At 57 miles out, the top program is a move or a long commute from central Youngstown, so count housing into its price. 0 game-related programs sit within 25 miles of central Youngstown and 1 within 50, counting every level. The rest of the metro and the nearby areas are on the Ohio page. See the ranked programs.
What Do Game Jobs Pay in Youngstown?
Software developers, the BLS occupation that counts game programmers, earn a median of $107,990 in the Youngstown and Warren metro, against $135,980 nationally (BLS May 2025). In the Youngstown and Warren metro, web and digital interface designers, where game designers are counted, earn $58,990, which is 43% under the national median of $104,000. Living costs work in your favor in the Youngstown and Warren metro: BEA puts prices 12.6% below the U.S. average, so a paycheck or a student budget goes further. See what game jobs pay in Youngstown.
How Much Is In-State Tuition Near Youngstown?
In-state tuition at public colleges near Youngstown starts at $3,036 a year, at Stark State College. Nonresidents pay $6,132 at Stark State College. 1 public college within 50 miles offers a game-related program, and private colleges charge every student the same tuition. After grants, Stark State College has the lowest average net price nearby, $6,740, under the $13,240 public average in the median state. See paying for school in Youngstown.
Keep exploring
Related Pages
CityPittsburgh, PA57 mi from Youngstown · 2 programs within 50 miles · 0 ranked game bachelor'sView the Pittsburgh guide ›
CityCleveland, OH60 mi from Youngstown · 3 programs within 50 miles · 1 ranked game bachelor'sView the Cleveland guide ›
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.
