If you're looking at game design schools in New Jersey, the list is short: one ranked bachelor's program, Rider University, which sits at 31 of 89 nationally and is a simulation program. The stronger story is pay, since software developers here earn a median of $135,940. New Jersey Institute of Technology, Montclair State University, Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Campus add animation bachelor's options on the art side.
Kevin ToFounder & EditorB.S. in Computer Science, Temple UniversityUpdated
1Game Design Bachelor's Ranked for 2027top score: Rider UniversityOur ranking
14Game-Related Programs in the State4 bachelor's, 9 associate, 1 graduateIPEDS
$21.6kMedian Net Pricebachelor's schools here, aided first-year studentsIPEDS
Rider University leads at 64.0.It is the only ranked program in New Jersey, scored on completion, net price and size. It finishes 66% of its students and has a $26,618 net price.The Ranking ›
Software developers earn $135,940 here.The U.S. median for the same job is $135,980. About 51,570 people work as software developers in New Jersey. In New Jersey, web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, earn $95,310, which is 8% under the national median of $104,000. Prices in New Jersey run 8.8% 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 New Jersey run 8.8% 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 $14,443.The Tuition Aid Grant is New Jersey's main state grant. Public colleges cost more here than in most states, with aided in-state students paying $17,358 on average across 14, against $13,240 in the median state. Out of state, tuition averages $24,904.Costs ›
New Jersey in brief
Key Facts About Studying Game Design in New Jersey
New Jersey has one ranked game bachelor's program, and it's private. Rider University scores 63.9, graduates 16 students a year and has a 66% completion rate, with a net price of $26,618. It's a simulation program, not game design, so read the course list before you assume it matches what you want to build.
Across the state, 16 game-related programs sit at 11 colleges, including 10 associate programs and one graduate program. The animation bachelor's schools score well: New Jersey Institute of Technology at 85.5, Montclair State University at 74.8 and Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Campus at 62.4. Those are animation degrees, not game design, so treat them as an art route into studios.
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 New Jersey
The Game Design School in New Jersey for 2027
Rider University leads, ranked 31 of 89 in the national game design ranking, with a completion rate of 66% and an average net price of $26,618. 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.
Lawrenceville, NJ · Private nonprofit · Simulation program
64.0
#31 of 89 nationally
Technical track: simulation
Private
For New Jersey students, Rider is a Lawrenceville campus halfway between New York City and Philadelphia, a location the university points to for internships and jobs. Its B.A. in Game & Interactive Media Design is one of the only game design bachelor's programs in the state, with new game design labs on campus.
Tuition is $39,700 for everyone, state residents included, but the school-wide net price for aided first-years is $26,618. The suburban campus enrolls 4,003 students. Roughly 16 people graduate from the major each year, and across the university earnings for graduates of all majors reached $62,208 ten years out. Admission paths include first-year, transfer and continuing education applicants. Rider also lists a continuing education route for adult learners, including veterans.
Animation bachelor's programs in New Jersey, 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.
Associate and Graduate Game Programs in New Jersey
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.
New Jersey pays about what the rest of the country does for programmers and a little less for designers. Game programmers are counted as software developers, and New Jersey's median for them is $135,940, only $40 short of the national median. Computer programmers earn $104,940, or $4,550 above the national median. Game designers and UI designers land in the web and digital interface designer group, which pays $95,310, or $8,690 below the national median.
$84,260–$162,040$84k–$162k$84,260 to $162,040, May 2024May 2024
320May 2025
$102,030
Graphic designersWhere many art and UI graduates start
$73,790
$59,150–$92,040$59k–$92k$59,150 to $92,040
5,670
$62,960
Computer programmersProgramming roles outside software development
$104,940
$88,690–$147,790$89k–$148k$88,690 to $147,790
3,930
$100,390
Art directorsSenior art leads; rarely a first job
$129,200
$101,450–$163,540$101k–$164k$101,450 to $163,540
1,840
$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 New Jersey in the current release.
Pay in New Jersey's Largest Metro Areas
Metro area
Software developers
Web and digital interface designers
Price level
Trenton-Princeton
$128,770
$87,530
103.2
Atlantic City-Hammonton
$126,670
$76,110
98.9
Vineland
$123,920
Not published
96
Median annual wages, BLS OEWS May 2025, for the state's largest metropolitan areas by total employment, all in New Jersey. 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.
Art roles do better. Graphic designers earn $73,790 and art directors earn $129,200, though art director is rarely a first job. BLS publishes no median for special effects artists and animators in New Jersey, only a headcount of 320, so don't expect a state wage for animation. The usual first jobs for game design graduates are QA tester, junior designer, art or UI assistant and junior programmer, with promotion after that.
Metros matter. In Trenton-Princeton, software developers earn $128,770 and computer programmers earn $110,990, the best programmer figure of the three metros listed. Atlantic City-Hammonton pays software developers $126,670 and art directors $107,770. Vineland publishes only a software developer wage, $123,920. Employment is deepest in software, with 51,570 developers statewide against 2,170 web and digital interface designers.
Cost of living pulls the other way. Living here costs more: BEA's price level for the state is 108.8, or about 8.8% above the national average, so a salary near the national median buys less here. The metros are cheaper than the state as a whole, with Vineland at 96 and Atlantic City-Hammonton at 98.9.
About 51,570 people work as software developers in New Jersey. In New Jersey, web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, earn $95,310, which is 8% under the national median of $104,000. Prices in New Jersey run 8.8% 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 New Jersey
Paying for School in New Jersey
Public four-year colleges are the cheapest way in. New Jersey has 14 of them. Residents pay $14,443 in tuition on average, and students from elsewhere pay $24,904, which adds $10,461 for outsiders. After aid, an in-state student pays $17,358 on average. Near the game schools, public tuition runs $15,562 for residents and $29,462 for everyone else, a gap of $13,900.
Public colleges in NJ
Figure
Public four-year colleges
14
Average in-state tuition
$14,443
Average out-of-state tuition
$24,904
Average net price, aided in-state students
$17,358
Means across New Jersey's public four-year degree-granting colleges that offer undergraduate study: tuition from IPEDS for 2023-24 (14 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 $17,358 on average across 14, against $13,240 in the median state.
The Tuition Aid Grant, run by the New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority, is the main state aid to check. It's need-based, so your family's finances decide what you get, and you should file aid forms early. New Jersey has no tuition exchange, so crossing a border for a cheaper public school earns no regional discount. Across the state's game and animation bachelor schools the median net price is $21,604.
State Aid in New Jersey
New Jersey's main need program for undergraduates is the Tuition Aid Grant, run by the New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority. In its own words: "Since 1978, the TAG program has played a central role in New Jersey’s commitment to making postsecondary education more affordable and supporting economic mobility." Fill out the FAFSA early, since many state programs award money until it runs out.
Tuition Exchanges
No regional undergraduate tuition exchange covers New Jersey, so public schools in other states charge their full nonresident rate.
Choosing
How to Choose a Game Design Program in New Jersey
The public and private split is lopsided. The only ranked game program, Rider University, is private nonprofit, and the state has zero public ranked programs. If a public school matters to you, the animation schools are the nearest thing, but remember they teach animation and not game design.
Field matters too. Rider University offers a simulation program, with nothing ranked in game design or game programming, so programmers should compare its curriculum with the online programming options. Artists have more choice: New Jersey Institute of Technology has the highest animation score at 85.5 and a net price of $16,736, and Montclair State University costs $13,880 net.
Look across the border if Rider University doesn't fit. New York has eight game bachelor's programs, Pennsylvania has seven and Delaware has two. Out-of-state public tuition runs $13,900 higher than in-state at the game schools here, so compare net prices before you commit to a school outside the state.
Neighboring States
Neighboring stateNew York8 ranked game bachelor's · 29 programs in allView the New York guide ›
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 ›
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Does New Jersey Have Game Design Schools?
Rider University is the top-ranked game design school in New Jersey, 31 of 89 in our national ranking. It finishes 66% of its students and has an average net price of $26,618 for aided first-year students, both school-wide IPEDS figures, and the program graduates about 16 students a year. It's the only ranked game bachelor's in New Jersey, out of 14 game-related programs in the state at every level. See its full profile in the state ranking.
What Do Game Designers Earn in New Jersey?
In New Jersey, web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, earn $95,310, which is 8% under the national median of $104,000. Software developers, the BLS occupation that counts game programmers, earn a median of $135,940 in New Jersey, against $135,980 nationally (BLS May 2025). Prices in New Jersey run 8.8% above the U.S. average on BEA's index, which takes a bite out of both pay and a student budget. About 51,570 people work as software developers in New Jersey. See what game jobs pay in New Jersey.
Which Route to a Game Degree Costs Least for New Jersey Students?
The lowest-priced ranked option in New Jersey is Rider University, at an average net price of $26,618 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 New Jersey averages $14,443, if a related program at home fits. See paying for school in New Jersey.
Does New Jersey Offer State Aid for College?
New Jersey's main state grant for undergraduates is the Tuition Aid Grant, run by the New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority. In its own words: "Since 1978, the TAG program has played a central role in New Jersey’s commitment to making postsecondary education more affordable and supporting economic mobility." State grants usually require you to study at an eligible college in New Jersey, 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 $17,358 after grants. See paying for school in New Jersey.
How Much More Do Out-of-State Students Pay in New Jersey?
Out-of-state students pay about $10,461 more a year in tuition at New Jersey's public four-year colleges, where in-state tuition averages $14,443 against $24,904 for nonresidents (IPEDS 2023-24). After grants, aided in-state students pay an average net price of $17,358. New Jersey isn't in a regional tuition exchange for bachelor's students, so public colleges elsewhere charge you their out-of-state rate. See paying for school in New Jersey.
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.
