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What are the top MFA programs for game design?
| Ranking | School | State |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Southern California | California |
| 2 | New York University | New York |
| 3 | Savannah College of Art and Design | Georgia |
| 4 | DigiPen | Washington |
| 5 | DePaul University | Illinois |
| 6 | Texas A&M University | Texas |
| 7 | University of Texas at Dallas | Texas |
| 8 | Institution Temporarily Paused By Publisher | |
| 9 | The New School | New York |
| 10 | The Ohio State University | Ohio |
Below are the Top 10 schools and colleges offering Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree programs in game design for 2026. For an explanation of our ranking criteria, click here.
1. University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
The School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) and Viterbi School of Engineering at University of Southern California (USC) is home to USC Games, which houses an Interactive Media (Games and Health) MFA. Program highlights include integrated curriculums; access to state-of-the-art game development labs and other production facilities; professional internships; and possible participation in the USC Games Expo.
The program culminates with a thesis. USC Games graduates are often recruited by places such as Electronic Arts (EA), Xbox Game Studios, DreamWorks, Activision Blizzard, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), Ubisoft, Epic Games, Disney, NVIDIA, Riot Games, Google, Unity, Rockstar Games, Apple, Warner Bros. Games, CBS Interactive, Naughty Dog, ESPN, and Netflix.
University of Southern California — Ranking Factors
The following factors contribute to University of Southern California's position in Animation Career Review's 2026 game design school rankings.
Academic Peer Recognition: Elite Recognition by Academic Peers (Tier 1)
Faculty Size: Expansive Faculty (Tier 1)
Graduate Employment: Exceptional Employment Outcomes (Tier 1)
Admissions Selectivity: Highly Selective (Tier 1)
Average Net Cost: Elevated Average Net Cost (Tier 4)
Student Indebtedness: Low Student Debt (Tier 2)
Graduation Rate: Exceptional Graduation Rate (Tier 1)
First-Year Retention Rate: Exceptional Student Retention After 1 Year (Tier 1)
Ranking Factor Tiers: Tier 1 represents the strongest performance and Tier 5 represents the weakest performance within each ranking factor.
2. New York University, New York, New York
New York University’s (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts (NYU Tisch) houses NYU Game Center, which houses the Game Design MFA. Students have the opportunity to participate in workshops, tournaments, and playtests; professional game conferences such as PRACTICE—Game Design in Detail; The Game Center Incubator; and study abroad experiences at any one of NYU’s 14 global academic centers in Abu Dhabi, Ghana, Buenos Aires, Shanghai, Madrid, London, Tel Aviv, Los Angeles, Paris, Sydney, Washington D.C., Prague, Berlin, and Florence. Students also have opportunities to intern at places such as Disney, Riot Games, and Blizzard Entertainment.
The Game Design MFA culminates with a thesis and presentation at the NYU Game Center Spring Show. NUY Game Center graduates have been hired at places such as Tencent Games, Microsoft, Electronic Arts (EA), Rockstar Games, Blizzard Entertainment, Google, Disney, Ubisoft, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), Riot Games, Nickelodeon, Amazon, Nintendo, and Ubisoft.
New York University — Ranking Factors
The following factors contribute to NYU's position in Animation Career Review's 2026 game design school rankings.
Academic Peer Recognition: Elite Recognition by Academic Peers (Tier 1)
Faculty Size: Expansive Faculty (Tier 1)
Graduate Employment: Exceptional Employment Outcomes (Tier 1)
Admissions Selectivity: Highly Selective (Tier 1)
Average Net Cost: Elevated Average Net Cost (Tier 4)
Student Indebtedness: Moderate Student Debt (Tier 3)
Graduation Rate: Strong Graduation Rate (Tier 2)
First-Year Retention Rate: Exceptional Student Retention After 1 Year (Tier 1)
Ranking Factor Tiers: Tier 1 represents the strongest performance and Tier 5 represents the weakest performance within each ranking factor.
3. Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, Georgia
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) houses more art and design degrees and specializations than just about any other school of its kind. For students seeking a graduate degree in games, the school has an Interactive Design and Game Development (IDGD) MFA that highlights internships; individual and group projects; access to SCAD Film Studios; and state-of-the-art production facilities in the 60,000 square feet SCAD Digital Media Center (DMC) and Mongomery Hall.
Students also have opportunities to interview and present their portfolios to reps from places such as Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts (EA), and Zynga during regularly scheduled meetings. The program culminates with a final project and presentation.
With a 99% success rate, SCAD IDGD graduates go on to land positions at places such as Riot Games, Electronic Arts (EA), Google, Activision Blizzard, Microsoft, Epic Games, Apple, Nickelodeon, Gearbox Software, Adobe, Bethesda, and Zynga.
Savannah College of Art and Design — Ranking Factors
The following factors contribute to Savannah College of Art and Design's position in Animation Career Review's 2026 game design school rankings.
Academic Peer Recognition: Elite Recognition by Academic Peers (Tier 1)
Faculty Size: Expansive Faculty (Tier 1)
Graduate Employment: Exceptional Employment Outcomes (Tier 1)
Admissions Selectivity: Accessible (Tier 4)
Average Net Cost: Substantial Average Net Cost (Tier 5)
Student Indebtedness: Elevated Student debt (Tier 4)
Graduation Rate: Moderate Graduation Rate (Tier 3)
First-Year Retention Rate: Strong Student Retention After 1 Year (Tier 2)
Ranking Factor Tiers: Tier 1 represents the strongest performance and Tier 5 represents the weakest performance within each ranking factor.
4. DigiPen, Redmond, Washington
DigiPen launched the world’s first bachelor’s degree in Video Game Development. Today, this Houdini Certified school has multiple paths to study game design. For students seeking an MFA, DigiPen has a Digital Arts MFA with a customized specialization. Other program highlights include opportunities to work in multidisciplinary teams to develop several original video games, create software, complete a final project, and finalize a market-ready portfolio. All activities take place in a real studio environment.
To date, DigiPen graduates have been credited on more than 2,000 commercial video games. Program alumni can be found at 1,500+ companies across the U.S. and abroad. Examples include Epic Games, Electronic Arts (EA), Rockstar Games, Activision Blizzard, Walt Disney Imagineering, DreamWorks Interactive, Ubisoft Shanghai, Insomniac Games, Microsoft, Warner Bros. Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), Nintendo, Amazon, Google, Bethesda, Intel, Autodesk, Larian Studios (Belgium), Zynga, NCSoft, Take-Two Interactive, Booz Allen, SpaceX, Sucker Punch Productions, and Bungie.
DigiPen — Ranking Factors
The following factors contribute to DigiPen's position in Animation Career Review's 2026 game design school rankings.
Academic Peer Recognition: Elite Recognition by Academic Peers (Tier 1)
Faculty Size: Expansive Faculty (Tier 1)
Graduate Employment: Exceptional Employment Outcomes (Tier 1)
Admissions Selectivity: Moderately Selective (Tier 3)
Average Net Cost: Substantial Average Net Cost (Tier 5)
Student Indebtedness: Substantial Student Debt (Tier 5)
Graduation Rate: Low Graduation Rate (Tier 5)
First-Year Retention Rate: Moderate Student Retention After 1 Year (Tier 3)
Ranking Factor Tiers: Tier 1 represents the strongest performance and Tier 5 represents the weakest performance within each ranking factor.
5. DePaul University, Chicago, Illinois
Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media at DePaul University has a Game Design MFA program that provides access to DeFRAG (DePaul Fundamental Research in Academic Gaming); game development studio DePaul Originals; the Deep Games Laboratory; and DePaul Esports Gaming Center. DeFRAG hosts week-long game jams, video game Jeopardy, and multi-play nights.
Other program highlights include access to gameplay, game development, playtest and usability, virtual reality, and research labs; participation in exhibitions; internships with local and national studios; the biennial Japan Study Abroad Program, culminating with a game/animation jam; and opportunities to gain hands-on experience at DePaul’s virtual production stage—the first of its kind in the Midwest—and the Indie Studio.
Students also benefit from courses taught by industry professionals from places such as Nickelodeon, WMS, and Disney; access to DePaul Cinespace Studios—a state-of-the-art 60,000 square feet production facility that houses animation studios and labs, six professional soundstages, stop motion and motion capture stages, mixing studios, and more; and participation in the LA Quarter Program at Sunset Las Palmas Studio.
Graduates go on to secure positions at places such as Epic Games, Disney Interactive, Electronic Arts (EA), Lockheed Martin, Activision Blizzard, Microsoft, Sony Pictures, Nickelodeon, LAIKA, WB Games, RTX, Zynga, Bethesda, Scientific Games, IBM, GitHub, and Meta.
DePaul University — Ranking Factors
The following factors contribute to DePaul University's position in Animation Career Review's 2026 game design school rankings.
Academic Peer Recognition: Excellent Recognition by Academic Peers (Tier 2)
Faculty Size: Expansive Faculty (Tier 1)
Graduate Employment: Strong Employment Outcomes (Tier 2)
Admissions Selectivity: Accessible (Tier 4)
Average Net Cost: Moderate Average Net Cost (Tier 3)
Student Indebtedness: Elevated Student debt (Tier 4)
Graduation Rate: Fair Graduation Rate (Tier 4)
First-Year Retention Rate: Strong Student Retention After 1 Year (Tier 2)
Ranking Factor Tiers: Tier 1 represents the strongest performance and Tier 5 represents the weakest performance within each ranking factor.
6. Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
The College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts (PVFA) at Texas A&M University (TAMU) houses a Visualization MFA (VIZ MFA) with a Gaming emphasis. The program takes place in a studio environment with opportunities to collaborate on projects with students in other emphasis areas. Students also have the opportunity to complete a paid internship and participate in organizations and events such as Texas Aggie Game Developers (TAGD); Women in Animation; the VIZ Industry Fair (VIF); and the TAMU SIGGRAPH Student Chapter.
The VIZ MFA culminates with a portfolio and exhibition. To date, PVFA alumni have worked on over 400 films produced by more than 20 studios. Graduates can be found at places such as Epic Games, Blizzard Entertainment, Industrial Light and Magic (ILM), Riot Games, Electronic Arts (EA), DreamWorks, Lucasfilm, Disney Animation, Microsoft, Sony, Pixar, Ubisoft, Reel FX, and Aspyr Media.
Texas A&M University — Ranking Factors
The following factors contribute to Texas A&M University's position in Animation Career Review's 2026 game design school rankings.
Academic Peer Recognition: Excellent Recognition by Academic Peers (Tier 2)
Faculty Size: Mid-Sized Faculty (Tier 3)
Graduate Employment: Strong Employment Outcomes (Tier 2)
Admissions Selectivity: Moderately Selective (Tier 3)
Average Net Cost: Moderate Average Net Cost (Tier 3)
Student Indebtedness: Low Student Debt (Tier 2)
Graduation Rate: Strong Graduation Rate (Tier 2)
First-Year Retention Rate: Exceptional Student Retention After 1 Year (Tier 1)
Ranking Factor Tiers: Tier 1 represents the strongest performance and Tier 5 represents the weakest performance within each ranking factor.
7. University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, Texas
The Bass School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology at University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas or UTD) is a Houdini Certified School that houses a Game Development MFA. All students have access to one of the nation’s largest project design studios—the Jonsson School facility. Other labs and studios include the Game Lab; Animation Lab; Render Farm; 3D Studio; CG Animation Lab; The Studio for Mediating Play; Games and Media Library; Mixed Media Lab; experimenta.l.; Games Research Lab; Escape Pod Studio; VAST Lab; Motion Capture Studio; Narrative Systems Research Lab; Surround Studio; and MoGraph Lab.
Students also have opportunities to compete an internship, study abroad experience, or other experiential learning activities. The program culminates with a final project (capstone), thesis, portfolio, and/or presentation. Graduates are routinely hired at places such as Epic Games, Disney, Pixar, BioWare, Lockheed Martin, Blizzard Entertainment, DreamWorks, Electronic Arts (EA), Unity, Gearbox Software, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), Google, Amazon, RTX, Microsoft, Apple, Reel FX, and id Software.
University of Texas at Dallas — Ranking Factors
The following factors contribute to University of Texas at Dallas' position in Animation Career Review's 2026 game design school rankings.
Academic Peer Recognition: Excellent Recognition by Academic Peers (Tier 2)
Faculty Size: Large Faculty (Tier 2)
Graduate Employment: Strong Employment Outcomes (Tier 2)
Admissions Selectivity: Moderately Selective (Tier 3)
Average Net Cost: Low-mid Average Net Cost (Tier 2)
Student Indebtedness: Low Student Debt (Tier 2)
Graduation Rate: Moderate Graduation Rate (Tier 3)
First-Year Retention Rate: Strong Student Retention After 1 Year (Tier 2)
Ranking Factor Tiers: Tier 1 represents the strongest performance and Tier 5 represents the weakest performance within each ranking factor.
8. Institution Temporarily Paused By Publisher
9. The New School, New York, New York
Parsons School of Design (Parsons) is The New School’s largest academic unit. Within Parsons is a STEM-Designated Design and Technology (DT) MFA program that provides opportunities to work on projects with external partners such as Sony PlayStation, IBM, and Samsung. Graduate students also benefit from the Cloud Salon webinar series, which features guest speakers from places such as Meta Reality Labs; opportunities to visit or work on projects with Atari, Nickelodeon, Apple, and MTV; access to state-of-the-art production facilities; collaborative projects with students across all New School majors; professional internships; and study abroad experiences in places such as London, Florence, and Paris.
The Parsons DT MFA culminates with a thesis project. Graduates are often hired at places such as Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), Ubisoft, Twitch, Google, HBO, Microsoft, Apple, IBM, Amazon, Fjord, MTV, IDEO, Bose Corporation, Meta, Gensler, and Diller Scofidio + Renfro.
The New School — Ranking Factors
The following factors contribute to The New School's position in Animation Career Review's 2026 game design school rankings.
Academic Peer Recognition: Excellent Recognition by Academic Peers (Tier 2)
Faculty Size: Large Faculty (Tier 2)
Graduate Employment: Strong Employment Outcomes (Tier 2)
Admissions Selectivity: Moderately Selective (Tier 3)
Average Net Cost: Substantial Average Net Cost (Tier 5)
Student Indebtedness: Elevated Student debt (Tier 4)
Graduation Rate: Moderate Graduation Rate (Tier 3)
First-Year Retention Rate: Strong Student Retention After 1 Year (Tier 2)
Ranking Factor Tiers: Tier 1 represents the strongest performance and Tier 5 represents the weakest performance within each ranking factor.
10. The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
The Ohio State University (OSU) has a Studio Art MFA and general MFA program with tracks in Digital Animation and Interactive Media (DAIM) or Art and Technology. Electives, tracks, and student-designed emphasis areas allow all students to focus in games. Other program benefits include access to state-of-the-art production facilities; professional internships; and study abroad experiences in places such as the UK, Italy, Spain, and France.
OSU graduates have been hired at places such as DreamWorks, Epic Games, Boeing, Pixar, Unity, Nickelodeon, Activision Blizzard, Disney, Warner Bros., Sony Pictures, Lockheed Martin, Netflix, Microsoft, Starz, Titmouse, Google, NVIDIA, IBM, Amazon, Intel, Apple, Dell, ABC, Northrop Grumman, HP, Nike, Oracle, Meta, Texas Instruments (TI), RTX, Cisco Systems, Magic Leap, and Ohio Film Group.
The Ohio State University — Ranking Factors
The following factors contribute to The Ohio State University's position in Animation Career Review's 2026 game design school rankings.
Academic Peer Recognition: Strong Recognition by Academic Peers (Tier 3)
Faculty Size: Mid-Sized Faculty (Tier 3)
Graduate Employment: Strong Employment Outcomes (Tier 2)
Admissions Selectivity: Moderately Selective (Tier 3)
Average Net Cost: Low-mid Average Net Cost (Tier 2)
Student Indebtedness: Low Student Debt (Tier 2)
Graduation Rate: Strong Graduation Rate (Tier 2)
First-Year Retention Rate: Exceptional Student Retention After 1 Year (Tier 1)
Ranking Factor Tiers: Tier 1 represents the strongest performance and Tier 5 represents the weakest performance within each ranking factor.