Among game design schools in Arizona, the University of Arizona in Tucson leads: it ranks 14 of 89 nationally at an $18,144 net price. Two more ranked bachelor's programs cover other angles, game programming in Tempe and simulation in Prescott, and with Arizona State University Campus Immersion on the animation side you can pick design, code, or art without leaving the state.
Kevin ToFounder & EditorB.S. in Computer Science, Temple UniversityUpdated
3Game Design Bachelor's Programs Ranked for 2027top score: University of ArizonaOur ranking
16Game-Related Programs in the State8 bachelor's, 8 associate, 0 graduateIPEDS
$21.1kMedian Net Pricebachelor's schools here, aided first-year studentsIPEDS
University of Arizona leads at 75.7.3 ranked programs in Arizona, scored on completion, net price and size. It finishes 63% of its students and has a $18,144 net price. University of Advancing Technology is next at 63.4.The Ranking ›
Software developers earn $129,690 here.The U.S. median for the same job is $135,980. About 38,050 people work as software developers in Arizona. In Arizona, web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, earn $98,070, which is 6% under the national median of $104,000. BEA's index puts prices in Arizona near the U.S. average, at 100.7.Pay ›
Living costs sit near the U.S. average.BEA's index puts prices in Arizona near the U.S. average, at 100.7.Prices ›
Public in-state tuition averages $4,382.The AzLEAP is Arizona's main state grant. Arizona's public four-year colleges are a good deal: aided in-state students pay $12,544 on average across 19, under the $13,240 median state. Out of state, tuition averages $12,166.Costs ›
City guides: Phoenix and Tucson.Each ranks the programs nearby with distances, and covers local pay, the software and media employers in the metro, how many graduates compete for jobs, and rent.City Guides ›
Arizona in brief
Key Facts About Studying Game Design in Arizona
Arizona has three ranked game bachelor's programs, one public and two private. The University of Arizona files its program as game design and scores 75.7, with 21 graduates a year. University of Advancing Technology, a private for-profit school in Tempe, files game programming and ranks 32 of 89. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott files simulation and ranks 77 of 89 at a $41,209 net price.
The wider picture is bigger than the ranked list. Arizona counts 21 game-related programs across 11 colleges, including 11 associate programs and one graduate program. Two animation bachelor's are also worth a look: Arizona State University Campus Immersion scores 84.4 at a $16,401 net price, and University of Advancing Technology scores 55.5.
Every score on this page is the same score the national rankings use, built on completion, net price and program size, from federal data. The methodology has the details.
Ranked in Arizona
The 3 Best Game Design Schools in Arizona for 2027
University of Arizona leads, ranked 14 of 89 in the national game design ranking, with a completion rate of 63% and an average net price of $18,144. One of the 3 is public. The best game design schools ranking shows how these compare with every school in the country.
Each ranked program in Arizona, in rank order: what stands out, the trade-off to weigh, and the figures behind the score. Completion, net price and earnings are school-wide; graduates a year is the program's own; the score is out of 100.
Arizona residents get an unusual choice: the Bachelor of Science in Game Development is offered on the Tucson campus and, beginning Fall 2025, online. On campus, in-state tuition and fees run $7,403 per semester for 12 or more units, and the online program costs $6,528 per semester.
The degree requires 120 units and mixes foundations, a technical core, research methods and data analysis, game development electives and an engagement capstone. It is the largest program in the state, with about 21 graduates a year. The school-wide net price for aided first-years is $18,144, and 63% of entering students across the university complete within eight years. Application deadlines for the main campus are November 1 for early fall applicants and May 1 for regular decision, and the program lists spring and summer starts for online students.
Tempe, AZ · Private for-profit · Game programming program
63.4
#32 of 89 nationally
Technical track: game programming
Private
For a student staying in Arizona, the University of Advancing Technology puts a game programming bachelor's in Tempe, a city campus. Tuition is $17,900 a year, and because the school is private there is no out-of-state premium, so a student from elsewhere pays the same as a resident.
The school is small, with 933 students, and open to nearly everyone who applies: the admit rate is 98% school-wide. Net price for aided first-years is $21,148 across the university, and 48% of entering students finish within eight years. On the program side, about 13 students graduate each year, and the curriculum runs from C++ and C# into artificial intelligence, networking and engines, so it suits an Arizonan who wants a technical track close to home.
Prescott, AZ · Private nonprofit · Simulation program
43.0
#77 of 89 nationally
Highest completion in Arizona
Technical track: simulation
Private
Embry-Riddle's Prescott campus offers a B.S. in Simulation Science, Games and Animation that takes 127 credits and is taught in person. It sits in the College of Arts & Sciences and draws on the university's strengths in aviation, engineering and intelligence, so graduates are pointed toward military, aerospace and manufacturing as well as entertainment.
Arizona residents pay the same $42,408 tuition as everyone, and the school-wide cost of attendance before aid is $63,807. Aided first-years pay a net price of $41,209. The campus completion rate is 70% within eight years, the highest completion among Arizona programs we cover, and about 9 students graduate from the major annually. The Prescott campus keeps class sizes small and encourages work across engineering, aviation and cybersecurity.
Animation bachelor's programs in Arizona, scored the same way and listed in score order. Completion and net price are school-wide IPEDS figures; grads a year is the program's 2022-2024 average.
Programs reported to IPEDS, with graduates per year averaged 2022 to 2024. Associate and graduate programs aren't in the bachelor's ranking, so they carry no score here.
Arizona pays game-adjacent workers a little under the national median across the board. Software developers, the BLS group covering game programmers, earn $129,690, trailing the U.S. median by $6,290, and 38,050 people hold those jobs. Interface designers, with game designers counted among them, earn $98,070, which is $5,930 below.
Graphic designersWhere many art and UI graduates start
$58,510
$50,250–$75,290$50k–$75k$50,250 to $75,290
3,560
$62,960
Computer programmersProgramming roles outside software development
$88,990
$73,850–$127,070$74k–$127k$73,850 to $127,070
1,560
$100,390
Art directorsSenior art leads; rarely a first job
$85,470May 2024
$74,300–$107,960$74k–$108k$74,300 to $107,960, May 2024May 2024
450May 2025
$114,850
Annual wages, BLS OEWS May 2025. The middle half earns between the 25th and 75th percentile. Figures tagged May 2024 are from that earlier BLS release, because BLS didn't publish one for Arizona in the current release.
Pay in Arizona's Largest Metro Areas
Metro area
Software developers
Web and digital interface designers
Special effects artists and animators
Price level
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler
$131,750
$104,940
$96,670
103.3
Tucson
$123,710
$79,980
$58,310May 2024
96.9
Prescott Valley-Prescott
$125,590
Not published
Not published
98.3
Median annual wages, BLS OEWS May 2025, for the state's largest metropolitan areas by total employment, all in Arizona. Price level is BEA's Regional Price Parity for 2024, where the U.S. average is 100. Figures tagged May 2024 are from that earlier BLS release, because BLS didn't publish one for that metro area in the current release. A cell marked with a dash means BLS (or BEA, for price level) didn't publish a figure for that metro area, usually because too few employers reported.
Animators fare a bit worse. Animators and 3D artists land at $89,650, $12,380 off the pace nationally, with 190 working in the state. Computer programmers earn $88,990, $11,400 below, and graphic designers earn $58,510, $4,450 below. BLS publishes no Arizona median for art directors, though 450 hold the title.
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler is the metro to watch. It pays software developers $131,750, interface designers $104,940, and animators $96,670, all above the state medians, with the interface designer figure above the national median too. Tucson pays interface designers $79,980 and software developers $123,710, and its art directors earn $74,510.
Rent and groceries won't eat your first salary. Arizona sits at a price level of 100.7, so costs run about 0.7% over the national average, with Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler at 103.3 and Tucson at 96.9. Common first jobs for graduates include build testing, support design roles and junior programming, and Phoenix is where most of those openings concentrate.
About 38,050 people work as software developers in Arizona. In Arizona, web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, earn $98,070, which is 6% under the national median of $104,000. BEA's index puts prices in Arizona near the U.S. average, at 100.7.
The game design salary pages explain what each occupation covers and how game studios fit inside it.
Cost in Arizona
Paying for School in Arizona
Arizona's 19 public four-year colleges are among the cheapest in this group of states. Average in-state tuition is $4,382, and residents on aid end up near $12,544 net. Out-of-state students pay $12,166 on average, a $7,784 premium.
Public colleges in AZ
Figure
Public four-year colleges
19
Average in-state tuition
$4,382
Average out-of-state tuition
$12,166
Average net price, aided in-state students
$12,544
Means across Arizona's public four-year degree-granting colleges that offer undergraduate study: tuition from IPEDS for 2023-24 (17 colleges reporting), net price for 2022-23 (16 reporting). Net price is what first-year students with grant aid paid after grants.
Arizona's public four-year colleges are a good deal: aided in-state students pay $12,544 on average across 19, under the $13,240 median state.
At the public schools with game programs, the gap is steeper. Residents pay $11,478 in tuition there while nonresidents pay $32,394, a $20,916 difference. For a resident, that gap is the strongest argument for staying put.
AzLEAP is Arizona's need-based grant, administered through the Arizona Board of Regents (Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education). The Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) can also help if you cross a border: California, Colorado and Utah all have public game programs nearby among WUE members.
State Aid in Arizona
Arizona's main need program for undergraduates is the AzLEAP, run by the Arizona Board of Regents (Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education). In its own words: "The maximum AzLEAP award per academic year is $2,500; average amounts awarded are $1,000 for the year." Fill out the FAFSA early, since many state programs award money until it runs out.
Tuition Exchanges
Arizona belongs to the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE). In the program's own words, "WUE enables eligible students to enroll as nonresidents in 170 participating public colleges and universities and pay 150% (or less) of the enrolling institution’s resident tuition."
Sort by what you want to do. The University of Arizona is the design pick, University of Advancing Technology is the programming pick, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott is the simulation pick, which suits flight and training software more than entertainment games. If you want animation, start with the campus program at Arizona State University Campus Immersion, which is the animation pick.
Public versus private is mostly a price question. The net price at the University of Arizona is $18,144 and the animation bachelor's at Arizona State University Campus Immersion is $16,401 against $21,148 at University of Advancing Technology and $41,209 at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott, a private nonprofit school. Completion rates differ too, at 63% for the University of Arizona and 48% at University of Advancing Technology, so ask about graduation help before enrolling.
If you're open to leaving Arizona, California has 11 game design bachelor's programs, and Colorado and Utah have three each. Compare them on net price after you factor in WUE eligibility. For most residents the in-state public option wins unless a specific program has a feature you can't find at home.
Neighboring States
Neighboring stateCalifornia11 ranked game bachelor's · 78 programs in allView the California guide ›
Neighboring stateColorado3 ranked game bachelor's · 10 programs in allView the Colorado guide ›
Neighboring stateUtah3 ranked game bachelor's · 5 programs in allView the Utah guide ›
Neighboring stateNevadaNo programs; the guide lists the nearestView the Nevada guide ›
Neighboring stateNew Mexico4 related programs, no game bachelor'sView the New Mexico guide ›
City guides
Cities in Arizona
2 cities in Arizona have their own guides, ranking every program inside the metro and within 50 miles of the city center (100 miles for a large city with few programs close by), with distances, metro pay and nearby public college costs.
Phoenix, AZ14 programs within 50 miles · 1 ranked game bachelor'sView the Phoenix guide ›
Tucson, AZ1 program within 100 miles · 1 ranked game bachelor'sView the Tucson guide ›
Which Arizona Schools Have a Ranked Game Design Bachelor's?
University of Arizona is the top-ranked game design school in Arizona, 14 of 89 in our national ranking, followed by University of Advancing Technology at 32. It finishes 63% of its students and has an average net price of $18,144 for aided first-year students, both school-wide IPEDS figures, and the program graduates about 21 students a year. It is also the lowest-priced of the 3 ranked here. Out-of-state students pay $26,330 more a year in published tuition there. See all 3 ranked Arizona programs in the state ranking.
What Do Game Designers Earn in Arizona?
In Arizona, web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, earn $98,070, which is 6% under the national median of $104,000. Software developers, the BLS occupation that counts game programmers, earn a median of $129,690 in Arizona, against $135,980 nationally (BLS May 2025). BEA's index puts prices in Arizona near the U.S. average, at 100.7. About 38,050 people work as software developers in Arizona. See what game jobs pay in Arizona.
What Is the Cheapest Ranked Game Program in Arizona?
The lowest-priced ranked option in Arizona is University of Arizona, at an average net price of $18,144 a year for aided first-year students. It doesn't trade completion for price: 63% of its students finish, above the 59% median among ranked programs. Public in-state tuition in Arizona averages $4,382, if a related program at home fits. See paying for school in Arizona.
How Much More Do Out-of-State Students Pay?
Out-of-state students pay about $7,784 more a year in tuition at Arizona's public four-year colleges, where in-state tuition averages $4,382 against $12,166 for nonresidents (IPEDS 2023-24). After grants, aided in-state students pay an average net price of $12,544. Arizona belongs to the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE), which can cut nonresident tuition at public colleges in member states, though each college picks which programs take part. See paying for school in Arizona.
Can I Get a Tuition Break in a Nearby State?
Yes, through the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE): Arizona is a member, and in the exchange's own words, "WUE enables eligible students to enroll as nonresidents in 170 participating public colleges and universities and pay 150% (or less) of the enrolling institution’s resident tuition." Each college decides which programs and how many seats take part, so check the specific game program before you count on a discount. For comparison, out-of-state tuition at Arizona's own public colleges averages $12,166 against $4,382 in state. See paying for school in Arizona.
2NCES, IPEDS Outcome Measures 2023 The completion factor: the share of all entering students, full-time, part-time and transfer, who earned an award within eight years. School-wide.
