Maine has no bachelor's game design programs in the federal data, which is why game design schools near Maine mean New Hampshire, where Southern New Hampshire University, in Manchester, is 76 miles from Portland and New England College, in Henniker, is 88 miles away. Both are private and both score under 30. Maine College of Art & Design offers an animation bachelor's at home.
Kevin ToFounder & EditorB.S. in Computer Science, Temple UniversityUpdated
0Game Design Bachelor's in Mainegame design, game programming or simulationIPEDS
2Ranked Programs in Nearby StatesNHOur ranking
76 miTo the Closest Program From Portlandstraight-line distanceOur analysis
Top nearby pick: Southern New Hampshire University.Maine has no bachelor's game design program, so these are across the border. It scores 40.4. Southern New Hampshire University is in New Hampshire, with a $33,163 net price and 36% completion. New England College in New Hampshire scores 40.0.Nearby Schools ›
Closest fit at home: University of Maine.It graduates bachelor's students in computer science. It awarded 46 bachelor's degrees in 2023-24, as a related program outside the game design ranking. University of Southern Maine is another option at home.Related Programs ›
Software developers earn $123,120 here.The U.S. median for the same job is $135,980. About 2,790 people work as software developers in Maine. BEA's index puts prices in Maine near the U.S. average, at 97.1.Pay ›
Public in-state tuition averages $9,067.The Maine State Grant Program is Maine's main state grant. Public colleges cost more here than in most states, with aided in-state students paying $14,162 on average across 8, against $13,240 in the median state. Out of state, tuition averages $21,909.Costs ›
Heads up Maine belongs to the New England Board of Higher Education Tuition Break, which can cut nonresident tuition at public schools in member states.
No program in Maine
Game Design Schools Near Maine for 2027
Two programs border Maine, and both are in New Hampshire, with Southern New Hampshire University, in Manchester, as the closer at 76 miles from Portland, with a score of 40.3, a 36% completion rate and a net price of $33,163. New England College, in Henniker, is 88 miles away, scoring 40.0 with a 28% completion rate and a net price of $30,280. Both campuses have modest completion rates, which is worth weighing against their price.
New England College is the cheaper of the pair and graduates seven students a year against nine at Southern New Hampshire University. Neither is cheap, and both are private nonprofits. The New England Board of Higher Education Tuition Break is Maine's regional exchange, but no exchange member has a public game program nearby.
Ranked by this site's score. Miles are straight-line distance from Portland (Census Vintage 2024 largest city) to each campus (IPEDS coordinates). Completion and net price are school-wide IPEDS figures.
Manchester, NH · Private nonprofit · Game design program · 76 miles
40.4
#80 of 89 nationally
76 miles from Portland
Private
Online delivery is what makes this bachelor's workable from Portland, Maine, 76 miles from the Manchester campus. Southern New Hampshire University teaches its Game Design & Development B.S. in eight-week terms at $354 a credit, with a studio-inspired concentration in game design, game art or game programming.
Courses are collaborative and studio-style, so students work in cross-functional teams on real game prototypes and build a portfolio as they go. Program faculty maintain a Game Resource Hub of learning materials. Tuition is $16,200 for every student, and aided first-years pay a net price of $33,163 school-wide. The university enrolls 189,531 students, admits every applicant, and about 9 people graduate from this program a year. Earnings for graduates of all majors were $50,318 ten years out across the university.
Henniker, NH · Private nonprofit · Game design program · 88 miles
40.0
#81 of 89 nationally
88 miles from Portland
Private
New England College is 88 miles from Portland, Maine, in the rural town of Henniker, New Hampshire. Its BFA in Animation and Game Design is an art-first degree, aimed at students who want to focus on how animation, game design and digital art look and feel. Students create 2D or 3D animation, digital assets for games and multimedia, and visual and sound effects.
Applicants submit a portfolio of 5 to 15 images through SlideRoom, which can follow the application but must arrive before enrollment. Maine students pay the same private-college tuition of $25,714 as anyone else, and aided first-years across the college pay a net price of $30,280. School-wide completion is 28%, so students should ask about graduation support. About 7 students graduate from the program annually.
Completion
28%school-wide
Net price
$30,280aided first-years
Grads a year
7this program
Earnings
$42,09210 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
These are not game design degrees. Maine 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 Maine
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 16 in Maine, computer science and software first, then digital media and animation, then graphic design, with graduates in 2023-24.
In Maine, the software developer median is $123,120, $12,860 adrift of the national median, and 2,790 workers sit on payrolls in that category. The middle half make $99,200 to $163,150. Prices run about 2.9% below the national average, at a price level of 97.1, so Maine pay is close to its sticker value. Portland is the biggest market, with 69,568 people.
$59,280–$86,230$59k–$86k$59,280 to $86,230, May 2024May 2024
380May 2025
$104,000
Graphic designersWhere many art and UI graduates start
$60,030
$47,840–$74,120$48k–$74k$47,840 to $74,120
560
$62,960
Computer programmersProgramming roles outside software development
$101,780
$96,000–$142,910$96k–$143k$96,000 to $142,910
450
$100,390
Art directorsSenior art leads; rarely a first job
$100,300May 2025
$70,470–$138,120$70k–$138k$70,470 to $138,120, May 2025May 2025
80May 2024
$114,850
BLS doesn't publish special effects artists and animators pay for Maine. Nationally, the median is $102,030. See animator salary › 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 Maine in the current release.
Pay in Maine's Largest Metro Areas
Metro area
Software developers
Web and digital interface designers
Price level
Portland-South Portland
$128,710
$68,700
101.9
Bangor
$104,140
Not published
96.5
Lewiston-Auburn
$117,700
Not published
94.7
Median annual wages, BLS OEWS May 2025, for the state's largest metropolitan areas by total employment, all in Maine. Price level is BEA's Regional Price Parity for 2024, where the U.S. average is 100. 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.
Design data is sparse. The BLS release gives no Maine median for web and digital interface designers, though 380 people hold those jobs, and none for special effects artists and animators. If animation is your goal, you won't find a state benchmark. Computer programmers earn $101,780, $1,390 beyond the national median.
Portland-South Portland is the pay leader. Its software developers earn $128,710, computer programmers $131,960, graphic designers $67,650 and art directors $110,420. Its web and digital interface designers earn $68,700. Bangor's developers earn $104,140 and Lewiston-Auburn's earn $117,700. Portland's price level is 101.9, the only Maine metro above the national average.
Graduates often begin in testing, junior design, interface art or junior programming. Graphic designers earn $60,030 statewide, only $2,930 adrift of the national median, and 560 people hold those jobs. Art directors earn $100,300, though that's rarely a first job.
About 2,790 people work as software developers in Maine. BEA's index puts prices in Maine near the U.S. average, at 97.1.
The game design salary pages explain what each occupation covers and how game studios fit inside it.
Cost in Maine
Paying for School in Maine
Maine has eight public four-year colleges. Tuition averages $9,067 for residents and $21,909 for nonresidents, a $12,842 premium. Average in-state net price after aid comes to $14,162. No public Maine school has a ranked game program, so no game-school tuition figures are published, and the state's own colleges give you no game bachelor's to compare. Check the bill at your target school rather than relying on these state averages.
Public colleges in ME
Figure
Public four-year colleges
8
Average in-state tuition
$9,067
Average out-of-state tuition
$21,909
Average net price, aided in-state students
$14,162
Means across Maine's public four-year degree-granting colleges that offer undergraduate study: tuition from IPEDS for 2023-24 (7 colleges reporting), net price for 2022-23 (7 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 $14,162 on average across 8, against $13,240 in the median state.
The Maine State Grant Program, from the Finance Authority of Maine, is need-based. The New England Board of Higher Education Tuition Break is also available in principle. Ask any out-of-state program you consider whether it's honored for your major.
State Aid in Maine
Maine's main need program for undergraduates is the Maine State Grant Program, run by the Finance Authority of Maine. In its own words: "Administered by FAME, the Maine State Grant Program provides need-based grants to Maine undergraduate students of all ages." Fill out the FAFSA early, since many state programs award money until it runs out.
Tuition Exchanges
Maine belongs to the New England Board of Higher Education Tuition Break. In the program's own words, "66 public colleges and universities in New England participate."
How to Choose a Game Design Program If You Live in Maine
Weigh a short trip against a steep bill. The two New Hampshire schools cost $30,280 and $33,163 net, more than double the $14,162 public average in Maine, and Maine College of Art & Design is worse at $37,132 and scores 41.5 for its animation bachelor's. Visit both campuses if you can, and ask each what share of students finish in four years.
None of these is a public school, and none scores well. If rank matters, look farther than New Hampshire, which is the only neighboring state in the data. Consider a public computer science or art degree at home, but remember it's a related degree, not a game design degree.
Match the field to what you want. On the field question, New England College, along with Southern New Hampshire University, is a game design program, and Maine College of Art & Design is animation. None is in programming, so a programmer should plan on a computer science major and a game portfolio.
Neighboring States
Neighboring stateNew Hampshire2 ranked game bachelor's · 2 programs in allView the New Hampshire guide ›
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Is There a Game Design Bachelor's in Maine?
Maine has no bachelor's game design program in the federal data, so the closest ranked options are in neighboring states. Southern New Hampshire University in New Hampshire scores highest at 40.4, 76 miles from Portland, with 36% completion and a $33,163 net price. New England College in New Hampshire is next at 40.0. Maine belongs to the New England Board of Higher Education Tuition Break, which can cut nonresident tuition at public colleges in member states, though each college picks which programs take part. See the nearby programs, ranked.
What Do Software Developers Earn in Maine?
Software developers, the BLS occupation that counts game programmers, earn a median of $123,120 in Maine, against $135,980 nationally (BLS May 2025). Maine ranks 32 of 51 states with published data for software developer pay, in the middle of the pack. BEA's index puts prices in Maine near the U.S. average, at 97.1. About 2,790 people work as software developers in Maine. See what game jobs pay in Maine.
Is There a Published Animator Wage in Maine?
BLS doesn't publish a recent median for special effects artists and animators in Maine, usually because too few are employed to estimate reliably, so the national median of $102,030 is the closest guide. The occupation covers film, TV and advertising as well as games. In all, 3 animation programs are offered in Maine across every degree level. Maine has one ranked animation bachelor's, led by Maine College of Art & Design. See animator salary for national pay.
What Does the New England Tuition Break Do?
New England College has an average net price of $30,280 a year for aided first-year students (IPEDS), the price after grants rather than the published one. Published tuition is $25,714 for every student, in state or not. It is in New Hampshire, with a school-wide completion rate of 28%. Your own price depends on your family's income, so run the college's net price calculator before you compare it with others. See the nearby programs.
What Game-Related Programs Does Maine Have at Any Level?
Maine has 3 game design, game programming, simulation and animation programs at every level in the federal data: 1 bachelor's, 2 associate and 0 graduate. They sit at 3 colleges, with the most in Portland (1). None is a ranked game design bachelor's, so a bachelor's means an online program or a campus out of state. 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 Maine students. See related programs in Maine.
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.
