If you're comparing game design schools in Los Angeles, expect the best-ranked campus to be far from the city center. University of California-Irvine holds the top spot nationally (1 of 89) and sits 42 miles out, while USC, 7 miles from downtown, ranks 46 of 89. All 16 ranked programs we found within 50 miles fall inside the metro, and animation tracks outnumber game tracks 10 to 6, so the sorting question here is art versus code.
Kevin ToFounder & EditorB.S. in Computer Science, Temple UniversityUpdated
25Game Programs Within 25 Milesgame design, programming, simulation and animation, all levelsIPEDS locations
42Game Programs Within 50 Milesat 27 collegesIPEDS locations
6Ranked Game Design Bachelor's Programs Nearbyranked, within 50 miles; plus 10 animationOur ranking
University of California-Irvine leads the metro at 94.1.16 ranked programs sit inside the Los Angeles, Long Beach and Anaheim metro. It beats the ranking's medians on both counts: 86% of its students finish, against 59%, and aided first-year students pay $14,647, against $26,150.The Ranking ›
Software developers earn $160,920 here.The U.S. median for the same job is $135,980. About 55,540 people work as software developers in the metro, close to the national share. Pay for web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, in Los Angeles sits close to the national median: $106,550 against $104,000.Pay ›
1,019 software and game publishers in the metro.Concentration 1.01, where 1.00 matches the U.S. Those publishers employ 40,604 people. The metro also has 3,565 custom programming studios and 5,706 film, video and animation production companies.Employers ›
In-state tuition starts at $1,104.15 public colleges nearby offer a game-related program. The highest in-state tuition nearby is $12,260, so where you enroll changes the bill a lot.Costs ›
A one-bedroom rents for $1,822 a month.The U.S. median one-bedroom is $1,301. Rent is the big cost in the Los Angeles, Long Beach and Anaheim metro: the median is $2,114 a month, $627 over the U.S. median. The lowest on-campus room and board nearby is $9,724 a year at Azusa Pacific University.Living Costs ›
Ranked in Los Angeles
The Best Game Design Schools in Los Angeles, CA for 2027
Start with University of California-Irvine, a simulation program. It scores 94.1, graduates 51 students a year, and its school-wide completion rate is 86% with a net price of $14,647. The next game-design entry is USC at 59.0, with 41 graduates a year, 93% completion and a $41,496 net price. The gap between those two scores is bigger than the gap between USC and everything else on the list.
The rest of the game list is smaller and private. Woodbury University (Burbank) ranks 54 of 89 with 10 graduates a year, Biola University 53 of 89 and Laguna College of Art and Design 75 of 89, which graduates 33 a year. The animation list leans on art schools: Art Center College of Design (Pasadena) is 59 of 82, California Institute of the Arts 64 of 82, Chapman University 61 of 82. Los Angeles Film School, in Hollywood, is 54 of 82 for animation with a 46% completion rate school-wide, so read that one against its peers before you tour.
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 Los Angeles.
Irvine, CA · Public · Simulation program · 42 miles
94.1
#1 of 89 nationally
42 miles from Los Angeles
Lowest net price in Los Angeles
Technical track: simulation
Public
Irvine sits 42 miles from Los Angeles, in the Orange County tech corridor, so students from the metro can weigh a drive or a move to a city campus. The Computer Game Science major here is a B.S. from the Department of Informatics, built on programming, math and game design courses, with nearly thirty electives for specializing.
Many Angelenos will care about price: aided first-years pay $14,647 net school-wide, and in-state tuition is $12,260. The program graduates about 51 students a year. The capstone is supervised by game designers from the local industry, and the department says most graduates find work in the industry at a major publisher, a smaller studio or as freelancers. The university enrolls 37,297 students. Admission is selective, with 29% of applicants admitted across the university, so a metro applicant should plan the application early.
Azusa, CA · Private nonprofit · Animation program · 31 miles
65.1
#35 of 82 in animation
31 miles from Los Angeles
Animation
Private
Azusa Pacific sits in a suburban setting about 31 miles from Los Angeles, close enough to study near the entertainment hub while living on a main campus in Azusa. The B.A. in Animation and Visual Effects is a 72-unit degree taught by working animation professionals whose credits include Disney TV, Nickelodeon and Netflix. Students use an animation and gaming lab, a green screen and a soundstage, and they finish with a capstone 2D or 3D film shown at a showcase attended by industry executives. The student-to-faculty ratio is 8.
Tuition is $43,758 for every student, and net price for aided first-years is $26,117. APU enrolls 6,272 students overall, 72% finish within eight years, and 88% of applicants are admitted. About 11 students complete the major each year, and the university is a Yellow Ribbon and Military Friendly school.
Los Angeles, CA · Private nonprofit · Simulation program · 7 miles
59.1
#46 of 89 nationally
7 miles from Los Angeles
Highest completion in Los Angeles
Technical track: simulation
Private
USC sits about 7 miles from the center of Los Angeles, so a student from the metro can commute or live on or near campus without leaving the city. The Computer Science Games degree is housed in the engineering school's computer science department, an engineering setting inside a city campus.
Tuition is $69,904, the same for all students, and aided first-years pay a net price of $41,496 school-wide. The university enrolls 46,566 students, admits 10% of applicants and reports a 1500 SAT midpoint. About 41 students graduate from the program each year. Across the university, 93% of entering students complete within eight years, and all-major graduates earn $92,498 ten years out. The degree asks for a minimum of 128 units and includes two semester-long final game projects, which students complete before they graduate.
Burbank, CA · Private nonprofit · Animation program · 14 miles
57.5
#46 of 82 in animation
14 miles from Los Angeles
Animation
Private
Woodbury is in Burbank, 14 miles from downtown Los Angeles and, according to its program page, within 20 minutes of more than 15 animation and visual effects studios. That closeness matters because an internship is required for every Woodbury program, and past placements include Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Warner Bros., Titmouse and Netflix Animation.
The B.F.A. in Animation + VFX is a STEM program taught in studio classes with working industry faculty. Students learn 2D animation with paperless and puppet pipelines, 3D animation from modeling and rigging to lighting and compositing, stop-motion with armatures and 3D printed faces, and visual effects. Senior thesis films come out of the sequence.
Tuition is $45,562 for all students, and aided first-years pay a net price of $31,257. The school is small, with 849 students, an 82% admit rate and a school-wide completion rate of 64%. About 18 students graduate from the program each year.
La Mirada, CA · Private nonprofit · Game design program · 24 miles
55.0
#53 of 89 nationally
24 miles from Los Angeles
Private
La Mirada is 24 miles from Los Angeles, and Biola leans on the region's game industry for its required studio experience: at least 180 hours of hands-on work in a real studio, with internships, mentoring and shadowing available to students. A new game design lab offers the Adobe suite and 3D modeling tools.
Collaboration reaches beyond game design, since students team up with peers from art, computer science and the Conservatory of the Performing Arts. A faith-integration thread shapes the storytelling. Published tuition is $48,984 for all students, and the cost of attendance is $67,442 before aid. Aided first-years across the university pay a net price of $30,510. Ten-year earnings average $56,778 across all majors, and about 6 students graduate each year.
Burbank, CA · Private nonprofit · Game design program · 14 miles
54.7
#54 of 89 nationally
14 miles from Los Angeles
Private
Burbank is 14 miles from Los Angeles, so a student in the city can commute to Woodbury or live near the studios clustered around it. The Game Art & Design BFA brings together art, animation, computer technology, sound design, storytelling and game design, and it shares many courses with the animation and applied computer science programs.
Required internships have drawn placements at Nickelodeon, Insomniac Games, Activision Blizzard, Disney and Skydance Interactive, among others. Tuition is $45,562. Across the university, ten-year earnings for graduates of all majors are $65,668, and about 10 students a year complete the degree.
Tuition is the same for everyone, and school-wide net price for aided first-years is $31,257. The college enrolls 849 students, with small classes and one-on-one time with instructors.
Los Angeles, CA · Private nonprofit · Animation program · 7 miles
53.9
#52 of 82 in animation
7 miles from Los Angeles
Animation
Private
The B.F.A. in Animation at USC is run by the John C. Hench Division of Animation + Digital Arts inside the School of Cinematic Arts, 7 miles from downtown Los Angeles. Year one covers the art of animation, design fundamentals, 3D computer animation and animation history, and later years add storyboarding, character performance, cinematography for animators and a senior capstone film or project. Electives range from Houdini procedural animation and Unreal Engine real-time animation to motion capture, projection mapping and live action integration.
Students can take classes across USC, including music, dance, engineering and architecture, which suits animators who want to cross over into immersive media or games. About 14 students graduate each year.
Tuition is $69,904 for every student and the sticker cost of attendance is $95,234 school-wide. Net price for aided first-years is $41,496. USC admits 10% of applicants, 93% of students complete within eight years, and the SAT midpoint of 1500 is the highest among the 82 animation schools on our list.
Completion
93%school-wide
Net price
$41,496aided first-years
Grads a year
14this program
Earnings
$92,49810 yrs, all majors
SAT midpoint
1500highest SAT midpoint of the 82 ranked in animation
Hollywood, CA · Private for-profit · Animation program · 7 miles
53.0
#54 of 82 in animation
7 miles from Los Angeles
Largest program in Los Angeles
Animation
Private
The Los Angeles Film School is a for-profit campus in Hollywood, 7 miles from downtown, built around production stages rather than lecture rooms. The B.S. in Animation offers two concentrations, Visual Effects and Game Art. Visual Effects students learn to integrate effects with live footage shot on set, while Game Art students build 3D environments, props and characters for games and VR. Both build on the 12 principles of animation.
Students get a TechKit that includes an MSI laptop, a Huion drawing tablet, Maxon One, Adobe Creative Cloud, Nuke, Houdini and Marvelous Designer. The campus has soundstages, a green screen stage, a Dolby-approved dubbing stage, a 300-seat theater and an Avid editing lab.
About 95 students graduate from the program each year. School-wide, 5,472 students attend, 46% finish within eight years, and net price for aided first-years is $32,944. Earnings ten years out average $31,632 across all majors.
Pasadena, CA · Private nonprofit · Animation program · 17 miles
51.2
#59 of 82 in animation
17 miles from Los Angeles
Animation
Private
ArtCenter is a city campus in Pasadena, 17 miles from Los Angeles, and its animation track sits inside the Entertainment Design department. Students build 2D and 3D fundamentals, learn brainstorming, pitching and world-building, then work in close-knit teams on several projects. Key courses run through Shorts 1, five levels each of CG and 2D, and a capstone short film. More than an hour of animation comes out of the program every year, and many shorts go on to festivals.
Collaboration is a selling point for anyone who wants to stay in the Los Angeles area, since animators team up with students in illustration, game design and concept design on films and games. Faculty come from studios such as Disney, DreamWorks, Insomniac Games and Netflix.
Tuition is $53,086 for every student, and net price for aided first-years is $53,306. About 87 students graduate from the track annually. School-wide, 2,308 students attend, 78% finish within eight years, and graduates across all majors earn $71,958 ten years out.
Orange, CA · Private nonprofit · Animation program · 36 miles
50.6
#61 of 82 in animation
36 miles from Los Angeles
Animation
Private
Chapman is in Orange, 36 miles from Los Angeles. The B.F.A. in Animation and Visual Effects is part of Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, with three areas of study: 2D animation, 3D animation and visual effects. Students work one-on-one with animation veterans and collaborate with film students on virtual production workshops that use an LED wall and motion capture systems. They also supervise visual effects on live-action projects and direct their own animation with screenwriters, voice actors and producers. The program page lists visiting animation veterans for Fall 2026, among them a Frozen co-director.
Tuition is $64,580 for all students and the sticker cost of attendance is $87,730 before aid, though aided first-years pay a net price of $48,037. About 38 students complete the major each year. Across the university, 9,760 students are enrolled and 80% complete within eight years.
Valencia, CA · Private nonprofit · Animation program · 27 miles
49.2
#64 of 82 in animation
27 miles from Los Angeles
Animation
Private
CalArts sits in suburban Valencia, 27 miles from Los Angeles, on a campus where the School of Film/Video keeps an 8:1 student-faculty ratio. The B.F.A. in Character Animation is a four-year, studio-intensive degree. Year one is life drawing, color and design, storytelling and character animation. Year two adds dialogue, sound effects and music, and year three moves into advanced work in short-form traditional animation, CG, painting and illustration.
Every student makes an individual short film each year, beginning in the first year, which builds a professional portfolio film by film. Instruction covers both traditional and computer graphic animation, led by faculty who work in traditional, CG and independent animation.
The school is expensive and selective, with tuition of $58,318 for all students, a net price of $57,288 for aided first-years and a 32% admit rate school-wide. About 47 students finish the program annually. CalArts enrolls 1,277 students, 74% complete within eight years, and earnings ten years out are $41,198 across all majors.
Los Angeles, CA · Private nonprofit · Animation program · 3 miles
47.0
#71 of 82 in animation
3 miles from Los Angeles
Animation
Private
LMU is just 3 miles from Los Angeles, with a 60-semester-hour B.A. in Animation taught entirely in person. The Department of Animation teaches classical animation traditions applied to modern screen media. Freshmen start with drawing, storyboarding and filmmaking, sophomores produce group animated films and meet 3D and interactive animation, juniors move into upper division electives, and seniors complete an animated thesis.
Courses include History of Animation, Discovering Animation, Visual Story Development, an Intermediate Animation Workshop and an Introduction to 3D Computer Animation. The degree sits inside a liberal arts curriculum shaped by Ignatian principles, so animators take classes outside the studio too.
Tuition is $60,970 for all students, the sticker cost of attendance is $89,891 school-wide, and aided first-years pay a net price of $54,471. LMU admits 45% of applicants, 80% of students complete within eight years, and 10,179 students are enrolled across the university. About 18 students graduate from the animation major each year.
Laguna Beach, CA · Private nonprofit · Animation program · 48 miles
45.2
#73 of 82 in animation
48 miles from Los Angeles
Animation
Private
Laguna College of Art and Design is a rural campus in Laguna Beach, 48 miles from Los Angeles, so students here live by the coast rather than in the city. The B.F.A. in Animation is studio-focused and offers two tracks. Character Animation centers on classical hand-drawn 2D work, gesture, timing, weight and personality, while Experimental Animation spans paperless 2D, digital puppetry, 3D, stop motion and visual effects for interactive media, music videos and game animation. Led by chair Eric Walls, the faculty are industry veterans with credits across Disney, DreamWorks and Warner Bros. film, television and theme park projects.
Tuition is $37,500 for every student, and net price for aided first-years is $44,285 school-wide. The college is tiny, with 775 students, a 94% admit rate and a 67% school-wide completion rate. About 36 students complete the animation program annually, and graduates across all majors earn $47,867 ten years out.
Completion
67%school-wide
Net price
$44,285aided first-years
Grads a year
36this program
Earnings
$47,86710 yrs, all majors
Out-of-state premium
None (private)same tuition for all students
Campus setting
Ruralone of the few rural campuses of the 82 ranked in animation
Laguna Beach, CA · Private nonprofit · Game design program · 48 miles
44.7
#75 of 89 nationally
48 miles from Los Angeles
Private
Students who want Los Angeles within reach but not underfoot can look at Laguna College of Art and Design, 48 miles away in Laguna Beach. Its BFA in Game Art & Development is taught by faculty who have worked at Blizzard Entertainment, Disney Animation Studios and Obsidian Entertainment, and their credits include World of Warcraft, Destiny 2 and Call of Duty.
Courses prototype in multiple game engines, and the Game Design track adds production, documentation and team leadership. Published tuition is $37,500 a year with no out-of-state premium, and the college's net price for aided first-years is $44,285 school-wide. A small college of 775 students, it graduates about 33 people a year from this major. The Game Art track in particular is built around environment, character and concept art.
Completion
67%school-wide
Net price
$44,285aided first-years
Grads a year
33this program
Earnings
$47,86710 yrs, all majors
Out-of-state premium
None (private)same tuition for all students
Campus setting
Ruralone of the few rural campuses of the 89 ranked
Burbank, CA · Private for-profit · Game design program · 10 miles
34.2
#88 of 89 nationally
10 miles from Los Angeles
Private
New York Film Academy's game design BFA is 10 miles from Los Angeles, at the Burbank campus. The degree teaches students to deconstruct any game experience, then rebuild one: prototyping, playtesting, iteration and presentation sit alongside coding, art assets and game animation.
A new project is due each semester, guided by a faculty of professional game designers, and students get industry-standard equipment and software. Visiting speakers from game design come through regularly. Tuition is $35,212 a year, and school-wide net price averages $50,504 for aided first-years. About 4 students graduate from this program annually, and the college as a whole enrolls 1,132. Earnings for graduates of all majors were $29,633 a decade after entry. The college is private for-profit, with 1,132 students.
Burbank, CA · Private for-profit · Animation program · 10 miles
31.6
#81 of 82 in animation
10 miles from Los Angeles
Animation
Private
NYFA's B.F.A. in 3D Animation and VFX is taught on the Burbank campus, 10 miles from Los Angeles. It is an accelerated three-year, eight-semester, full-time program, made possible by an extended academic year with three semesters in each calendar year. Students move through modeling, texture painting, look development, lighting and rendering, rigging, MEL and Python scripting, compositing and dynamics, using Maya, ZBrush, Houdini, V-Ray and Nuke.
Projects grow in complexity until each student completes a 3D Animation Thesis Project, and the program ends with a demo reel. Faculty have worked at studios including Disney, DreamWorks, Universal and Netflix. A liberal arts and sciences requirement finishes in the last semester.
Tuition is $35,212 for all students, and net price for aided first-years is $50,504. Only about 2 students finish the degree in a typical year. NYFA is a private for-profit school with 1,132 students, where 65% complete within eight years school-wide.
The rest of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro and the nearby areas are covered on the California page.
StateCalifornia11 ranked game bachelor's · 78 programs in allView the California guide ›
More ways in
Other Game Programs in Los Angeles
22 more programs inside the Los Angeles, Long Beach and Anaheim 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).
Game jobs in Los Angeles pay well against the country and less well against California. Software developers, the bucket that counts game programmers and engine developers, sit at $160,920 in the metro. That's $24,940 ahead of the country and $13,490 short of California's. Special effects artists and animators, who cover game animators and 3D artists, earn a median of $124,590, $22,560 over the country's and $5,950 under California's.
Graphic designersWhere many art and UI graduates start
$72,400
$53,790–$95,440$54k–$95k$53,790 to $95,440
13,810
$75,130
$62,960
Computer programmersProgramming roles outside software development
$107,090
$82,770–$132,600$83k–$133k$82,770 to $132,600
3,400
$116,760
$100,390
Art directorsSenior art leads; rarely a first job
$137,560
$107,590–$191,950$108k–$192k$107,590 to $191,950
6,590
$137,780
$114,850
Annual wages, BLS OEWS May 2025, for the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metropolitan area. The middle half earns between the 25th and 75th percentile.
Design and entry-level art roles pay less. Web and digital interface designers, where game and UI designers are counted, come in at $106,550, only $2,550 over the country's and $29,560 under California's. Graphic designers, where many art graduates start, earn $72,400. Art directors reach $137,560 but that's a senior job, rarely a first one. Computer programmers outside software development earn $107,090.
Prices push back. Against a national baseline of 100, everyday costs here score 113.6 and housing alone scores 170.4. A $124,590 animator salary stretches less than it would at the national price level, so judge the pay figures with rent in mind.
About 55,540 people work as software developers in the Los Angeles, Long Beach and Anaheim metro, close to the national share. Pay for web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, in Los Angeles sits close to the national median: $106,550 against $104,000. Prices in the Los Angeles, Long Beach and Anaheim metro run 13.6% above the U.S. average on BEA's index, which takes a bite out of both pay and a student budget.
Los Angeles is a film town first and a software town second, and the Census counts show it. Game studios don't get their own industry line, so most are counted under software publishers. That category sits at 1.0 times the national concentration here, with 1,019 businesses and 40,604 employees. Film, video and animation production is the real standout, 15.7 times the national concentration, and it employs 99,061 people.
Industry
What it covers
Businesses
Employees
Concentration
Software and game publishers
Software publishers (game publishers and studios are filed here)
1,019
40,604
1.01
Custom programming studios
Custom computer programming services (contract and co-development studios)
3,565
29,666
0.74
Film, video and animation production
Motion picture and video production (animation and VFX studios)
5,706
99,061
15.68
Graphic design firms
Graphic design services
1,463
4,662
2.38
Establishments and March payroll employees in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 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.
Custom programming studios, the contract and co-development shops, come in at 74% of the national concentration. Graphic design firms reach 2.4 times. On the occupation side, special effects artists and animators have a location quotient of 5.77, so they're more common in the metro than nationally, and art directors reach 3.08. Software developers at 0.82 and computer programmers at 0.91 are both less common in the metro than nationally.
In plain terms, an art-side graduate lands in a market where animators and effects artists are far more common than nationally, while a programmer faces one that's below average for code, with developers at 0.82. Studios hire on portfolios, so ask each program where its graduates land.
How Common Game-Adjacent Jobs Are in Los Angeles
Occupation
Jobs per 1,000
Location quotient
Software developers
8.86
0.82
Web and digital interface designers
1.47
2.02
Special effects artists and animators
0.74
5.77
Graphic designers
2.20
1.73
Computer programmers
0.54
0.91
Art directors
1.05
3.08
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 Los Angeles Produces
Game-related programs at every level within 50 miles turn out 857 graduates a year, and 558 of them finish a bachelor's degree. The colleges inside the metro account for 813 of those, a ratio of 1.2% to the 69,410 core jobs. Los Angeles Film School is the largest source at 95 a year, followed by Art Center College of Design at 87 and University of California-Irvine at 51.
The 10 largest game-related programs within 50 miles of central Los Angeles by graduates a year, IPEDS completions averaged 2022 to 2024:
That figure is a sense of scale, not a hiring forecast. The core group is software developers, interface designers and effects artists, and most of them work outside games. Graduates also don't all stay, and plenty of people fill those jobs who never studied game design. A small share tells you the local schools aren't flooding the market, nothing more.
Cost near Los Angeles
Paying for School in Los Angeles
Every public college within 50 miles is in California, so in-state tuition applies if you live in the state. The community colleges are cheap: Santa Monica College is $1,104 in-state with a $5,636 net price, and Pasadena City College is $1,104 with a $5,492 net price. An out-of-state student at Santa Monica pays $10,656, a premium of $9,552. The only four-year public is University of California-Irvine at $12,260 in-state and $44,148 out-of-state, a premium of $31,888, and its net price is $14,647.
The public colleges within 50 miles that offer a game-related program, all in California. 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).
California's state grant is the Cal Grant, administered by the California Student Aid Commission, and it's worth checking before you price any California campus. The Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) is a regional tuition exchange for students from western states, so if you live outside California, ask each school whether it takes part. The ranked private schools in the metro have sticker prices from $35,212 at New York Film Academy to $69,904 at USC, though net prices run lower.
State Aid in California
California's main need program for undergraduates is the Cal Grant, run by the California Student Aid Commission. In its own words: "Students attending a Cal Grant eligible institution and who meet eligibility criteria can qualify for the Cal Grant award." The California page covers state aid and public college costs in more detail.
Tuition Exchanges
California 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."
Living costs
Living in Los Angeles as a Student
Rent is where Los Angeles bites. Typical rent reaches $2,114 here, a $627 premium over the $1,487 U.S. median. Housing prices score 170.4 on an index where the national average is 100. Budget $1,822 a month for a one-bedroom, which totals $21,864 across twelve months, while the U.S. one-bedroom is $1,301.
Monthly rent
Los Angeles, Long Beach and Anaheim metro
U.S.
All rentals, median
$2,114
$1,487
One bedroom, median
$1,822
$1,301
Two bedrooms, median
$2,263
$1,490
Median gross rent (rent plus utilities the tenant pays), American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates, tables B25064 and B25031.
Sharing helps. A two-bedroom averages $2,263, and split two ways that's $1,132 per person. Campus housing can come in under that, depending on where you enroll. Eleven nearby colleges report on-campus room and board, from $9,724 at Azusa Pacific University to $23,752 at New York Film Academy. The figure is $19,198 at University of Southern California and $11,234 at Biola University.
Rent is the big cost in the Los Angeles, Long Beach and Anaheim metro: the median is $2,114 a month, $627 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.
Many of the closest colleges have no campus housing at all, such as Santa Monica College, so you'd be renting on the open market. Art Center College of Design has none either. Pasadena City College, for one, puts its off-campus room and board at $19,431. Overall prices in the metro run at a level of 113.6 against 100 nationally.
Choosing
How to Choose a Game Design Program in Los Angeles
Decide on art or programming first. Six ranked game programs and ten animation programs sit within 50 miles, and only two of the game programs are in programming or simulation. University of California-Irvine is the one with a computer game programming bachelor's, and its ranked entry is simulation. If you want to write engine and gameplay code, your short list here is short. If you want to draw, animate or design, the metro gives you many more options.
Public or private is a real money question here. The University of California-Irvine has the lowest net price among the top-ranked programs at $14,647, while Art Center College of Design is $53,306 and California Institute of the Arts is $57,288. Biola University at $30,510 and Woodbury University at $31,257 are the cheaper private game options. Net price is school-wide, so ask each program what students there actually pay.
Living arrangements follow the miles, which are straight-line. You could commute to USC, Loyola Marymount University at 3 miles, or Los Angeles Film School at 7, but Irvine at 42 and Laguna Beach at 48 mean living near campus. Studios across the metro give local students places to ask about internships.
Admission is rarely the hard part here: 13 of the 24 colleges on this page admit anyone with a high school diploma, and among the rest fall 2024 admission ran from 10% at University of Southern California to 94% at Laguna College of Art and Design. None requires SAT or ACT scores.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Which of the Best Game Design Schools in Los Angeles Should I Tour First?
University of California-Irvine is the top-ranked game design school in Los Angeles, scoring 94.1 and ranked 1 of 89 nationally. It beats the ranking's medians on both counts: 86% of its students finish, against 59%, and aided first-year students pay $14,647, against $26,150. With about 51 graduates a year, it is one of the larger programs in the ranking, so expect big cohorts and several sections of core courses. Azusa Pacific University is next at 65.1, one of 16 ranked programs in the metro. See the ranked programs.
How Much Do Game Developers Make in Los Angeles?
Software developers, the BLS occupation that counts game programmers, earn a median of $160,920 in the Los Angeles, Long Beach and Anaheim metro, against $135,980 nationally (BLS May 2025). Pay for web and digital interface designers, where game designers are counted, in the Los Angeles, Long Beach and Anaheim metro sits close to the national median: $106,550 against $104,000. Prices in the Los Angeles, Long Beach and Anaheim metro run 13.6% above the U.S. average on BEA's index, which takes a bite out of both pay and a student budget. See what game jobs pay in Los Angeles.
What Is the Cheapest Way to Start a Game Design Degree Near Los Angeles?
In-state tuition at public colleges near Los Angeles starts at $1,104 a year, at Santa Monica College, and runs up to $12,260 at University of California-Irvine. Nonresidents pay $10,656 at Santa Monica College. 15 public colleges within 50 miles offer a game-related program, and private colleges charge every student the same tuition. After grants, Cerritos College has the lowest average net price nearby, $2,373, under the $13,240 public average in the median state. See paying for school in Los Angeles.
Which Los Angeles Campuses Are Realistic to Commute to Every Day?
16 ranked programs sit inside the Los Angeles, Long Beach and Anaheim metro, and 22 associate, graduate or certificate programs add other ways in. University of California-Irvine scores highest, at 94.1. At 42 miles out, the top program is a move or a long commute from central Los Angeles, so count housing into its price. 25 game-related programs sit within 25 miles of central Los Angeles and 42 within 50, counting every level. The rest of the metro and the nearby areas are on the California page. See the ranked programs.
How Much Does a Student Pay in Rent Near Los Angeles?
Median rent in the Los Angeles, Long Beach and Anaheim metro was $2,114 a month in 2024, $627 above the U.S. median of $1,487 (Census ACS). A one-bedroom runs $1,822. On-campus room and board at nearby colleges starts at $9,724 a year at Azusa Pacific University, which bundles meals and avoids a lease. Housing is the expensive part: BEA puts it at 170.4 against a U.S. average of 100. See living in Los Angeles as a student.
Is It Hard to Get Into Game Design Schools in Los Angeles?
Admission is rarely the hard part here: 13 of the 24 colleges on this page admit anyone with a high school diploma, and among the rest fall 2024 admission ran from 10% at University of Southern California to 94% at Laguna College of Art and Design. 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 Santa Monica College, 3 miles from central Los Angeles. The median published rate among them is 74%. Each program card shows its college's admission rate where one is reported. See how to choose a program.
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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.
