Florida's four ranked game design schools in Florida are all private, and none ranks above 68 of 89 nationally. The real bargains are on the animation side: Florida State College at Jacksonville has a $2,789 net price, and Indian River State College has $5,927, both with strong scores. Public tuition is the lowest in this group of states, so a related degree can beat a private game design diploma on price.
Kevin ToFounder & EditorB.S. in Computer Science, Temple UniversityUpdated
4Game Design Bachelor's Programs Ranked for 2027top score: University of MiamiOur ranking
13Game-Related Programs in the State9 bachelor's, 3 associate, 1 graduateIPEDS
$33.9kMedian Net Pricebachelor's schools here, aided first-year studentsIPEDS
University of Miami leads at 50.4.4 ranked programs in Florida, scored on completion, net price and size. It finishes 82% of its students and has a $41,028 net price. Florida Southern College is next at 50.0.The Ranking ›
Software developers earn $130,980 here.The U.S. median for the same job is $135,980. About 87,890 people work as software developers in Florida. In Florida, web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, earn $77,730, which is 25% under the national median of $104,000. Prices in Florida run 3.4% above the U.S. average on BEA's index, which takes a bite out of both pay and a student budget.Pay ›
Living costs run above the U.S. average.Prices in Florida run 3.4% above the U.S. average on BEA's index, which takes a bite out of both pay and a student budget.Prices ›
Public in-state tuition averages $2,849.The Bright Futures is Florida's main state grant. Florida's public four-year colleges are a good deal: aided in-state students pay $8,702 on average across 41, under the $13,240 median state. Out of state, tuition averages $11,508.Costs ›
City guides: Miami and Tampa.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 ›
Florida in brief
Key Facts About Studying Game Design in Florida
All four ranked bachelor's programs are game design programs and sit at private nonprofit schools: University of Miami at 68 of 89, Florida Southern College at 70, Palm Beach Atlantic University at 79 and Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale at 86. Their net prices run from $30,462 to $41,028, and graduates per year range from one to 15. University of Miami scores 50.3, the highest of the four, and also has the highest net price of the group. None of the four is a public school, which is unusual for a state with so many public colleges.
Florida counts 13 game-related programs across 10 colleges, with three associate programs and one graduate program. Five animation bachelor's programs round out the picture, led by Indian River State College at 76.6, then Florida State College at Jacksonville at 72.7, followed by Ringling College of Art and Design at a $60,362 net price.
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 Florida
The 4 Best Game Design Schools in Florida for 2027
University of Miami leads, ranked 68 of 89 in the national game design ranking, with a completion rate of 82% and an average net price of $41,028. None of them is a public university. The best game design schools ranking shows how these compare with every school in the country.
Each ranked program in Florida, 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.
Coral Gables, FL · Private nonprofit · Game design program
50.4
#68 of 89 nationally
Highest completion in Florida
Largest program in Florida
Private
The Immersive Media B.S.C. at the University of Miami sits in the School of Communication on a suburban campus in Coral Gables. Students choose a designer or developer track, then build toward virtual reality, augmented reality and game work. Featured courses include Intro to Creative Coding, Immersive Storytelling, Building Virtual Worlds and Introduction to Game Programming, where teams build a functional game with a networking component.
Cost is the main issue for Florida students. Miami is private, so tuition is $60,720 for residents and nonresidents alike, with no in-state discount. Across the university, the net price for aided first-years is $41,028 and the cost of attendance before aid is $93,892. Completion school-wide is 82% within eight years, the admit rate is 19%, and the SAT midpoint is 1400. About 15 students a year finish the program.
Lakeland, FL · Private nonprofit · Game design program
50.0
#71 of 89 nationally
Lowest net price in Florida
Private
Florida Southern offers Interactive and Game Design as both a B.A. and a B.F.A. on its Lakeland campus, taught in person over four years. Admission requires a portfolio, and the portfolio review also opens talent-based scholarships. Courses such as Design Fundamentals and Simulation VR lead into an interdisciplinary concentration, either programming or art and cinema, so a student can lean toward code or toward visual work while still building games, web and mobile experiences.
For a Florida resident weighing in-state options, the college is private, so tuition is $42,900 for everyone with no in-state discount and no out-of-state surcharge. School-wide net price is $30,462 for aided first-years, and 66% of entering students across the college complete within eight years. The city setting in Lakeland puts the campus inland in central Florida, and the program graduates about 2 students a year, which means very small studio groups.
West Palm Beach, FL · Private nonprofit · Game design program
41.6
#79 of 89 nationally
Private
Palm Beach Atlantic is a private Christian university in the city of West Palm Beach, so Florida residents pay the same $39,400 in published tuition as anyone else. The Gaming and Interactive Media Design B.A. sits in the College of the Arts and weaves biblical values into game design, storytelling and digital media.
Students move through technical development, interactive storytelling and collaborative design, building a portfolio with faculty mentorship. The university enrolls 4,147 students and admits 82% of applicants, and the SAT midpoint is 1085 school-wide. Across the university, 56% of entering students finish within eight years, and aided first-years pay a net price of $31,103. The program is tiny, graduating about 1 student per year. The degree runs 120 credit hours over four years of full-time study, on campus or online.
Fort Lauderdale, FL · Private nonprofit · Game design program
37.6
#86 of 89 nationally
Private
Keiser University's B.S. in Animation and Game Design runs 120 credit hours and is offered on campus or in a hybrid format, with up to 12 credits accepted in transfer. The curriculum pairs art and design fundamentals with 3D modeling, character rigging, animation techniques, game engines and programming, and follows production from pre-production to final delivery.
Florida students pay a published tuition of $23,856 here, and because Keiser is private the same rate applies to students from other states. Across the university, the net price for aided first-years is $33,865 and the cost of attendance is $54,128. The Fort Lauderdale campus is in a city setting, and the university enrolls 20,888 students. School-wide, 37% of students complete a degree within eight years and 97% of applicants are admitted. About 6 students a year finish this program.
Animation bachelor's programs in Florida, 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.
Florida is a big employer but a middling payer. Software developers have the largest base, with 87,890 jobs, and earn $130,980, $5,000 short of the nation. Computer programmers earn $93,180 and graphic designers earn $61,660, close to the national graphic design pay.
Graphic designersWhere many art and UI graduates start
$61,660
$49,510–$80,680$50k–$81k$49,510 to $80,680
12,660
$62,960
Computer programmersProgramming roles outside software development
$93,180
$67,700–$119,330$68k–$119k$67,700 to $119,330
4,760
$100,390
Art directorsSenior art leads; rarely a first job
$99,660
$73,680–$126,200$74k–$126k$73,680 to $126,200
2,520
$114,850
Annual wages, BLS OEWS May 2025. The middle half earns between the 25th and 75th percentile.
Pay in Florida's Largest Metro Areas
Metro area
Software developers
Web and digital interface designers
Special effects artists and animators
Price level
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach
$132,650
$77,730
$74,520
114.2
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater
$130,450
$82,480
$74,140
100.9
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford
$129,620
$76,660
$91,150
101.4
Median annual wages, BLS OEWS May 2025, for the state's largest metropolitan areas by total employment, all in Florida. Price level is BEA's Regional Price Parity for 2024, where the U.S. average is 100.
Design pay lags. Interface designers, where BLS counts game designers, land at $77,730 ($26,270 behind the national figure), and 4,620 hold those jobs. Animators and 3D artists earn $85,870 with 1,530 employed, while art directors reach $99,660 across 2,520 jobs.
Metro numbers split the state. Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford pays animators $91,150, the best of the three Florida metros, while Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach pays animators $74,520 and Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater pays them $74,140. For programming, Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach leads at $132,650 for software developers.
Costs are near average, with a price level of 103.4 or about 3.4% above the national figure. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach is the expensive spot at 114.2, while Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater is at 100.9. A Miami salary is not much higher than Tampa's, so a Tampa start may leave you with more at month's end. Jacksonville, the largest city at 1,009,833 residents, is not a metro in the BLS data here, so check job listings there directly before you plan around it.
About 87,890 people work as software developers in Florida. In Florida, web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, earn $77,730, which is 25% under the national median of $104,000. Prices in Florida run 3.4% 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 Florida
Paying for School in Florida
Florida has 41 public four-year colleges, and their tuition is the lowest in this group. Residents pay $2,849 on average and those on aid land at a net price near $8,702. Nonresidents pay $11,508, an $8,659 premium.
Public colleges in FL
Figure
Public four-year colleges
41
Average in-state tuition
$2,849
Average out-of-state tuition
$11,508
Average net price, aided in-state students
$8,702
Means across Florida's public four-year degree-granting colleges that offer undergraduate study: tuition from IPEDS for 2023-24 (41 colleges reporting), net price for 2022-23 (41 reporting). Net price is what first-year students with grant aid paid after grants.
Florida's public four-year colleges are a good deal: aided in-state students pay $8,702 on average across 41, under the $13,240 median state.
At the public colleges with game or animation programs, residents pay $2,296 in tuition and nonresidents pay $8,654, a $6,358 difference. That is why Florida State College at Jacksonville, along with Indian River State College, is such good value compared with the private game design schools.
Bright Futures, from the Florida Department of Education, Office of Student Financial Assistance, is a merit-based scholarship. Florida's Academic Common Market access is graduate level only, so it won't reduce a bachelor's price out of state.
State Aid in Florida
Florida's main merit program for undergraduates is the Bright Futures, run by the Florida Department of Education, Office of Student Financial Assistance. In its own words: "The Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program establishes lottery-funded scholarships to reward Florida high school graduates for high academic achievement." Fill out the FAFSA early, since many state programs award money until it runs out.
Tuition Exchanges
Florida takes part in the Academic Common Market (ACM) only at the graduate level, so undergraduates pay full nonresident tuition at public schools in other states unless the school offers its own award.
Choosing
How to Choose a Game Design Program in Florida
Be honest about the trade-off. The ranked game design programs are private and expensive, with University of Miami at $41,028 net and Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale at $33,865, a school with a 37% completion rate. The public animation programs cost a small fraction of that, but animation is a different skill set from game design and programming.
If you want a game design degree and have a budget, Florida Southern College at $30,462 and Palm Beach Atlantic University at $31,103 are the cheapest ranked ones. Their cohorts are tiny, with two and one graduates a year, so ask how much studio time and faculty attention you will actually get, and whether the program has its own faculty or borrows from the art and computer science departments. A small cohort can mean close mentoring or a thin network.
Leaving the state is a real option. Georgia has two game design bachelor's programs and Alabama has one. Neither is a bargain next to Florida public tuition, so compare total cost, not just the sticker price, before deciding to move.
Neighboring States
Neighboring stateGeorgia2 ranked game bachelor's · 6 programs in allView the Georgia guide ›
Neighboring stateAlabama1 ranked game bachelor's · 2 programs in allView the Alabama guide ›
City guides
Cities in Florida
2 cities in Florida have their own guides, ranking every program inside the metro and within 50 miles of the city center, with distances, metro pay and nearby public college costs.
Miami, FL7 programs within 50 miles · 2 ranked game bachelor'sView the Miami guide ›
Tampa, FL3 programs within 50 miles · 1 ranked game bachelor'sView the Tampa guide ›
Does Florida Have a Public University With a Ranked Game Design Degree?
All 4 ranked game design programs in Florida are at private colleges, so the choice here is between schools rather than sectors. University of Miami leads at 68 of 89 nationally, with 82% completion and a $41,028 net price. Private colleges charge every student the same tuition, so in-state residency doesn't lower the price, but grant aid often does. Compare completion as well as price. See the state ranking.
Which Florida Game Design School Ranks Highest?
University of Miami is the top-ranked game design school in Florida, 68 of 89 in our national ranking, followed by Florida Southern College at 71. It finishes 82% of its students and has an average net price of $41,028 for aided first-year students, both school-wide IPEDS figures, and the program graduates about 15 students a year. The cheapest ranked option is Florida Southern College at $30,462, though it finishes 66% of students. See all 4 ranked Florida programs in the state ranking.
Is Programming the Better-Paid Route in Florida?
Software developers, the BLS occupation that counts game programmers, earn a median of $130,980 in Florida, against $135,980 nationally (BLS May 2025). In Florida, web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, earn $77,730, which is 25% under the national median of $104,000. Prices in Florida run 3.4% above the U.S. average on BEA's index, which takes a bite out of both pay and a student budget. About 87,890 people work as software developers in Florida. See what game jobs pay in Florida.
How Cheap Is Public Tuition in Florida?
The lowest-priced ranked option in Florida is Florida Southern College, at an average net price of $30,462 a year for aided first-year students. It doesn't trade completion for price: 66% of its students finish, above the 59% median among ranked programs. Public in-state tuition in Florida averages $2,849, if a related program at home fits. See paying for school in Florida.
Can I Use the Academic Common Market for a Bachelor's?
Not as an undergraduate: Florida takes part in the Academic Common Market (ACM) only for graduate study. 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 Florida's own public colleges averages $11,508 against $2,849 in state. See paying for school in Florida.
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.
