Game Design Schools Near District of Columbia for 2027
The District of Columbia has no bachelor's game design programs in the federal data, but the game design schools near District of Columbia residents are a short ride away. University of Maryland-College Park is seven miles from downtown and ranks highest of the nearby options, at a $15,833 net price. Maryland Institute College of Art, in Baltimore, and Shenandoah University, in Virginia, are the other two within reach.
Kevin ToFounder & EditorB.S. in Computer Science, Temple UniversityUpdated
0Game Design Bachelor's in District of Columbiagame design, game programming or simulationIPEDS
3Ranked Programs in Nearby StatesMD and VAOur ranking
7 miTo the Closest Program From Washingtonstraight-line distanceOur analysis
Top nearby pick: University of Maryland-College Park.The District of Columbia has no bachelor's game design program, so these are across the border. It scores 85.8. University of Maryland-College Park is in Maryland, with a $15,833 net price and 85% completion. Shenandoah University in Virginia scores 57.2.Nearby Schools ›
Closest fit at home: University of the District of Columbia.It graduates bachelor's students in computer science. It awarded 20 bachelor's degrees in 2023-24, as a related program outside the game design ranking. Howard University is another option at home.Related Programs ›
Software developers earn $136,880 here.The U.S. median for the same job is $135,980. About 6,120 people work as software developers in the District of Columbia. Pay for web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, in the District of Columbia sits close to the national median: $107,650 against $104,000. Prices in the District of Columbia run 9.9% above the U.S. average on BEA's index, which takes a bite out of both pay and a student budget.Pay ›
Public in-state tuition averages $5,292.The DC Tuition Assistance Grant (DCTAG) is the District of Columbia's main state grant. Public colleges cost more here than in most states, with aided in-state students paying $14,287 on average across 1, against $13,240 in the median state. Out of state, tuition averages $12,144.Costs ›
City guides: Washington.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 ›
No program in District of Columbia
Game Design Schools Near the District of Columbia for 2027
Three ranked programs sit in the bordering states, and the closest by far is University of Maryland-College Park, in Maryland, seven miles from the largest city. It is a public simulation program with a score of 85.8, 14 graduates a year, and an 85% completion rate. At a $15,833 net price it is also the cheapest of the three.
Maryland Institute College of Art, in Baltimore, is 35 miles away. It is a private nonprofit game design program with a score of 42.0 and a $43,066 net price. Shenandoah University, in Winchester, Virginia, is 64 miles out, private, and files simulation, with a $26,400 net price. The District itself has one game-related program, at the graduate level, and no bachelor's.
Ranked by this site's score. Miles are straight-line distance from Washington (Census Vintage 2024 largest city) to each campus (IPEDS coordinates). Completion and net price are school-wide IPEDS figures.
College Park, MD · Public · Simulation program · 7 miles
85.8
#5 of 89 nationally
7 miles from Washington
Lowest net price on this list
Highest completion on this list
Largest program on this list
Technical track: simulation
Public
College Park is 7 miles from downtown Washington, which puts a District student within commuting range of a large public campus. The program page notes the plentiful internship opportunities in nearby D.C., and listed alumni placements include the National Gallery of Art, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Extended Reality.
The Immersive Media Design major splits into an artistic B.A. and a technical B.S. and ends in a year-long capstone. Aided first-years pay $15,833 net school-wide, and in-state tuition is $10,087 compared with $39,464 out of state. Across the university, 85% of entering students finish within eight years, and about 14 students graduate from this program a year. Students interested in the major start by contacting the assistant director of immersive media design or booking an advising appointment with the College of Arts and Humanities.
Winchester, VA · Private nonprofit · Simulation program · 64 miles
57.2
#52 of 89 nationally
64 miles from Washington
Technical track: simulation
Private
Shenandoah University sits 64 miles from Washington in Winchester, Virginia, which puts a virtual reality design degree within reach of a student from the District who wants a smaller private campus. Tuition is $35,460 and does not change by home state.
The Bachelor of Science in Virtual Reality Design is a technical degree centered on building AR, VR and XR experiences. Class sizes are small, and the program lists independent studies and real-world work experiences among its features. School-wide, aided first-years pay a net price of $26,400, and 68% of entering students across the university finish within eight years. About 3 students a year complete the major.
Students learn C#, Java, Python and C++, and work in Unity and Unreal Engine. Cost of attendance before aid is $53,540, and the university enrolls 4,454 students.
Baltimore, MD · Private nonprofit · Game design program · 35 miles
42.1
#78 of 89 nationally
35 miles from Washington
Private
Washington is 35 miles from Baltimore, so a student from the capital can reach the Maryland Institute College of Art in a short drive. The Game Design BFA treats games as an art form and explores how play shapes culture, using the perspective of an art and design college.
MICA is private, so tuition is $54,750 for everyone and a student from the District pays no out-of-state premium. School-wide, aided first-years pay a net price of $43,066, and ten years after entry earnings average $45,212 across all majors. The college enrolls 1,687 students, with an SAT midpoint of 1192. About seven students graduate from the program each year. The program is based in a film centre with professional production spaces and industry-standard equipment, shared with film and interactive arts students.
These are not game design degrees. the District of Columbia has no bachelor's in game design, game programming or simulation, but these programs in the state teach skills game studios hire for: programming in computer science and software, art and animation in the art programs. They're a way to stay in state and build toward game work.
Similar Bachelor's Programs in the District of Columbia
Bachelor's first majors reported to IPEDS (C2024_A) in computer science, software, animation, digital media and graphic design fields: the 5 most relevant to game work of 11 in the District of Columbia, computer science and software first, then digital media and animation, then graphic design, with graduates in 2023-24.
Washington pays game-adjacent workers at or above the national median where BLS publishes a figure. Software developers earn $136,880, which is $900 ahead of the national median, and 6,120 are employed. Interface designers, the BLS group that counts game designers, earn $107,650, ahead by $3,650.
$60,080–$87,860$60k–$88k$60,080 to $87,860, May 2023May 2023
30May 2023
$102,030
Graphic designersWhere many art and UI graduates start
$87,920
$75,300–$114,280$75k–$114k$75,300 to $114,280
1,150
$62,960
Computer programmersProgramming roles outside software development
$82,580May 2024
$82,580–$112,110$83k–$112k$82,580 to $112,110, May 2024May 2024
230May 2025
$100,390
Art directorsSenior art leads; rarely a first job
$126,520May 2024
$99,050–$158,360$99k–$158k$99,050 to $158,360, May 2024May 2024
310May 2025
$114,850
Annual wages, BLS OEWS May 2025. The middle half earns between the 25th and 75th percentile. Figures tagged May 2024 or May 2023 are from that earlier BLS release, because BLS didn't publish one for the District of Columbia in the current release.
Pay in the District of Columbia's Largest Metro Areas
Metro area
Software developers
Web and digital interface designers
Special effects artists and animators
Price level
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
$154,930
$97,000
$92,760
108.9
Median annual wages, BLS OEWS May 2025, for the state's largest metropolitan areas by total employment. Price level is BEA's Regional Price Parity for 2024, where the U.S. average is 100.
Graphic designers do best, at $87,920 against a national $62,960. That makes the District a strong place to start in art and UI work. BLS publishes no median for animators, computer programmers or art directors, though it counts 230 programmers and 310 art directors here.
The metro in the data stretches across the region: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria pays software developers $154,930, computer programmers $130,390, and animators $92,760. Graphic designers earn $85,420 there, and art directors earn $105,990. These regional numbers are better evidence for game roles than the District's thin list.
The cost side is real. The District's price level is 109.9, about 9.9% above the national average, and the metro is at 108.9. Plan for a first job in game testing, junior design, or a junior art or code seat, and for rent that eats a noticeable share of that starting pay.
About 6,120 people work as software developers in the District of Columbia. Pay for web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, in the District of Columbia sits close to the national median: $107,650 against $104,000. Prices in the District of Columbia run 9.9% above the U.S. average on BEA's index, which takes a bite out of both pay and a student budget.
The game design salary pages explain what each occupation covers and how game studios fit inside it.
Cost in District of Columbia
Paying for School in the District of Columbia
The District has only one public four-year college. Average resident tuition there is $5,292, and aided residents pay about $14,287 net. Nonresident tuition averages $12,144, which is $6,852 more. Compare that with the $15,833 net price at University of Maryland-College Park, which is a public campus across the line.
Public colleges in DC
Figure
Public four-year colleges
1
Average in-state tuition
$5,292
Average out-of-state tuition
$12,144
Average net price, aided in-state students
$14,287
Means across the District of Columbia's public four-year degree-granting colleges that offer undergraduate study: tuition from IPEDS for 2023-24 (1 colleges reporting), net price for 2022-23 (1 reporting). Net price is what first-year students with grant aid paid after grants.
Public colleges cost more here than in most states, with aided in-state students paying $14,287 on average across 1, against $13,240 in the median state.
The DC Tuition Assistance Grant (DCTAG), from the Office of the State Superintendent of Education, is a need-based award that residents use to ease costs at out-of-state schools. That matters here because the local game options are across the line in Maryland and Virginia.
One catch on exchanges: the Southern Regional Education Board says residents of its affiliates, Washington DC among them, are not eligible to participate in the Academic Common Market. So you can't count on that route to cut the cost of a Maryland public program.
State Aid in the District of Columbia
the District of Columbia's main need program for undergraduates is the DC Tuition Assistance Grant (DCTAG), run by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education. In its own words: "to expand higher education choices for college-bound residents of the District of Columbia." Fill out the FAFSA early, since many state programs award money until it runs out.
Tuition Exchanges
SREB’s FAQ says residents of its affiliates, Washington DC among them, "are not eligible to participate in" the Academic Common Market.
Choosing
How to Choose a Game Design Program If You Live in the District of Columbia
For most District residents the choice is University of Maryland-College Park or something else. It scores far above the other two, costs the least, and sits seven miles from downtown, close enough to commute. Ask how a District resident is classified for tuition, because the nonresident price is the number that changes the math. Visit the campus before you apply and ask where recent graduates found their first jobs.
The two private programs make sense only for a specific reason. Maryland Institute College of Art is a design-focused art school with a $43,066 net price, and Shenandoah University offers a simulation program at $26,400. Neither beats the public option on price or score.
If no nearby program fits, weigh three alternatives: move farther, study online, or take a related degree at home and build game projects on the side. With no bachelor's in the District, a portfolio of finished work matters as much as the degree title for your first game job.
Neighboring States
Neighboring stateMaryland2 ranked game bachelor's · 7 programs in allView the Maryland guide ›
Neighboring stateVirginia1 ranked game bachelor's · 4 programs in allView the Virginia guide ›
City guides
Cities in the District of Columbia
One city in the District of Columbia has its own guide, ranking every program inside the metro and within 50 miles of the city center, with distances, metro pay and nearby public college costs.
Washington, DC8 programs within 50 miles · 2 ranked game bachelor'sView the Washington guide ›
Is There a Game Design Bachelor's in the District of Columbia?
the District of Columbia has no bachelor's game design program in the federal data, so the closest ranked options are in neighboring states. University of Maryland-College Park in Maryland scores highest at 85.8, 7 miles from Washington, with 85% completion and a $15,833 net price. Shenandoah University in Virginia is next at 57.2. the District of Columbia isn't in a regional tuition exchange for bachelor's students, so public colleges elsewhere charge you their out-of-state rate. See the nearby programs, ranked.
What Do Game Designers Earn in Washington?
Pay for web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, in the District of Columbia sits close to the national median: $107,650 against $104,000. Software developers, the BLS occupation that counts game programmers, earn a median of $136,880 in the District of Columbia, against $135,980 nationally (BLS May 2025). Prices in the District of Columbia run 9.9% above the U.S. average on BEA's index, which takes a bite out of both pay and a student budget. About 6,120 people work as software developers in the District of Columbia. See what game jobs pay in the District of Columbia.
Can DC Residents Use the Academic Common Market?
Not through a regional exchange: the District of Columbia isn't in one for bachelor's students, so out-of-state public colleges charge their nonresident rate. 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 the District of Columbia's own public colleges averages $12,144 against $5,292 in state. See paying for school in the District of Columbia.
How Much Does the Cheapest Nearby Program Cost?
The lowest-priced ranked option for the District of Columbia students is University of Maryland-College Park in Maryland, at an average net price of $15,833 a year for aided first-year students. It doesn't trade completion for price: 85% of its students finish, above the 59% median among ranked programs. Public in-state tuition in the District of Columbia averages $5,292, if a related program at home fits. See paying for school in the District of Columbia.
How Much More Do Out-of-State Students Pay in the District of Columbia?
Out-of-state students pay about $6,852 more a year in tuition at the District of Columbia's public four-year colleges, where in-state tuition averages $5,292 against $12,144 for nonresidents (IPEDS 2023-24). After grants, aided in-state students pay an average net price of $14,287. the District of Columbia isn't in a regional tuition exchange for bachelor's students, so public colleges elsewhere charge you their out-of-state rate. See paying for school in the District of Columbia.
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.
