Atlanta's pitch is a programming one. Both ranked options among the game design schools in Atlanta are public and both are game programming programs: Georgia State University, 2 miles from the center and 18 of 89, and Kennesaw State University, 21 miles out and 12 of 89. There's no ranked art-first game degree or animation program within 50 miles, which suits coders and leaves illustrators looking elsewhere.
Kevin ToFounder & EditorB.S. in Computer Science, Temple UniversityUpdated
3Game Programs Within 25 Milesgame design, programming, simulation and animation, all levelsIPEDS locations
3Game Programs Within 50 Milesat 3 collegesIPEDS locations
2Ranked Game Design Bachelor's Programs Nearbyranked, within 50 milesOur ranking
Kennesaw State University leads the metro at 75.7.2 ranked programs sit inside the Atlanta, Sandy Springs and Roswell metro. Price is its strength: aided first-year students pay $17,566, $8,584 under the ranking's median, though 52% completion trails the 59% median.The Ranking ›
Software developers earn $132,960 here.The U.S. median for the same job is $135,980. About 36,300 people work as software developers in the metro, close to the national share. Web and digital interface designers, where BLS counts game designers, earn $118,190 in Atlanta, 14% more than the $104,000 national median.Pay ›
455 software and game publishers in the metro.Concentration 1.57, where 1.00 matches the U.S. Those publishers employ 30,653 people. The metro also has 2,251 custom programming studios and 509 film, video and animation production companies.Employers ›
In-state tuition starts at $2,568.3 public colleges nearby offer a game-related program. The highest in-state tuition nearby is $7,344, so where you enroll changes the bill a lot.Costs ›
A one-bedroom rents for $1,605 a month.The U.S. median one-bedroom is $1,301. Rent is the big cost in the Atlanta, Sandy Springs and Roswell metro: the median is $1,770 a month, $283 over the U.S. median. The lowest on-campus room and board nearby is $13,027 a year at Kennesaw State University.Living Costs ›
Ranked in Atlanta
The Best Game Design Schools in Atlanta, GA for 2027
Kennesaw State University scores 75.6 and graduates 43 students a year from its program, the larger of the two cohorts. Its published in-state tuition is $4,560, and families pay a net $17,566 on average school-wide, with 52% finishing.
Georgia State University scores 75.1 and graduates 17 a year, with in-state tuition of $7,344. Net price lands at $16,390. Its school-wide completion rate is 58%, a few points better than Kennesaw's. The two are close enough on score that the choice is about location: one is in the city, the other in the suburbs.
Game design, game programming, simulation and animation programs are all scored the same way, on completion, net price and program size. On each card, completion is the school's 8-year award rate and net price its average for aided first-year students, both from IPEDS; grads a year is the program's own average, 2022 to 2024. Miles are straight-line from central Atlanta.
Kennesaw, GA · Public · Game programming program · 21 miles
75.7
#12 of 89 nationally
21 miles from Atlanta
Technical track: game programming
Public
Kennesaw State's Bachelor of Science in Computer Game Design and Development is 21 miles from Atlanta, on a suburban campus with Marietta as its primary campus. That makes it workable for a student living in the metro, whether commuting or renting nearby, and the program is offered face to face, online or hybrid.
In-state tuition is $4,560 published, before aid, and the net price for aided first-years is $17,566 school-wide. About 43 students graduate from the program each year. The degree is 120 credit hours over four years, with entry in fall, spring or summer, which gives metro students more than one way to start.
A student weighing the commute can note that the program page lists fall, spring and summer entry, and a published degree pathway that maps courses by semester and by year. Across the university, 52% of students finish within eight years.
Atlanta, GA · Public · Game programming program · 2 miles
75.1
#18 of 89 nationally
2 miles from Atlanta
Technical track: game programming
Public
Georgia State's Bachelor of Arts in Game Design sits in the College of Arts & Sciences on a campus 2 miles from Atlanta, in a city setting. Students live in or commute within the metro, and the university's size, with 34,944 students, gives the surroundings a busy, urban feel.
About 17 students graduate from the program each year. School-wide, the net price for aided first-years is $16,390, the admit rate is 55%, and the SAT midpoint is 1060. Graduates of all majors earn $47,384 ten years after enrolling, and 58% of students finish within eight years.
Georgia State's Atlanta campus keeps students inside a major city, though the program page makes no claim about specific employers. Published tuition of $7,344 for residents is stated before aid.
The rest of the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metro and the nearby areas are covered on the Georgia page.
StateGeorgia2 ranked game bachelor's · 6 programs in allView the Georgia guide ›
More ways in
Other Game Programs in Atlanta
3 more programs inside the Atlanta, Sandy Springs and Roswell metro offer a way into game work without a ranked bachelor's. These associate, graduate and certificate programs aren't in the bachelor's ranking, so they carry no score. Grads a year is the program's IPEDS average, 2022 to 2024, and admission is the college's fall 2024 rate (College Scorecard).
Atlanta pays designers well. Web and digital interface designers, which is where game and UI designers are counted, have a median of $118,190, topping the national median by $14,190 and the Georgia median by $14,380. About 1,890 people hold those jobs.
Graphic designersWhere many art and UI graduates start
$62,680
$46,820–$79,730$47k–$80k$46,820 to $79,730
4,060
$60,250
$62,960
Computer programmersProgramming roles outside software development
$101,910
$83,200–$121,210$83k–$121k$83,200 to $121,210
1,260
$98,380
$100,390
Art directorsSenior art leads; rarely a first job
$111,480
$50,340–$157,750$50k–$158k$50,340 to $157,750
1,190
$110,430
$114,850
Annual wages, BLS OEWS May 2025, for the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metropolitan area. The middle half earns between the 25th and 75th percentile.
Programmers sit near the country's middle. Software developers earn $132,960 and 36,300 are employed, a deep pool, and the national median is only $3,020 higher. Computer programmers earn $101,910, $1,520 over the national median. Animators earn $76,110, below the national median of $102,030 and the state median of $81,390. Graphic designers earn $62,680, and art directors $111,480.
The catch is housing. The metro price level is 100.1, meaning prices above the national average of 100, and the housing price level is 111. A strong design salary has to cover rent that runs well above typical.
About 36,300 people work as software developers in the Atlanta, Sandy Springs and Roswell metro, close to the national share. Web and digital interface designers, where BLS counts game designers, earn $118,190 in Atlanta, 14% more than the $104,000 national median. BEA's index puts prices in the Atlanta, Sandy Springs and Roswell metro near the U.S. average, at 100.1.
Atlanta has a broad tech and media base with several industries above the national level. Census data folds game studios into software publishers, and that line is 1.6 times the national concentration across 455 businesses and 30,653 employees. Contract programming studios do a bit better at 1.9 times, with 2,251 businesses and 37,995 employees, which makes contract code the largest local employer type for this field.
Industry
What it covers
Businesses
Employees
Concentration
Software and game publishers
Software publishers (game publishers and studios are filed here)
455
30,653
1.57
Custom programming studios
Custom computer programming services (contract and co-development studios)
2,251
37,995
1.95
Film, video and animation production
Motion picture and video production (animation and VFX studios)
509
4,762
1.56
Graphic design firms
Graphic design services
493
1,270
1.34
Establishments and March payroll employees in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metro, County Business Patterns 2023. Concentration is the industry's share of metro employees divided by its share nationally: 1.00 matches the U.S., 2.00 is twice as concentrated.
Film, video and animation production is also at 1.6 times, and graphic design firms at 1.3 times. By occupation, developers sit at a location quotient of 1.16, graphic designers 1.10 and art directors 1.20, all more common in the metro than nationally. Special effects artists and animators at 0.78, computer programmers at 0.74 and web and digital interface designers at 0.90 are less common in the metro than nationally.
In short, every game-adjacent industry is above average here, but the animation and effects roles are comparatively scarce. A software developer or designer has more local options than an animator or a computer programmer does.
How Common Game-Adjacent Jobs Are in Atlanta
Occupation
Jobs per 1,000
Location quotient
Software developers
12.56
1.16
Web and digital interface designers
0.65
0.90
Special effects artists and animators
0.10
0.78
Graphic designers
1.40
1.10
Computer programmers
0.44
0.74
Art directors
0.41
1.20
BLS OEWS May 2025. Jobs per 1,000 of all metro jobs; a location quotient above 1.00 means the occupation is more common in the metro than nationally.
Talent pipeline
How Many Game Graduates Atlanta Produces
Atlanta's schools put out few game graduates. Programs within 50 miles produce 73 a year, and 60 of those are bachelor's degrees. All 73 come from colleges inside the metro. Against 38,480 core jobs, that is 0.2%. Kennesaw State University accounts for 43 of them in computer game programming, Georgia State University for 17, and Gwinnett Technical College for 13.
The largest of them by graduates a year are the programs in the ranking and the other programs above, led by Kennesaw State University with about 43 a year.
A tiny share doesn't mean game jobs are plentiful. Core jobs means developers, interface designers and effects animators, and most of that work happens outside games. Graduates may also leave for studios in other cities, so the number tells you the local programs are small, not how easy a job is to land.
Cost near Atlanta
Paying for School in Atlanta
All three public colleges within 50 miles sit in the same state as the city. Georgia State University lists $7,344 for residents and $23,520 for others, a $16,176 premium. Kennesaw State University lists $4,560 and $16,488, a $11,928 premium. Gwinnett Technical College lists $2,568 against $5,136, and its net price is $12,116.
The public colleges within 50 miles that offer a game-related program, all in Georgia. Tuition is the published undergraduate rate for 2023-24 (IPEDS IC), before aid; net price is the school-wide average for aided first-year students, 2022-23 (IPEDS SFA).
For aid, Georgia's program is the HOPE Scholarship, run by the Georgia Student Finance Commission. The regional exchange is the Academic Common Market (ACM), which can matter if you're from another participating state and want a Georgia public. Residency rules are strict at both ends, so confirm your own status before you count on either.
State Aid in Georgia
Georgia's main merit program for undergraduates is the HOPE Scholarship, run by the Georgia Student Finance Commission. In its own words: "The scholarship provides money to assist students with a portion of the tuition cost at a HOPE Scholarship eligible college or university." The Georgia page covers state aid and public college costs in more detail.
Tuition Exchanges
Georgia belongs to the Academic Common Market (ACM). In the program's own words, "Many students qualify for in-state tuition to study at out-of-state institutions.." It also says: "Not all colleges participate, not all programs are offered, and not every offered program is available to students in all states."
Living costs
Living in Atlanta as a Student
Atlanta rent sits above the national figure but not by a wide margin. Typical rent is $1,770, $283 above the $1,487 U.S. median. Housing prices score 111 against the national 100. A one-bedroom is $1,605 each month, so $19,260 across twelve months, versus $1,301 nationally.
Monthly rent
Atlanta, Sandy Springs and Roswell metro
U.S.
All rentals, median
$1,770
$1,487
One bedroom, median
$1,605
$1,301
Two bedrooms, median
$1,737
$1,490
Median gross rent (rent plus utilities the tenant pays), American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates, tables B25064 and B25031.
Sharing a two-bedroom at $1,737 brings you to $869 per person. Only two nearby colleges report on-campus room and board: Kennesaw State University at $13,027 and Georgia State University at $16,328. Gwinnett Technical College has no campus housing and lists $16,533 for off-campus room and board, so a Gwinnett start means renting.
Rent is the big cost in the Atlanta, Sandy Springs and Roswell metro: the median is $1,770 a month, $283 over the U.S. median.
Each college's own yearly estimates for a full-time undergraduate, 2023-24 (IPEDS IC). Off-campus is for a student not living with family.
Overall metro prices run at a level of 100.1, effectively the national average.
Choosing
How to Choose a Game Design Program in Atlanta
Both ranked programs are programming tracks, with no game design or animation in the ranked set. If you want to write gameplay code, engines or tools, you have two public options in the metro. If you want to design levels or make art, plan to supplement a programming degree with portfolio work, or look at the Gwinnett associate in game and interactive media design.
Public versus private isn't really a choice here, since both ranked programs are public and public tuition is modest. Kennesaw State University carries a net price of $17,566 and Georgia State University $16,390, so the two sit close together. Pick on cohort size and campus, not cost.
Commuting splits the options. Georgia State University is 2 miles from the center, so if you live in the city you can reach it without moving. Kennesaw State University is 21 miles out in the suburbs, a straight-line figure that understates a trip on metro traffic. Housing sits at 111 on the price index.
Admission is rarely the hard part here: 1 of the 3 colleges on this page admits anyone with a high school diploma, and among the rest fall 2024 admission ran from 55% at Georgia State University to 69% at Kennesaw State University. None requires SAT or ACT scores.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Atlanta Game Design Schools Rank Best?
Kennesaw State University is the top-ranked game design school in Atlanta, scoring 75.7 and ranked 12 of 89 nationally. Price is its strength: aided first-year students pay $17,566, $8,584 under the ranking's median, though 52% completion trails the 59% median. With about 43 graduates a year, it is one of the larger programs in the ranking, so expect big cohorts and several sections of core courses. Georgia State University is next at 75.1, one of 2 ranked programs in the metro. The cheapest ranked option in the metro is Georgia State University at $16,390. See the ranked programs.
Is Atlanta a Good-Paying Market for a Game Career?
Software developers, the BLS occupation that counts game programmers, earn a median of $132,960 in the Atlanta, Sandy Springs and Roswell metro, against $135,980 nationally (BLS May 2025). Web and digital interface designers, where game designers are counted, earn $118,190 in the Atlanta, Sandy Springs and Roswell metro, 14% more than the $104,000 national median. BEA's index puts prices in the Atlanta, Sandy Springs and Roswell metro near the U.S. average, at 100.1. See what game jobs pay in Atlanta.
How Much Cheaper Is In-State Tuition at Georgia State?
Georgia State University has an average net price of $16,390 a year for aided first-year students (IPEDS), the price after grants rather than the published one. Published tuition is $7,344 for in-state students and $23,520 out of state. It is 2 miles from central Atlanta, ranked 18 of 89 nationally, with a school-wide completion rate of 58%. About 17 students a year graduate from it, a mid-sized program by the ranking's standards. See the ranked programs.
Can I Commute to Kennesaw State From Atlanta?
Kennesaw State University has an average net price of $17,566 a year for aided first-year students (IPEDS), the price after grants rather than the published one. Published tuition is $4,560 for in-state students and $16,488 out of state. It is 21 miles from central Atlanta, ranked 12 of 89 nationally, with a school-wide completion rate of 52%. With about 43 graduates a year, it is one of the larger programs in the ranking, so expect big cohorts and several sections of core courses. See the ranked programs.
How Expensive Is It to Live in Atlanta as a Student?
Median rent in the Atlanta, Sandy Springs and Roswell metro was $1,770 a month in 2024, $283 above the U.S. median of $1,487 (Census ACS). A one-bedroom runs $1,605. On-campus room and board at nearby colleges starts at $13,027 a year at Kennesaw State University, which bundles meals and avoids a lease. Housing is the expensive part: BEA puts it at 111 against a U.S. average of 100. See living in Atlanta as a student.
How Hard Is It to Get Into Game Design Schools Near Atlanta?
Admission is rarely the hard part here: 1 of the 3 colleges on this page admits anyone with a high school diploma, and among the rest fall 2024 admission ran from 55% at Georgia State University to 69% at Kennesaw State University. None requires SAT or ACT scores. Starting at an open-admission college and transferring after two years is the most reliable way in. The nearest open-admission option is Gwinnett Technical College, 25 miles from central Atlanta. Each program card shows its college's admission rate where one is reported. See how to choose a program.
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.
