The Princeton Review’s Top Game Design Schools for 2017

Do you enjoy playing computer games? Are you thinking that you would like to become a professional game designer? Well, The Princeton Review™ has the perfect list of schools for you! On March 21, The Princeton Review released its annual ranking lists naming the top schools for game design. The Princeton Review has been reporting its game design program rankings annually since 2010. The Princeton Review’s top game design schools for 2017 include the best undergraduate and graduate schools for students to study and launch a career in game design.

Did You Know…?

  • The University of Southern California captured the #1 spot on the undergraduate schools list (up from #2 in 2016).
  • Southern Methodist University ranked #1 on the graduate schools list (also up from #2 last year).
  • Abilene Christian University, recently featured in Homeschooling Teen as a homeschool-friendly college, is ranked as #27 on the list of best undergraduate game design schools.

The Princeton Review chose the top game design schools for 2017 based on its 2016 survey of 150 institutions in the U.S., Canada, and abroad offering game design degree programs or courses. The 40-question survey gathered data on everything from the schools’ game design academic offerings and lab facilities to their graduates’ starting salaries and career achievements. More than 40 data points in four areas (academics, faculty, technology, and career) were analyzed to tally the lists.

According to The Princeton Review‘s 2016 survey of administrators at the schools, about 89% of their undergrad and/or graduate game design students that graduated in their 2016 classes developed actionable plans to launch games while in school. Moreover, 57% of undergrads and 65% of grad students at these school programs worked on games that were shipped before they graduated.

The Princeton Review‘s “Top 50 Undergraduate Schools to Study Game Design for 2017” are:

  1. University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA)
  2. Rochester Institute of Technology (Rochester, NY
  3. University of Utah (Salt Lake City, UT)
  4. DigiPen Institute of Technology (DIT) (Redmond, WA)
  5. Becker College (Worcester, MA)
  6. Hampshire College (Amherst, MA)
  7. New York University (Brooklyn, NY)
  8. The Art Institute of Vancouver (Vancouver, British Columbia)
  9. Drexel University (Philadelphia, PA)
  10. Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI)
  11. Vancouver Film School (Vancouver, British Columbia)
  12. Bradley University (Peoria, IL)
  13. Northeastern University (Boston, MA)
  14. Champlain College (Burlington, VT)
  15. University of Wisconsin-Stout (Menomonie, WI)
  16. Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Worcester, MA)
  17. The University of Texas at Dallas (Richardson, TX)
  18. DePaul University (Chicago, IL)
  19. Abertay University (Dundee, Scotland)
  20. Ferris State University (Big Rapids, MI)
  21. University of California, Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz, CA)
  22. Shawnee State University (Portsmouth, OH)
  23. Cogswell College (San Jose, CA)
  24. Savannah College of Art and Design (Savannah, GA)
  25. Miami University (Oxford, OH)
  26. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, NY)
  27. Abilene Christian University (Abilene, TX)
  28. Quinnipiac University (Hamden, CT)
  29. Lawrence Technological University (Southfield, MI)
  30. Academy of Art University (San Francisco, CA)
  31. Oklahoma Christian University (Oklahoma City, OK)
  32. Kennesaw State University (Kennesaw, GA)
  33. Full Sail University (Winter Park, FL)
  34. Marist College (Poughkeepsie, NY)
  35. Texas A&M University–College Station (College Station, TX)
  36. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA)
  37. Ringling School of Art & Design (Sarasota, FL)
  38. North Carolina State University (Raleigh, NC)
  39. New England Institute of Technology (East Greenwich, RI)
  40. Sacred Heart University (Fairfield, CT)
  41. University of Michigan-Dearborn (Dearborn, MI)
  42. New Jersey Institute of Technology (Newark, NJ)
  43. Southern Illinois University Carbondale (Carbondale, IL)
  44. Purdue University–West Lafayette (West Lafayette, IN)
  45. Western University (London, ON)
  46. Cornell University (Ithaca, NY)
  47. Eastern Kentucky University (Richmond, KY)
  48. Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, OH)
  49. High Point University (High Point, NC)
  50. University of Tulsa (Tulsa, OK)

For more details about the top 50 undergraduate schools, please go to: www.princetonreview.com/game-design

The Princeton Review‘s “Top 25 Graduate Schools to Study Game Design for 2017” are:

  1. Southern Methodist University (SMU) (Plano, TX)
  2. University of Central Florida (Orlando, FL)
  3. University of Utah (Salt Lake City, UT)
  4. Rochester Institute of Technology (Rochester, NY)
  5. University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA)
  6. New York University (Brooklyn, NY)
  7. DigiPen Institute of Technology (Redmond, WA)
  8. Drexel University (Philadelphia, PA)
  9. Abertay University (Dundee, Scotland)
  10. DePaul University (Chicago, IL)
  11. Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI)
  12. Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Worcester, MA)
  13. University of California—Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz, CA)
  14. The University of Texas at Dallas (Richardson, TX)
  15. Savannah College of Art and Design (Savannah, GA)
  16. American University (Washington, DC)
  17. Texas A&M University (College Station, TX)
  18. Sacred Heart University (Fairfield, CT)
  19. The Ohio State University—Columbus (Columbus, OH)
  20. University of Wisconsin-Stout (Menomonie, WI)
  21. Full Sail University (Winter Park, FL)
  22. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA)
  23. University of Malta (Msida, Malta)
  24. University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA)
  25. University of Miami (Coral Gables, FL)

For more details about the top 25 graduate schools, please go to: www.princetonreview.com/game-design

The Princeton Review‘s detailed profiles of the schools include guidance for applicants on their programs, admission requirements, and financial aid. Research the top game design schools for 2017, and learn what it takes to get a degree that will prepare you to enter the video game industry!

PC Gamer Magazine

The Princeton Review has partnered with PC Gamer, a monthly magazine published by Future plc, on this project since 2013. PC Gamer‘s May issue has a feature on the ranking lists that details the schools’ unique programs, prominent professors, and alumni. The May issue is available on newsstands now.

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 Princeton Review is also known for its annual rankings of colleges, business schools, and law schools in dozens of categories. The Princeton Review is headquartered in New York, NY, and is an operating business of Match Group (NASDAQ: MTCH). The Princeton Review is not affiliated with Princeton University. For more information, visit www.princetonreview.com and www.facebook.com/ThePrinceton. Follow the company’s Twitter feed @ThePrincetonRev

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