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Game Designer Education Requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a game designer. Game designers usually study graphic design, computer science, or fine arts. 74% of game designers hold a bachelor's degree, and 11% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,437 real game designer resumes to see exactly what game designer education sections show.
The most common colleges for game designers are the Full Sail University and the Full Sail University.
There are also many online game designer courses to help get the education required to be a game designer.
What education do you need to become a game designer?
What degree do you need to be a game designer?
- Bachelor's, 74%
- Master's, 11%
- Associate, 11%
- High School Diploma, 1%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become a game designer?
- Graphic Design, 26%
- Computer Science, 18%
- Fine Arts, 6%
- Photography, 5%
- Other Majors, 45%
Most common colleges for game designers
| Game Designer Common College | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Full Sail University | 22.58% |
| Savannah College of Art and Design | 7.53% |
| Rochester Institute of Technology | 6.45% |
| University of Central Florida | 5.91% |
| Carnegie Mellon University | 5.91% |
Best majors for game designers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Graphic Design | 25.5% |
| 2 | Computer Science | 17.9% |
| 3 | Fine Arts | 5.7% |
| 4 | Photography | 5.2% |
| 5 | English | 5.0% |
Best colleges for game designers
The best colleges for game designers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Harvard University.
A game designer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for game designers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become game designers.
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
2. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-State Tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
3. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
5. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
In-State Tuition
$12,424
Enrollment
15,201
6. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
7. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-State Tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
8. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$14,184
Enrollment
30,845
9. University of Chicago
Chicago, IL • Private
In-State Tuition
$58,230
Enrollment
6,600
10. University of California - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$13,226
Enrollment
31,568
20 best online courses for game designers
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Top 10 most affordable universities for game designers
The most affordable schools for game designers are California State University - Long Beach, brigham young university, and queens college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for game designers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for game designers.
1. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,798
Cost of Attendance
18,306
2. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-State Tuition
$5,620
Cost of Attendance
18,136
3. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,338
Cost of Attendance
14,281
4. University of Houston - Victoria
Victoria, TX • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,491
Cost of Attendance
19,075
5. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,210
Cost of Attendance
14,359
6. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$8,306
Cost of Attendance
16,091
7. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-State Tuition
$9,992
Cost of Attendance
22,430
8. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,410
Cost of Attendance
20,456
9. Brigham Young University - Hawaii
Laie, HI • Private
In-State Tuition
$5,560
Cost of Attendance
18,043
10. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,942
Cost of Attendance
14,469
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for game designers
The hardest universities for game designers to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Harvard University.
Some great schools for game designers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for game designers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions Rate
4%
SAT Average
1,497
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions Rate
8%
SAT Average
1,508
3. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions Rate
5%
SAT Average
1,520
4. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions Rate
9%
SAT Average
1,516
5. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions Rate
17%
SAT Average
1,507
6. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions Rate
15%
SAT Average
1,506
7. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions Rate
8%
SAT Average
1,492
8. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions Rate
22%
SAT Average
1,420
9. University of Chicago
Chicago, IL • Private
Admissions Rate
7%
SAT Average
1,520
10. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
20%
SAT Average
1,419
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for game designers
The easiest schools for game designers to get into are La Roche College, cardinal stritch university, and notre dame de namur university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a game designer without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for game designers.
1. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions Rate
99%
SAT Average
1,008
2. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions Rate
71%
SAT Average
1,035
3. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions Rate
82%
SAT Average
983
4. Linfield College
McMinnville, OR • Private
Admissions Rate
81%
SAT Average
1,117
5. Baker University
Baldwin City, KS • Private
Admissions Rate
88%
SAT Average
1,126
6. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions Rate
72%
SAT Average
1,054
7. Longwood University
Farmville, VA • Private
Admissions Rate
89%
SAT Average
1,065
8. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions Rate
84%
SAT Average
1,031
9. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
98%
SAT Average
999
10. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions Rate
93%
SAT Average
1,026
Average game designer salary by education level
| Game Designer education level | Game Designer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $104,278 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $92,792 |
| Doctorate Degree | $104,914 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $76,696 |
Game Designer Education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common computer and mathematical questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025