Louisiana's list of game design schools in Louisiana is a single entry: Loyola University New Orleans, a private nonprofit that ranks 61 of 89 and is a game design program. Its net price is $26,150. The state's public colleges are among the cheapest in the country, with in-state tuition averaging $5,873, but none of them has a ranked game program yet.
Kevin ToFounder & EditorB.S. in Computer Science, Temple UniversityUpdated
1Game Design Bachelor's Ranked for 2027top score: Loyola University New OrleansOur ranking
3Game-Related Programs in the State1 bachelor's, 1 associate, 1 graduateIPEDS
$26.1kMedian Net Pricebachelor's schools here, aided first-year studentsIPEDS
Loyola University New Orleans leads at 52.6.It is the only ranked program in Louisiana, scored on completion, net price and size. It finishes 63% of its students and has a $26,150 net price.The Ranking ›
Software developers earn $102,800 here.The U.S. median for the same job is $135,980. About 4,080 people work as software developers in Louisiana. In Louisiana, web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, earn $68,790, which is 34% under the national median of $104,000. Living costs work in your favor in Louisiana: BEA puts prices 11.8% below the U.S. average, so a paycheck or a student budget goes further.Pay ›
Living costs run below the U.S. average.Living costs work in your favor in Louisiana: BEA puts prices 11.8% below the U.S. average, so a paycheck or a student budget goes further.Prices ›
Public in-state tuition averages $5,873.The TOPS is Louisiana's main state grant. Aided in-state students pay $13,305 on average across 18 public four-year colleges, about what the median state charges. Out of state, tuition averages $11,605.Costs ›
Louisiana in brief
Key Facts About Studying Game Design in Louisiana
Loyola University New Orleans scores 52.5, has a 63% completion rate and graduates one student a year. Net price is $26,150. Those completion and price figures describe the whole school, not the game program. New Orleans is the state's largest city, with 362,701 people, so the campus sits in its biggest job market.
Louisiana lists three game-related programs at three colleges, with one associate program and one graduate program on top of the bachelor's. There's no ranked public program, no animation bachelor's and nothing a game programming program or simulation. The state is thin on options, but it's cheap on tuition.
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 Louisiana
The Game Design School in Louisiana for 2027
Loyola University New Orleans leads, ranked 61 of 89 in the national game design ranking, with a completion rate of 63% and an average net price of $26,150. None of them is a public university. The best game design schools ranking shows how these compare with every school in the country.
The program: 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.
New Orleans, LA · Private nonprofit · Game design program
52.6
#61 of 89 nationally
Private
Loyola University New Orleans folds game making into a computer science degree: the B.S. in Computer Science with a Game Programming concentration. Core courses include Introduction to Programming, Computer Graphics, Data Structures and Algorithms, and Programming Languages, and an internship is part of the curriculum. Concentration electives range from Game as Art and Making Games to Videogames and Literature, AI and Physics.
For Louisiana students the draw is a city campus in New Orleans at a private university, so published tuition of $47,390 is the same for residents and visitors. School-wide net price for aided first-years is $26,150 against a $69,989 cost of attendance. About 1 student a year graduates from this track. Across the university, 63% of students complete within eight years, 4,250 are enrolled and 93% of applicants are admitted.
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.
Louisiana pays modestly across the major game occupations, so read the cost of living alongside the wages. Louisiana software developers see a median of $102,800, $33,180 lower than the national median, and 4,080 people work in that category. Prices here run about 11.8% below the national average, and the price level is 88.2. A Louisiana salary stretches further than the headline number suggests.
$46,280–$79,190$46k–$79k$46,280 to $79,190, May 2024May 2024
60May 2024
$102,030
Graphic designersWhere many art and UI graduates start
$49,910
$42,640–$62,570$43k–$63k$42,640 to $62,570
1,750
$62,960
Computer programmersProgramming roles outside software development
$83,980May 2024
$64,100–$115,270$64k–$115k$64,100 to $115,270, May 2024May 2024
1,580May 2025
$100,390
Art directorsSenior art leads; rarely a first job
$83,640
$70,720–$103,800$71k–$104k$70,720 to $103,800
160
$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 Louisiana in the current release.
Pay in Louisiana's Largest Metro Areas
Metro area
Software developers
Web and digital interface designers
Special effects artists and animators
Price level
New Orleans-Metairie
$106,950
$73,280
Not published
92.6
Baton Rouge
$101,900
$72,360
$77,640May 2024
90.8
Lafayette
$109,010
Not published
Not published
87.2
Median annual wages, BLS OEWS May 2025, for the state's largest metropolitan areas by total employment, all in Louisiana. 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.
Louisiana's web and digital interface designers, who include game designers, earn $68,790, $35,210 lower than the national median, and only 170 people hold those jobs. The BLS release shows no Louisiana wage for special effects artists or for computer programmers, though 1,580 people are counted as computer programmers.
New Orleans-Metairie leads on most roles. Its software developers earn $106,950, its web and digital interface designers $73,280 and its graphic designers $51,710. Lafayette pays developers $109,010, which tops New Orleans, and Baton Rouge's art directors earn $85,090 against New Orleans's $86,630. New Orleans computer programmers earn $77,220. Lafayette stands out because its price level of 87.2 is the lowest of the three Louisiana metros listed.
Early roles often mean testing, junior design, art support or junior programming. Graphic designers earn $49,910 statewide with 1,750 jobs, which is where many art and UI graduates start. Art directors earn $83,640, but it's rarely a first job.
About 4,080 people work as software developers in Louisiana. In Louisiana, web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, earn $68,790, which is 34% under the national median of $104,000. Living costs work in your favor in Louisiana: BEA puts prices 11.8% below the U.S. average, so a paycheck or a student budget goes further.
The game design salary pages explain what each occupation covers and how game studios fit inside it.
Cost in Louisiana
Paying for School in Louisiana
Louisiana's 18 public four-year colleges are cheap. A resident pays $5,873 in tuition on average, a nonresident pays $11,605, and the $5,732 premium is slim. Net price for in-state students averages $13,305 after aid, well below the cost of the private program. Eighteen campuses mean a student is rarely far from an affordable public option, even without a ranked game program, which keeps commuting and living costs manageable for a student who stays in state.
Public colleges in LA
Figure
Public four-year colleges
18
Average in-state tuition
$5,873
Average out-of-state tuition
$11,605
Average net price, aided in-state students
$13,305
Means across Louisiana's public four-year degree-granting colleges that offer undergraduate study: tuition from IPEDS for 2023-24 (16 colleges reporting), net price for 2022-23 (14 reporting). Net price is what first-year students with grant aid paid after grants.
Aided in-state students pay $13,305 on average across 18 public four-year colleges, about what the median state charges.
TOPS, from the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance, is a merit award, so grades and test scores shape what you receive. Louisiana also belongs to the Academic Common Market, and Arkansas has public game programs nearby. If you live elsewhere, ask whether an Arkansas program qualifies for exchange rates.
State Aid in Louisiana
Louisiana's main merit program for undergraduates is the TOPS, run by the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance. In its own words: "is a program of state merit-based scholarships for Louisiana residents who attend either one of the Louisiana Public Colleges and Universities" Fill out the FAFSA early, since many state programs award money until it runs out.
Tuition Exchanges
Louisiana 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."
The tension in Louisiana is cheap public tuition against a single private game program. Loyola University New Orleans costs $26,150 net, while public net price averages $13,305. If you can't justify the private price, a public computer science or art degree plus a portfolio is a related path, not a game design degree.
Texas is the obvious neighbor. It has four game bachelor's programs against Arkansas's two, and Mississippi has none. Texas is a longer trip from New Orleans than from Lafayette or Baton Rouge, so factor in travel and what in-state tuition you'd lose. Arkansas has the second-closest set, and its tuition exchange link through the Academic Common Market is the one worth asking about.
Loyola University New Orleans graduated one student in the latest year, so ask for evidence of how the program runs. How many students are in a typical class, and how many studios use its graduates? The answers matter more than the rank here. A small program can still be strong, but look for alumni outcomes before you enroll, and compare them with the online options below.
Neighboring States
Neighboring stateTexas4 ranked game bachelor's · 15 programs in allView the Texas guide ›
Neighboring stateArkansas2 ranked game bachelor's · 2 programs in allView the Arkansas guide ›
Neighboring stateMississippi2 related programs, no game bachelor'sView the Mississippi guide ›
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Louisiana College Has a Ranked Game Design Bachelor's?
Loyola University New Orleans is the top-ranked game design school in Louisiana, 61 of 89 in our national ranking. It finishes 63% of its students and has an average net price of $26,150 for aided first-year students, both school-wide IPEDS figures, and the program graduates about 1 students a year. It's the only ranked game bachelor's in Louisiana, out of 3 game-related programs in the state at every level. See its full profile in the state ranking.
How Cheap Are Louisiana's Public Universities?
The lowest-priced ranked option in Louisiana is Loyola University New Orleans, at an average net price of $26,150 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 Louisiana averages $5,873, if a related program at home fits. See paying for school in Louisiana.
How Much Does a Louisiana Software Developer Earn?
Software developers, the BLS occupation that counts game programmers, earn a median of $102,800 in Louisiana, against $135,980 nationally (BLS May 2025). In Louisiana, web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, earn $68,790, which is 34% under the national median of $104,000. Living costs work in your favor in Louisiana: BEA puts prices 11.8% below the U.S. average, so a paycheck or a student budget goes further. About 4,080 people work as software developers in Louisiana. See what game jobs pay in Louisiana.
Does TOPS Cover Game Design Programs?
Louisiana's main state grant for undergraduates is the TOPS, run by the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance. In its own words: "is a program of state merit-based scholarships for Louisiana residents who attend either one of the Louisiana Public Colleges and Universities" State grants usually require you to study at an eligible college in Louisiana, so they rarely follow you out of state, and award rules change from year to year. Aided in-state students at public four-year colleges pay an average net price of $13,305 after grants. See paying for school in Louisiana.
Is There a Published Animator Wage in Louisiana?
BLS's most recent Louisiana median for special effects artists and animators is $76,720, from the May 2024 release; the May 2025 release withheld it. Nationally the median is $102,030. The occupation covers film, TV and advertising as well as games. No animation program at any degree level is offered in Louisiana. Louisiana has no ranked animation bachelor's, so the national animation ranking is the place to compare programs. See what game jobs pay in Louisiana.
What Does Louisiana Offer Beyond the Loyola Bachelor's?
Louisiana has 3 game design, game programming, simulation and animation programs at every level in the federal data: 1 bachelor's, 1 associate and 1 graduate. They sit at 3 colleges, with the most in Lafayette (1). 1 of the bachelor's programs are ranked, led by Loyola University New Orleans. An associate program at home can be a cheaper first two years before a transfer, if the four-year school accepts the credits. Beyond the state, 13 fully online game bachelor's programs are open to Louisiana students. See the state ranking.
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.
