The Princeton Review's 2023 Rankings of Top Ugrad & Grad Schools for Game Design Are Now Out
NEW YORK, March 21, 2023 / — The Princeton Review ® — known for its education services and school rankings in dozens of categories — today released its 14th annual rankings of undergraduate and graduate schools with the best programs in game design studies.
New York University earned the #1 spot on both the undergraduate list (which names the top 50 schools) and the graduate list (which names the top 25 schools). NYU’s program in Game Design, which is based at its Brooklyn campus, moved up from a #2 ranking on both lists last year.
The top 10 schools on the two ranking lists are below. The Princeton Review has posted the complete ranking lists on its website at Top Game Design Schools for 2023. There, the company also presents profiles of the schools with information on their academics, admission requirements and application deadlines, financial aid, and campus culture.
The Princeton Review tallied the ranking lists for 2023 based on a survey the company conducted in 2022 of administrators at 150 institutions offering game design courses and/or degrees. Most of the institutions are in the U.S.; two are in Canada and seven are abroad.
The 50-question survey broadly covered four areas: academics, faculty, technology, and career prospects. Administrators were asked to report on everything from their program faculty’s credentials to their graduates’ employment and career achievements. In all, more than 40 survey data points were analyzed to tally the rankings. Information about the methodology and criteria for the rankings is here.
"We recommend these schools as outstanding choices for students considering a career in the exciting field of game design,” said Rob Franek, The Princeton Review's Editor-in-Chief. "Their programs and faculties are first-rate. Their facilities are state-of-the-art. And their alumni include many of the game design industry’s most successful artists, designers, developers, and entrepreneurs.”
Franek noted the exceptional experience students enrolled in the game design programs of these schools gain. In recent years:
- More than 78% of the students in the programs worked on a shipped game as part of their studies. At undergraduate schools, that figure was 77%. At graduate schools, it was 79%.
- Nearly all of the students in the programs developed an actionable plan to launch a functional game after graduation. At undergraduate schools, that figure was 95%. At graduate schools, it was 99%.
PC Gamer, a top online and print gaming destination, has been The Princeton Review's reporting partner on this project since 2013. The magazine's May issue, which lands on newsstands today, has an eight-page feature on this project. Titled "The Best Game Design Programs Ranked by The Princeton Review 2023," it publishes the two ranking lists and notes interesting stats as well as fun facts about the schools’ graduates, faculty, and alumni. The feature also includes an article on video game creation titled “The Art and Science of User Interface Design.”
The Princeton Review's website feature, Top Game Design Schools for 2023, has articles offering advice for school applicants. Among them are: "What to Look for in a Game Design School" and "Student Success Stories.”
Top 10 schools on the list "Top 50 Undergraduate Schools for Game Design for 2023":
- New York University (Brooklyn)
- University of Southern California (Los Angeles)
- Rochester Institute of Technology (Rochester, NY)
- Clark University (Worcester, MA)
- DigiPen Institute of Technology (Redmond, WA)
- University of Central Florida (Orlando)
- University of Utah (Salt Lake City)
- Vancouver Film School (British Columbia, Canada)
- Michigan State University (East Lansing)
- Drexel University (Philadelphia, PA)
Top 10 schools on the list "Top 25 Graduate Schools for Game Design for 2023"
- New York University (Brooklyn)
- University of Central Florida (Orlando)
- Southern Methodist University (Dallas, TX)
- Rochester Institute of Technology (Rochester, NY)
- University of Southern California (Los Angeles)
- University of Utah (Salt Lake City)
- Clark University (Worcester, MA)
- DigiPen Institute of Technology (Redmond, WA)
- Abertay University (Dundee, Scotland)
- Breda University of Applied Sciences (North-Brabant, Netherlands)
About The Princeton Review's School Rankings
The Princeton Review reports annual rankings of colleges, law schools, and business schools in dozens of categories. Based largely on what students attending the schools report to The Princeton Review about their experiences at them, their campus culture and themselves, the company’s rankings have been widely reported and closely followed for more than 30 years. The company has tallied more than 3 million surveys of college students for its annual “Best Colleges” rankings that are reported in 50 categories. The Princeton Review also reports annual rankings of top undergraduate and graduate schools for entrepreneurship studies and lists of schools with the top online degree programs in education, library science, and nursing.
About The Princeton Review
The Princeton Review is a leading tutoring, test prep, and college admissions services company. Every year, it helps millions of college- and graduate school–bound students as well as working professionals achieve their education and career goals through its many education services and products. These include online and in-person courses delivered by a network of more than 4,000 teachers and tutors; online resources; more than 150 print and digital books published by Penguin Random House; and dozens of categories of school rankings. Founded in 1981, The Princeton Review is now in its 42nd year. The company’s Tutor.com brand, now in its 23rd year, 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 23 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).
SOURCE: The Princeton Review
WEBSITE: www.princetonreview.com
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CONTACTS
The Princeton Review: Jeanne Krier, Publicist for The Princeton Review, pressoffice@review.com
PC Gamer / Future PLC: Tessa Samberg, Head of Trade Marketing, tessa.samberg@futurenet.com
NOTE TO EDITORS
Rob Franek, Editor-in-Chief, and David Soto, Senior Director, Data Operations at The Princeton Review, are available for interviews. Reporter resources—including lists of ranked schools organized two ways (alphabetical by country/state/city/school and alphabetical by school) —are at https://www.princetonreview.com/press/game-design-press-release-2023.
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List of Programs: Alpha by Country / State / City / School
Belgium
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Kortrijk / Howest University of Applied Sciences (Undergraduate #29)
CANADA
- Vancouver / La Salle College Vancouver (Undergraduate #21)
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Vancouver / Vancouver Film School (Undergraduate #8)
England
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Penryn / Falmouth University (Undergraduate #24)
MALTA
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L-Imsida / University of Malta (Graduate #24)
netherlands
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Breda / Breda University of Applied Sciences (Undergraduate #11, Graduate #10)
SCOTLAND
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Dundee / Abertay University (Undergraduate #23, Graduate #9)
The UNITED STATES
California
- Burbank / New York Film Academy (Undergraduate #37)
Irvine / University of California—Irvine (Undergraduate #48) - Laguna Beach / Laguna College of Art + Design (Undergraduate #22, Graduate #22)
Los Angeles / University of Southern California (Undergraduate #2, Graduate #5)
Pasadena / ArtCenter College of Design (Undergraduate #39)
San Francisco / Academy of Art University (Undergraduate #36)
San Jose / University of Silicon Valley (Undergraduate #20)
Santa Clara / University of California Santa Cruz (Graduate #15)
Connecticut
- Hamden / Quinnipiac University (Undergraduate #18)
District of Columbia
- Washington / American University (Graduate #21)
Florida
- DeLand / Stetson University (Undergraduate #41)
Orlando / University of Central Florida (Undergraduate #6, Graduate #2)
Winter Park / Full Sail University (Undergraduate #17, Graduate #17)
Georgia
- Savannah / Savannah College of Art and Design (Undergraduate #16, Graduate #16)
Illinois
- Chicago / DePaul University (Undergraduate #33, Graduate #25)
- Peoria / Bradley University (Undergraduate #12, Graduate #20)
Massachusetts
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Boston / Northeastern University (Undergraduate #32, Graduate #18)
Cambridge / Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Undergraduate #50)
Worcester / Clark University (Undergraduate #4, Graduate #7)
Worcester / Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Undergraduate #14, Graduate #14)
Michigan
- Big Rapids / Ferris State University (Undergraduate #43)
- Dearborn / University of Michigan—Dearborn (Undergraduate #38)
- East Lansing / Michigan State University (Undergraduate #9, Graduate #11)
New Jersey
- Bloomfield / Bloomfield College (Undergraduate #35)
- Newark NJ / New Jersey Institute of Technology (Undergraduate #49)
New York
- Brooklyn / New York University (Undergraduate #1, Graduate #1)
- Ithaca / Cornell University (Undergraduate #45)
- Poughkeepsie / Marist College (Undergraduate #34)
- Rochester / Rochester Institute of Technology (Undergraduate #3, Graduate #4)
- Troy / Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Undergraduate #25, Graduate #19)
North Carolina
- High Point / High Point University (Undergraduate #47)
Ohio
- Cleveland / Cleveland Institute of Art (Undergraduate #42)
New Philadelphia / Kent State University (Undergraduate #44) - Oxford / Miami University (Undergraduate #27)
Portsmouth / Shawnee State University (Undergraduate #15)
Oklahoma
- Edmond / Oklahoma Christian University (Undergraduate #31)
Pennsylvania
- Philadelphia / Drexel University (Undergraduate #10, Graduate #12)
Rhode Island
- East Greenwich / New England Institute of Technology (Undergraduate #26)
South Dakota
- Madison / Dakota State University (Undergraduate #40)
Texas
- Abilene / Abilene Christian University (Undergraduate #28)
Dallas / Southern Methodist University (Graduate #3)
Richardson / The University of Texas at Dallas (Undergraduate #19, Graduate #13) -
San Antonio / University of the Incarnate Word (Undergraduate #45)
Utah
- Salt Lake City / University of Utah (Undergraduate #7, Graduate #6)
Vermont
- Burlington / Champlain College (Undergraduate #13)
Washington
- Redmond / DigiPen Institute of Technology (Undergraduate #5, Graduate #8)
Wisconsin
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Menomonie / University of Wisconsin–Stout (Undergraduate #30, Graduate #23)
List of Programs: Alpha by School
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Abertay University / Dundee, Scotland (Undergraduate #23, Graduate #9)
Abilene Christian University / Abilene, TX (Undergraduate #28)
Academy of Art University / San Francisco, CA (Undergraduate #36)
American University / Washington, DC (Graduate #21)
ArtCenter College of Design / Pasadena, CA (Undergraduate #39)
Bloomfield College / Bloomfield, NJ (Undergraduate #35)
Bradley University / Peoria, IL (Undergraduate #12, Graduate #20)
Breda University of Applied Sciences / Breda, Netherlands (Undergraduate #11, Graduate #10)
Champlain College / Burlington, VT (Undergraduate #13)
Clark University / Worcester, MA (Undergraduate #4, Graduate #7)
Cleveland Institute of Art / Cleveland, OH (Undergraduate #42)
Cornell University / Ithaca, NY (Undergraduate #45)
Dakota State University / Madison, SD (Undergraduate #40)
DePaul University / Chicago, IL (Undergraduate #33, Graduate #25)
DigiPen Institute of Technology / Redmond, WA (Undergraduate #5, Graduate #8)
Drexel University / Philadelphia, PA (Undergraduate #10, Graduate #12)
Falmouth University / Penryn, England (Undergraduate #24)
Ferris State University / Big Rapids, MI (Undergraduate #43)
Full Sail University / Winter Park, FL (Undergraduate #17, Graduate #17)
High Point University / High Point, NC (Undergraduate #47)
Howest University of Applied Sciences / Kortrijk, Belgium (Undergraduate #29)
Kent State University / New Philadelphia, OH (Undergraduate #44)
La Salle College Vancouver / Vancouver, Canada (Undergraduate #21)
Laguna College of Art + Design / Laguna Beach, CA (Undergraduate #22, Graduate #22)
Marist College / Poughkeepsie, NY (Undergraduate #34)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology / Cambridge, MA (Undergraduate #50)
Miami University / Oxford, OH (Undergraduate #27)
Michigan State University / East Lansing, MI (Undergraduate #9, Graduate #11)
New England Institute of Technology / East Greenwich, RI (Undergraduate #26)
New Jersey Institute of Technology / Newark, NJ (Undergraduate #49)
New York Film Academy / Burbank, CA (Undergraduate #37)
New York University / Brooklyn, NY (Undergraduate #1, Graduate #1)
Northeastern University / Boston, MA (Undergraduate #32, Graduate #18)
Oklahoma Christian University / Edmond, OK (Undergraduate #31)
Quinnipiac University / Hamden, CT (Undergraduate #18)
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute / Troy, NY (Undergraduate #25, Graduate #19)
Rochester Institute of Technology / Rochester, NY (Undergraduate #3, Graduate #4)
Savannah College of Art and Design / Savannah, GA (Undergraduate #16, Graduate #16)
Shawnee State University / Portsmouth, OH (Undergraduate #15)
Southern Methodist University / Dallas, TX (Graduate #3)
Stetson University / DeLand, FL (Undergraduate #41)
The University of Texas at Dallas / Richardson, TX (Undergraduate #19, Graduate #13)
University of California—Irvine / Irvine, CA (Undergraduate #48)
University of California—Santa Cruz / Santa Clara, CA (Graduate #15)
University of Central Florida / Orlando, FL (Undergraduate #6, Graduate #2)
University of Malta / L-Imsida, Malta (Graduate #24)
University of Michigan—Dearborn / Dearborn, MI (Undergraduate #38)
University of Silicon Valley / San Jose, CA (Undergraduate #20)
University of Southern California / Los Angeles, CA (Undergraduate #2, Graduate #5)
University of the Incarnate Word / San Antonio, TX (Undergraduate #45)
University of Utah / Salt Lake City, UT (Undergraduate #7, Graduate #6)
University of Wisconsin—Stout / Menomonie, WI (Undergraduate #30, Graduate #23)
Vancouver Film School / Vancouver, Canada (Undergraduate #8)
Worcester Polytechnic Institute / Worcester, MA (Undergraduate #14, Graduate #14)
