Maryland has two ranked game design bachelor's programs, and the stronger one is a public flagship. If you're comparing game design schools in Maryland, University of Maryland-College Park sits at 5 of 89 nationally and costs $15,833 net, while Maryland Institute College of Art, in Baltimore, ranks 78 of 89 at $43,066. This page covers pay, college costs, the state grant and what to do if neither campus fits.
Kevin ToFounder & EditorB.S. in Computer Science, Temple UniversityUpdated
2Game Design Bachelor's Programs Ranked for 2027top score: University of Maryland-College ParkOur ranking
7Game-Related Programs in the State5 bachelor's, 2 associate, 0 graduateIPEDS
$17.3kMedian Net Pricebachelor's schools here, aided first-year studentsIPEDS
University of Maryland-College Park leads at 85.8.2 ranked programs in Maryland, scored on completion, net price and size. It finishes 85% of its students and has a $15,833 net price. Maryland Institute College of Art is next at 42.1.The Ranking ›
Software developers earn $138,680 here.The U.S. median for the same job is $135,980. About 31,350 people work as software developers in Maryland. In Maryland, web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, earn $96,760, which is 7% under the national median of $104,000. Prices in Maryland run 5.0% 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 Maryland run 5.0% 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 $7,730.The Educational Assistance Grant is Maryland's main state grant. Public colleges cost more here than in most states, with aided in-state students paying $15,773 on average across 15, against $13,240 in the median state. Out of state, tuition averages $22,763.Costs ›
City guides: Baltimore.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 ›
Maryland in brief
Key Facts About Studying Game Design in Maryland
Maryland's two ranked programs split cleanly: one public, one private. University of Maryland-College Park offers a simulation program, scores 85.8 with 14 graduates a year. Maryland Institute College of Art offers a game design program, scores 42.0 and graduates 7 a year.
None of the ranked programs is a game programming program, so a student who wants to write engine code will lean on College Park's simulation track. Counting everything game-related, the state lists 7 programs across 6 colleges, including 2 associate programs and no graduate programs. Animation bachelor's options sit at Morgan State University ($15,350 net price) and University of Baltimore ($17,253), plus Maryland Institute College of Art again.
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 Maryland
The 2 Best Game Design Schools in Maryland for 2027
University of Maryland-College Park leads, ranked 5 of 89 in the national game design ranking, with a completion rate of 85% and an average net price of $15,833. One of the 2 is public. The best game design schools ranking shows how these compare with every school in the country.
Each ranked program in Maryland, 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.
For Marylanders, the draw is a flagship campus in a suburban setting with a published in-state tuition of $10,087 a year. Out-of-state students pay $39,464, so residency saves $29,377 annually. Aided first-years pay a net price of $15,833 school-wide.
The B.A. in Immersive Media Design, from the Department of Art, has students take the same core sequence as studio art majors plus computing courses. They create work with virtual and augmented reality, projected imagery and interactive installations. The university has 41,725 students, an admit rate of 45% and a school-wide SAT midpoint of 1465. About 85% of entering students complete within eight years, and 14 graduate from this program a year. The university also has a College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences that co-teaches the major, so Maryland students can pick the artistic or technical track.
Baltimore, MD · Private nonprofit · Game design program
42.1
#78 of 89 nationally
Private
Maryland students pay the same $54,750 in tuition as everyone else at the Maryland Institute College of Art, a private college on a city campus in Baltimore. The Game Design BFA focuses on how games work technically and artistically, with students learning to build cohesive experiences from narrative, design, art, sound and code.
Students can see current students' games before they apply, and the program describes games as their own art form. The college admits 77% of applicants and 77% of entering students finish within eight years. Net price for aided first-years is $43,066 school-wide, and the cost of attendance is $80,500 before aid. About seven students graduate from the program yearly. Students also have access to a sound stage and a professional sound studio for recording, mixing and mastering audio.
Animation bachelor's programs in Maryland, 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.
Programmers do well here and artists do less well. Software developers, the occupation that counts game programmers, have a Maryland median of $138,680, ahead of the national median by $2,700. Designers sit lower, because the web and digital interface designer category, which covers game and UI designers, earns $96,760, or $7,240 below the national median. BLS publishes no game-only wage, so these are the closest categories.
Graphic designersWhere many art and UI graduates start
$75,120
$57,600–$94,930$58k–$95k$57,600 to $94,930
3,050
$62,960
Computer programmersProgramming roles outside software development
$125,570
$93,140–$127,900$93k–$128k$93,140 to $127,900
2,490
$100,390
Art directorsSenior art leads; rarely a first job
$98,400
$80,470–$125,440$80k–$125k$80,470 to $125,440
570
$114,850
Annual wages, BLS OEWS May 2025. The middle half earns between the 25th and 75th percentile.
Pay in Maryland's Largest Metro Areas
Metro area
Software developers
Web and digital interface designers
Special effects artists and animators
Price level
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
$138,900
$96,760
$90,050
104.5
Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV
$122,830
Not published
Not published
94.2
Lexington Park, MD
$132,850
Not published
Not published
100.8
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. 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.
Animation is the soft spot. Special effects artists and animators earn a median of $85,830 in Maryland, $16,200 under the national median, and the state employs only 170. Graphic designers, where many art and UI graduates start, earn $75,120 and are $12,160 above the national median, with 3,050 employed. New graduates commonly begin as QA testers, junior designers, art and UI hires, or junior programmers, so the graphic designer number is a fair first-job reference.
The metro you pick moves the figures. Baltimore-Columbia-Towson pays software developers $138,900 and animators $90,050, the only metro of the three listed with an animator figure. Lexington Park pays computer programmers $112,990, ahead of Baltimore at $106,420. Hagerstown-Martinsburg has the lowest software developer median at $122,830, and BLS publishes nothing there for interface designers or animators.
Maryland is not cheap to live in. Expect to pay for it, because prices about 5.0% above the national average put the state price level at 105. Baltimore sits at 104.5 and Hagerstown-Martinsburg at 94.2, so a smaller metro can soften the cost even when the pay is lower. Software developers are the deepest job pool, with 31,350 employed statewide.
About 31,350 people work as software developers in Maryland. In Maryland, web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, earn $96,760, which is 7% under the national median of $104,000. Prices in Maryland run 5.0% 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 Maryland
Paying for School in Maryland
Public four-year college is the affordable route in Maryland. The state has 15 public four-year colleges where in-state students pay $7,730 in tuition on average and out-of-state students pay $22,763, a premium of $15,033. Net price lands at $15,773 for an aided in-state student.
Public colleges in MD
Figure
Public four-year colleges
15
Average in-state tuition
$7,730
Average out-of-state tuition
$22,763
Average net price, aided in-state students
$15,773
Means across Maryland's public four-year degree-granting colleges that offer undergraduate study: tuition from IPEDS for 2023-24 (13 colleges reporting), net price for 2022-23 (12 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 $15,773 on average across 15, against $13,240 in the median state.
At the schools that actually run game programs, residents pay $7,590 in public tuition and everyone else pays $21,582, a gap of $13,992. Maryland's Educational Assistance Grant, run by the Maryland Higher Education Commission, is need based, so file your aid forms early. Maryland also appears in the Academic Common Market, and Delaware and West Virginia both have public game programs nearby that are worth checking against it.
State Aid in Maryland
Maryland's main need program for undergraduates is the Educational Assistance Grant, run by the Maryland Higher Education Commission. In its own words: "Rawlings Educational Excellence Awards and is a need-based grant that provides financial assistance to eligible applicants enrolled at postsecondary institutions for educational expenses." Fill out the FAFSA early, since many state programs award money until it runs out.
Tuition Exchanges
Maryland 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."
Start with the public and private split. College Park is the public choice at a net price of $15,833, and Maryland Institute College of Art is the private choice at $43,066. Both figures are school-wide, not program-specific, so ask each admissions office what a game student would really pay.
Then decide whether you lean toward code or art. The ranked list has one game design program, one simulation program and no game programming, so a programming-first student should look hard at College Park, where the software developer path pays $138,680 at the median. An art-first student can compare Morgan State University or University of Baltimore for animation, both at lower net prices than the private art school.
If you can stay in state, do. The in-state and out-of-state gap at the game schools is $13,992, which makes College Park a much better deal for a resident than for an outsider. Pennsylvania has 7 game bachelor's programs and Delaware has 2, so those are the first places to look if you want a second option.
Neighboring States
Neighboring statePennsylvania5 ranked game bachelor's · 10 programs in allView the Pennsylvania guide ›
Neighboring stateDelaware2 ranked game bachelor's · 3 programs in allView the Delaware guide ›
Neighboring stateVirginia1 ranked game bachelor's · 4 programs in allView the Virginia guide ›
Neighboring stateWest Virginia1 ranked game bachelor's · 1 programs in allView the West Virginia guide ›
Neighboring stateDistrict of Columbia1 related programs, no game bachelor'sView the District of Columbia guide ›
City guides
Cities in Maryland
One city in Maryland 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.
Baltimore, MD9 programs within 50 miles · 2 ranked game bachelor'sView the Baltimore guide ›
Does Maryland Have Ranked Game Design Bachelor's Programs?
University of Maryland-College Park is the top-ranked game design school in Maryland, 5 of 89 in our national ranking, followed by Maryland Institute College of Art at 78. It finishes 85% of its students and has an average net price of $15,833 for aided first-year students, both school-wide IPEDS figures, and the program graduates about 14 students a year. It is also the lowest-priced of the 2 ranked here. Out-of-state students pay $29,377 more a year in published tuition there. See all 2 ranked Maryland programs in the state ranking.
What Do Game Developers Earn in Maryland?
Software developers, the BLS occupation that counts game programmers, earn a median of $138,680 in Maryland, against $135,980 nationally (BLS May 2025). In Maryland, web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, earn $96,760, which is 7% under the national median of $104,000. Prices in Maryland run 5.0% above the U.S. average on BEA's index, which takes a bite out of both pay and a student budget. About 31,350 people work as software developers in Maryland. See what game jobs pay in Maryland.
Which Maryland Game Program Has the Lowest Net Price?
The lowest-priced ranked option in Maryland is University of Maryland-College Park, 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 Maryland averages $7,730, if a related program at home fits. See paying for school in Maryland.
Do Animators Earn Less in Maryland Than the National Median?
Special effects artists and animators earn a median of $85,830 in Maryland (BLS May 2025), against $102,030 nationally. The occupation covers film, TV and advertising as well as games. In all, 4 animation programs are offered in Maryland across every degree level. Maryland has 3 ranked animation bachelor's programs, led by University of Baltimore. See what game jobs pay in Maryland.
Can I Get In-State Tuition at a Game School in a Nearby State?
Yes, through the Academic Common Market (ACM): Maryland is a member, and in the exchange'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." 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 Maryland's own public colleges averages $22,763 against $7,730 in state. See paying for school in Maryland.
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.
