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Video game designer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a video game designer. Video game designers usually study photography, computer science, or graphic design. 74% of video game designers hold a bachelor's degree, and 12% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 123 real video game designer resumes to see exactly what video game designer education sections show.
The most common colleges for video game designers are the New York University and the New York University.
There are also many online video game designer courses to help get the education required to be a video game designer.
What education do you need to become a video game designer?
What degree do you need to be a video game designer?
- Bachelor's, 74%
- Associate, 12%
- Master's, 6%
- High School Diploma, 5%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become a video game designer?
- Photography, 14%
- Computer Science, 14%
- Graphic Design, 12%
- Communication, 9%
- Other Majors, 51%
Most common colleges for video game designers
| Video game designer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| New York University | 11.54% |
| California State University - Fullerton | 7.69% |
| American University | 7.69% |
| New York Institute of Technology | 7.69% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 7.69% |
Best majors for video game designers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Photography | 13.5% |
| 2 | Computer Science | 13.5% |
| 3 | Graphic Design | 12.2% |
| 4 | Communication | 9.5% |
| 5 | Electrical Engineering | 6.8% |
Best colleges for video game designers
The best colleges for video game designers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Harvard University.
A video 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 video 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 video 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. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
4. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
5. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
6. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,184
Enrollment
30,845
7. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
8. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,465
Enrollment
6,483
9. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
10. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
20 best online courses for video game designers
Advertising disclosure
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18. Game Audio 101: How to Create Sounds for Games
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19. Create your own 2D game assets with Inkscape for free!
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Top 10 most affordable universities for video game designers
The most affordable schools for video game designers are California State University - Long Beach, hunter college of the city university of new york, and university of florida.
If the best universities for video 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 video game designers.
1. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
2. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
3. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
4. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
5. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
6. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
7. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
8. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
9. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,140
Cost of attendance
14,430
10. California State University - Northridge
Northridge, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,893
Cost of attendance
18,870
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for video game designers
The hardest universities for video game designers to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Harvard University.
Some great schools for video 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 video 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. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
5. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
6. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
7. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
8. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
9. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
10. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for video game designers
The easiest schools for video game designers to get into are Barry University, notre dame de namur university, and kean university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a video 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 video game designers.
1. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
2. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
3. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
4. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
5. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
6. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
7. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
8. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
9. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
10. California University of Pennsylvania
California, PA • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,007
Average video game designer salary by education level
| Video game designer education level | Video game designer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $121,628 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $103,165 |
| Doctorate Degree | $122,676 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $78,852 |
Video game designer education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025