New Jersey Game Design & Development Schools: Most Expensive to Least Expensive

According to the Institute of Education Sciences National Center for Education Statistics (IES NCES), New Jersey is now home to 66 Title IV degree-granting institutions. To become a Title IV school, an institution must meet five requirements. They must have (1) accreditation recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, (2) they must sign a participation agreement with the Department, (3) they must grant an associate's degree or higher, (4) they must offer a program of at least 300 clock hours in length, and (5) they must be in business for a minimum of 2 years. Once a school has met these requirements, they become eligible for Title IV financial aid programs.

New Jersey’s Title IV schools offer a wide variety of programs for artists and designers. Many are among the best in the country. Some are expensive, while others are considered affordable in comparison to other schools across the U.S. Fortunately, even the expensive schools are accessible thanks to Title IV status. Students have a variety of financial aid programs to work with in order to meet tuition costs.

Of New Jersey’s best schools for artists and designers, we found two that offer programs for aspiring game designers & developers. One is on the expensive side, while the other is quite affordable (for residents). Continue reading to find out which New Jersey schools offer game design & development programs and what they cost. Keep in mind that resident tuition is typically lower than non-resident tuition and graduate programs are usually more expensive than undergraduate programs.

Most Expensive to Least Expensive New Jersey Game Design & Development Schools

Bloomfield College, Bloomfield – Tuition Cost: Undergraduate $22,500 for the 2011 – 2012 school year.  Tuition does not include fees of $1,200 per year.

The College of New Jersey, Ewing – Tuition Cost: Undergraduate residents $9,760, nonresidents $19,569 for the 2011 – 2012 school year.  Tuition does not include fees of $4,427 per year.

More Game related programs to consider:  

New Jersey Game Design & Development Scene

New Jersey is home to an impressive 43,250 salaried artists and designers. This figure has increased since 2002 when the state was home to 40,510. Thousands of New Jersey artists and designers work independently, so the population of the community as a whole is actually much higher than 43,250. The bulk of state’s art and design community is spread out across major cities such as Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, Elizabeth, Edison, Trenton, Clifton, and Camden. However, you can still find close-knit communities in New Jersey’s smaller cities and towns.

The state’s game design & development community lives mainly in the state’s major cities and in commuting distance from New York. The state’s game professionals average around $92,000 per year for developers, and $95,000 for designers. Job opportunities can be found at dozens of design & development studios. Just a few New Jersey studios include Blackburst Media (Glen Rock), I-Play (Plainsboro), Saber Interactive (Millburn), Skyworks (Jamesburg), N-Fusion Interactive (Manalapan), Majesco Entertainment (Edison), Vogster Entertainment (Saddle River), Saturnine Games (Lyndhurst), and Slingo, Inc. (Hackensack).