The Princeton Review's 2021 Ranking Lists of Top Undergrad & Grad Schools for Game Design Are Now Out

The Princeton Review ® — known for its education services and school rankings in dozens of categories — today released its 12 th annual ranking lists naming the top 50 undergraduate and top 25 graduate schools offering game design programs.

The Princeton Review (PRNewsFoto/The Princeton Review, Inc.)

For the fourth year in a row, the University of Southern California in Los Angeles earned the #1 spot on the undergraduate list. The University of Central Florida in Orlando reprised its #1 ranking on the graduate list for the second year in a row.

The Princeton Review has posted the complete ranking lists on its website at Top Schools For Game Design 2021 . (The 10 top schools on each list are below.)

The Princeton Review chose the schools based on its 2020 survey of administrators at 150 institutions in the U.S., Canada , and abroad offering game design courses, majors, or degree programs. The 50-question survey collected information on everything from the schools' course offerings to the starting salaries of their graduates. It covered four areas: academics, faculty, technology, and career prospects. In all, the company analyzed more than 40 survey data points to tally the ranking lists. Information about the ranking methodology is here .

"The schools on our 2021 lists all offer standout programs for students considering careers in game design," said Rob Franek , The Princeton Review's Editor-in-Chief. "Their faculties are superlative. Their facilities are state-of-the-art. Their alumni include many of the video game industry's most prominent artists, designers, developers, and entrepreneurs."

Franek also noted the exceptional experience that students enrolled in the schools' game design programs attained last year. At the 50 undergraduate and 25 graduate schools on The Princeton Review's 2021 lists:

  • More than two-thirds of the students in the programs worked on a shipped game as part of their game design studies. At undergraduate programs, the figure was 67 percent. At graduate programs, it was 77 percent.
  • Nearly all of the students in the programs developed an actionable plan to launch a functional game after graduation. At undergraduate programs, the figure was 95 percent. At graduate programs, it was 99 percent.

PC Gamer , a monthly magazine and website published by Future PLC , has been The Princeton Review's reporting partner on this project since 2013. The magazine's May issue has a six-page feature on the project titled "The Best Schools for Aspiring Game Developers." It lists the schools that made the 2021 ranking lists and notes interesting stats and fun facts on their graduates, faculty, and alumni. The May issue lands on newsstands today.

The Princeton Review's website feature on this project has in-depth profiles of the schools with information on their admission deadlines and requirements, most noteworthy programs and facilities, guidelines for financial aid applications, and more. The site also gives prospective applicants advice and inspiration from school sources. Among the featured articles are:  "What to Look for in a Game Design School," and "Success Stories from Game Design Alumni."

The top 10 schools on The Princeton Review's list of Top 50 Undergraduate Schools for Game Design for 2021 are:

  1. University of Southern California ( Los Angeles )
  2. Becker College (Worcester, MA)
  3. New York University ( Brooklyn, NY )
  4. Rochester Institute of Technology ( Rochester, NY )
  5. DigiPen Institute of Technology ( Redmond, WA )
  6. Worcester Polytechnic Institute ( Worcester, MA )
  7. Michigan State University (East Lansing)
  8. University of Utah ( Salt Lake City )
  9. Bradley University ( Peoria, IL )
  10. Shawnee State University ( Portsmouth, OH )

The top 10 schools on The Princeton Review's list of Top 25 Graduate Schools for Game Design for 2021 are:

  1. University of Central Florida ( Orlando )
  2. New York University ( Brooklyn, NY )
  3. Southern Methodist University ( Dallas, TX )
  4. University of Southern California ( Los Angeles )
  5. Rochester Institute of Technology ( Rochester, NY )
  6. University of Utah ( Salt Lake City )
  7. Becker College (Worcester, MA)
  8. Abertay University ( Dundee, Scotland )
  9. DigiPen Institute of Technology ( Redmond, WA )
  10. Worcester Polytechnic Institute ( Worcester, MA )

The Princeton Review has reported its ranking lists of top schools for game design annually since 2010. The company also reports annual rankings of the best undergraduate and graduate schools for entrepreneurship studies; of college, law, and business schools in dozens of categories; and of online degree programs in education, library science and nursing.

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 company's Tutor.com brand is one of the largest online tutoring services in the U.S. It comprises a community of thousands of tutors who have delivered more than 20 million one-to-one tutoring sessions. The Princeton Review is headquartered in New York, NY . The Princeton Review is not affiliated with Princeton University . For more information, visit PrincetonReview.com and the company's Media Center . Follow the company on Twitter ( @ThePrincetonRev ) and Instagram ( @theprincetonreview ).

About Future PLC
Future is a global platform business for specialist media with diversified revenue streams. Its content reaches 1 in 3 adults in both the U.K. and the U.S. The Media division is high-growth with three complementary revenue streams: eCommerce, events, and digital advertising including advertising within newsletters. It operates in a number of sectors including technology, games, music, home interest, hobbies, and B2B and its brands include Truly, TechRadar, PCGamer, Tom's Guide, Android Central, Homebuilding & Renovating Show, GamesRadar+, The Photography Show, Top Ten Reviews, Live Science, Guitar World, MusicRadar, Space.com and Tom's Hardware.

Cision View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-princeton-reviews-2021-ranking-lists-of-top-undergrad--grad-schools-for-game-design-are-now-out-301253255.html

SOURCE The Princeton Review

News Provided by PR Newswire via QuoteMedia

The Conversation (0)
hand touching phone

Game-changing Prospects for the iGaming Market

iGaming has grown considerably in recent years. Driven by innovations in web technology and a changing regulatory landscape, online casinos and sportsbooks are more popular than ever.

To understand how the landscape may change moving forward, investors should assess how the industry has evolved in recent years.

Keep reading...Show less
smartphone on podium

Top Trends Shaping the Canadian iGaming Market

From emerging technologies to evolving regulations, the trajectory of iGaming has changed substantially in recent years as the market has experienced significant growth.

In 2022, Ontario's provincial government introduced game-changing legislation that established a regulatory framework for iGaming. Due to this legislation, regulated iGaming successfully displaced the unregulated market, according to Attorney General Doug Downey, creating over 1.6 million active player accounts across more than 70 operator websites as of April 2023 — just over one year following the change.

Ontario's regulation has also laid the groundwork for widespread change in the iGaming space across Canada. As iGaming continues to evolve, it's important to have a deeper understanding of both new and existing trends that will shape the industry's future, as well as regulations.

Keep reading...Show less
NorthStar Gaming Holdings

NorthStar Gaming Holdings


Keep reading...Show less
NorthStar Gaming Announces New Partnership Agreement with BettorView

NorthStar Gaming Announces New Partnership Agreement with BettorView

Partnership strategically positions NorthStar to reach consumers in restaurants and bars across Ontario

NorthStar Gaming Inc. (TSXV: BET) is proud to announce it has entered a partnership agreement with BettorView that will enable NorthStar to engage with consumers in restaurants and bars across Ontario. The partnership provides NorthStar with the opportunity to further expand player acquisition across both sports wagering and online casino in a frictionless and convenient manner.

News Provided by Newsfile via QuoteMedia

Keep reading...Show less
NorthStar Gaming Reports Triple-Digit Growth in Wagers and Revenue in Q3 2023

NorthStar Gaming Reports Triple-Digit Growth in Wagers and Revenue in Q3 2023

Strong year-over-year performance sets the stage for further growth

NorthStar Gaming Holdings Inc. (TSXV: BET) ("NorthStar" or the "Company") today released its financial results for the three- and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2023. All dollar figures are quoted in Canadian dollars.

News Provided by Newsfile via QuoteMedia

Keep reading...Show less

Latest Press Releases

Related News

×