The Princeton Review's 2021 Ranking Lists of Top Undergrad & Grad Schools for Game Design Are Now Out

  • #1 Undergrad School: University of Southern California

  •  #1 Grad School: University of Central Florida

NEW YORK, March 23, 2021 / — The Princeton Review ® — known for its education services and school rankings in dozens of categories — today released its 12th annual ranking lists naming the top 50 undergraduate and top 25 graduate schools offering game design programs.

For the fourth year in a row, the University of Southern California in Los Angeles earned the #1 spot on the undergraduate list. The University of Central Florida in Orlando ranked #1 on the graduate list for the second year in a row.

The Princeton Review has posted the full ranking lists on its website at Top Schools For Game Design 2021. (The 10 top schools on each list are below.)

The Princeton Review chose the schools based on its 2020 survey of administrators at 150 institutions in the U.S., Canada, and abroad offering game design courses, majors, or degree programs. The 50-question survey collected information on everything from the schools' course offerings to the starting salaries of their graduates. It covered four areas: academics, faculty, technology, and career prospects. In all, the company analyzed more than 40 survey data points to tally the ranking lists. Information about the ranking methodology is here.

"The schools on our 2021 lists all offer standout programs for students considering careers in game design," said Rob Franek, The Princeton Review's Editor-in-Chief. "Their faculties are superlative. Their facilities are state-of-the-art. Their alumni include many of the video game industry’s most prominent artists, designers, developers, and entrepreneurs.”

Franek also noted the exceptional experience that students enrolled in the schools' game design programs attained last year. At the 50 undergraduate and 25 graduate schools on The Princeton Review's 2021 lists:

The Princeton Review survey for this project collected information on everything from the schools' course offerings and student projects to the starting salaries and career achievements of their graduates. Franek also noted the exceptional professional experience that students enrolled in the schools' game design programs attained last year.

At the 50 undergraduate and 25 graduate schools on The Princeton Review's 2021 lists: 

  • More than two-thirds of the students in the programs worked on a shipped game as part of their game design studies. At undergraduate programs, the figure was 67 percent. At graduate programs, it was 77 percent.
  • Nearly all of the students in the programs developed an actionable plan to launch a functional game after graduation. At undergraduate programs, the figure was 95 percent. At graduate programs, it was 99 percent.

PC Gamer, a monthly magazine and website published by Future PLC, has been The Princeton Review's reporting partner on this project since 2013. The magazine's May issue has a six-page feature on the project titled "The Best Schools for Aspiring Game Developers." It lists the schools that made the 2021 ranking lists and notes interesting stats and fun facts on their graduates, faculty, and alumni. The May issue lands on newsstands today.

The Princeton Review's website feature on this project has in-depth profiles of the schools with information on their admission deadlines and requirements, most noteworthy programs and facilities, guidelines for financial aid applications, and more. The site also gives prospective applicants advice and inspiration from school sources. Among the featured articles are: "What to Look for in a Game Design School" and "Success Stories from Game Design Alumni."

The top 10 schools on The Princeton Review's list of Top 50 Undergraduate Schools for Game Design for 2021 are:

  1. University of Southern California (Los Angeles)
  2. Becker College (Worcester, MA)
  3. New York University (Brooklyn, NY)
  4. Rochester Institute of Technology (Rochester, NY)
  5. DigiPen Institute of Technology (Redmond, WA)
  6. Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Worcester, MA)
  7. Michigan State University (East Lansing)
  8. University of Utah (Salt Lake City)
  9. Bradley University (Peoria, IL)
  10. Shawnee State University (Portsmouth, OH)

The top 10 schools on The Princeton Review's list of Top 25 Graduate Schools for Game Design for 2021 are:

  1. University of Central Florida (Orlando)
  2. New York University (Brooklyn, NY)
  3. Southern Methodist University (Dallas, TX)
  4. University of Southern California (Los Angeles)
  5. Rochester Institute of Technology (Rochester, NY)
  6. University of Utah (Salt Lake City)
  7. Becker College (Worcester, MA)
  8. Abertay University (Dundee, Scotland)
  9. DigiPen Institute of Technology (Redmond, WA)
  10. Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Worcester, MA)

The Princeton Review has reported its ranking lists of top schools for game design annually since 2010. The company also reports annual rankings of the best undergraduate and graduate schools for entrepreneurship studies; of college, law, and business schools in dozens of categories, and of online degree programs in education, library science, and nursing. 

About The Princeton Review

The Princeton Review® is a leading tutoring, test prep, and college admission services company. Every year, it helps millions of college- and graduate school–bound students achieve their education and career goals through online and in-person courses delivered by a network of more than 4,000 teachers and tutors, online resources, and its more than 150 print and digital books published by Penguin Random House. The company’s Tutor.com brand is one of the largest online tutoring services in the U.S. It comprises a community of thousands of tutors who have delivered more than 20 million one-to-one tutoring sessions. The Princeton Review is headquartered in New York, NY. The Princeton Review is not affiliated with Princeton University. For more information, visit PrincetonReview.com and the company's Media Center. Follow the company on Twitter (@ThePrincetonRev) and Instagram (@theprincetonreview).

About Future PLC

Future is a global platform business for specialist media with diversified revenue streams. Its content reaches 1 in 3 adults in both the U.K. and the U.S. The Media division is high-growth with three complementary revenue streams: eCommerce, events, and digital advertising including advertising within newsletters. It operates in a number of sectors including technology, games, music, home interest, hobbies, and B2B and its brands include Truly, TechRadar, PCGamer, Tom's Guide, Android Central, Homebuilding & Renovating Show, GamesRadar+, The Photography Show, Top Ten Reviews, Live Science, Guitar World, MusicRadar, Space.com and Tom's Hardware.

SOURCE
The Princeton Review

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CONTACTS
The Princeton Review:
Jeanne Krier, Publicist for The Princeton Review, PressOffice@review.com

PC Gamer / Future PLC:
James Nieves, Head of US Trade Marketing, james.nieves@futurenet.com

NOTE TO EDITORS

Rob Franek, Editor-in-Chief, and David Soto, Director of Content Development at The Princeton Review are available for interviews. Reporter resources including lists of ranked schools organized in two ways (alphabetical by country/state/city/school and alphabetical by school), and information on the survey methodology are at www.princetonreview.com/press/game-design-press-release.

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List of Programs: Alpha by Country / State / City / School

Belgium

  • Kortrijk / Howest University of Applied Sciences (Ugrad #24)    

CANADA

  • Vancouver / LaSalle College Vancouver (Ugrad #11)

  • Vancouver / Vancouver Film School (Ugrad #12)

England

  • Penryn / Falmouth University (Ugrad #28)

MALTA

  • Msida / University of Malta (Grad #22)

  • netherlands

    • Breda / Breda University of Applied Sciences (Ugrad #16, Grad #13)

SCOTLAND

  • Dundee / Abertay University (Ugrad #15, Grad #8)

The UNITED STATES

California
  • Burbank / New York Film Academy (Ugrad #32, Grad #19)
    Laguna Beach / Laguna College of Art and Design (Ugrad #23, Grad #14)
    Los Angeles / University of Southern California (Ugrad #1, Grad #4)
    Pasadena / ArtCenter College of Design (Ugrad #47)
    San Francisco / Academy of Art University (Ugrad #43)
    San Jose / Cogswell University of Silicon Valley (Ugrad #18)
    Santa Clara / University of California—Santa Cruz (Grad #18)
Connecticut
  • Hamden / Quinnipiac University (Ugrad #46)
District of Columbia
  • Washington / American University (Grad #17)
Florida
  • Gainesville / University of Florida (Ugrad #40)
    Orlando / University of Central Florida (Ugrad #14, Grad #1)
    Winter Park / Full Sail University (Ugrad #49, Grad #23)
Georgia
  • Marietta / Kennesaw State University (Ugrad #37)
  • Savannah / Savannah College of Art and Design (Ugrad #22, Grad #16)
Illinois
  • Chicago / DePaul University (Ugrad #41, Grad #25)
  • Peoria / Bradley University (Ugrad #9, Grad #21)
Indiana

  • Bloomington / Indiana University (Ugrad #36)

  • Maryland
    • Baltimore / Maryland Institute College of Art (Ugrad #26)
Massachusetts

  • Amherst / Hampshire College (Ugrad #21)
    Cambridge / Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Ugrad #50)
    Boston / Northeastern University (Ugrad #30, Grad #20)
    Worcester / Becker College (Ugrad #2, Grad #7)
    Worcester / Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Ugrad #6, Grad #10)

Michigan
  • Dearborn / University of Michigan-Dearborn (Ugrad #45)
  • East Lansing / Michigan State University (Ugrad #7, Grad #12)
  • Grand Rapids / Ferris State University (Ugrad #27)
New Jersey
  • Bloomfield / Bloomfield College (Ugrad #34)
New York
  • Brooklyn / New York University (Ugrad #3, Grad #2)
  • Ithaca / Cornell University (Ugrad #48)
  • Poughkeepsie / Marist College (Ugrad #44)
  • Rochester / Rochester Institute of Technology (Ugrad #4, Grad #5)
  • Troy / Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Ugrad #19)
North Carolina

  • Raleigh / North Carolina State University (Ugrad #33)

Ohio
  • Cincinnati / University of Cincinnati (Ugrad #31)
    Oxford / Miami University (Ugrad #35)
    Portsmouth / Shawnee State University (Ugrad #10    )
Oklahoma
  • Oklahoma City / Oklahoma Christian University (Ugrad #42)
Pennsylvania
  • Philadelphia / Drexel University (Ugrad #13, Grad #11)
Rhode Island
  • East Greenwich / New England Institute of Technology (Ugrad #38)
Texas
  • Abilene / Abilene Christian University (Ugrad #29)
    Austin / University of Texas at Austin (Ugrad #39)
    Dallas / Southern Methodist University (Grad #3)
    Richardson / The University of Texas at Dallas (Ugrad #20, Grad #15)
Utah
  • Salt Lake City / University of Utah (Ugrad #8, Grad #6)
Vermont
  • Burlington / Champlain College (Ugrad #17)
Washington
  • Redmond / DigiPen Institute of Technology (Ugrad #5, Grad #9)
Wisconsin
  • Menomonie / University of Wisconsin - Stout (Ugrad #25, Grad #24)

List of Programs: Alpha by School

  • Abertay University / Dundee, Scotland (Ugrad #15, Grad #8)
    Abilene Christian University / Abilene, TX (Ugrad #29)
    Academy of Art University / San Francisco, CA (Ugrad #43)
    American University / Washington, DC (Grad #17)
    ArtCenter College of Design / Pasadena, CA (Ugrad #47)
    Becker College / Worcester, MA (Ugrad #2, Grad #7)
    Bloomfield College / Bloomfield, NJ (Ugrad #34)
    Bradley University / Peoria, IL (Ugrad #9, Grad #21)
    Breda University of Applied Sciences / Breda, Noord Brabant (Ugrad #16, Grad #13)
    Champlain College / Burlington, VT (Ugrad #17)
    Cogswell University of Silicon Valley / San Jose, CA (Ugrad #18)
    Cornell University / Ithaca, NY (Ugrad #48)
    DePaul University / Chicago, IL (Ugrad #41, Grad #25)
    DigiPen Institute of Technology / Redmond, WA (Ugrad #5, Grad #9)
    Drexel University / Philadelphia, PA (Ugrad #13, Grad #11)
    Falmouth University / Penryn, Cornwall (Ugrad #28)
    Ferris State University / Grand Rapids, MI (Ugrad #27)
    Full Sail University / Winter Park, FL (Ugrad #49, Grad #23)
    Hampshire College / Amherst, MA (Ugrad #21)
    Howest University of Applied Sciences / Kortrijk, Belgium (Ugrad #24)
    Indiana University / Bloomington, IN (Ugrad #36)
    Kennesaw State University / Marietta, GA (Ugrad #37)
    La Salle College Vancouver / Vancouver, BC (Ugrad #11)
    Laguna College of Art and Design / Laguna Beach, CA (Ugrad #23, Grad #14)
    Marist College / Poughkeepsie, NY (Ugrad #44)
    Maryland Institute College of Art / Baltimore, MD (Ugrad #26)
    Massachusetts Institute of Technology / Cambridge, MA (Ugrad #50)
    Miami University / Oxford, OH (Ugrad #35)
    Michigan State University / East Lansing, MI (Ugrad #7, Grad #12)
    New England Institute of Technology / East Greenwich, RI (Ugrad #38)
    New York Film Academy / Burbank, CA (Ugrad #32, Grad #19)
    New York University / Brooklyn, NY (Ugrad #3, Grad #2)
    North Carolina State University / Raleigh, NC (Ugrad #33)
    Northeastern University / Boston, MA (Ugrad #30, Grad #20)
    Oklahoma Christian University / Oklahoma City, OK (Ugrad #42)
    Quinnipiac University / Hamden, CT (Ugrad #46)
    Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute / Troy, NY (Ugrad #19)
    Rochester Institute of Technology / Rochester, NY (Ugrad #4, Grad #5)
    Savannah College of Art and Design / Savannah, GA (Ugrad #22, Grad #16)
    Shawnee State University / Portsmouth, OH (Ugrad #10)
    Southern Methodist University / Dallas, TX (Grad #3)
    University of California—Santa Cruz / Santa Clara, CA (Grad #18)
    University of Central Florida / Orlando, FL (Ugrad #14, Grad #1)
    University of Cincinnati / Cincinnati, OH (Ugrad #31)
    University of Florida / Gainesville, FL (Ugrad #40)
    University of Malta / Msida, Malta (Grad #22)
    University of Michigan-Dearborn / Dearborn, MI (Ugrad #45)
    University of Southern California / Los Angeles, CA (Ugrad #1, Grad #4)
    University of Texas at Austin / Austin, TX (Ugrad #39)
    The University of Texas at Dallas / Richardson, TX (Ugrad #20, Grad #15)
    University of Utah / Salt Lake City, UT (Ugrad #8, Grad #6)
    University of Wisconsin - Stout / Menomonie, WI (Ugrad #25, Grad #24)
    Vancouver Film School / Vancouver, British Columbia (Ugrad #12)
    Worcester Polytechnic Institute / Worcester, MA (Ugrad #6, Grad #10)