The strongest value among game design schools in New York City isn't a game program at all. Fashion Institute of Technology, 7 miles from the center, ranks 8 of 82 for animation with an in-state tuition of $7,170, and New Jersey Institute of Technology is 14 miles away at 2 of 82. The region's three ranked game bachelor's programs are all private, so the public-school bargains here are on the animation side and across the Hudson.
Kevin ToFounder & EditorB.S. in Computer Science, Temple UniversityUpdated
17Game Programs Within 25 Milesgame design, programming, simulation and animation, all levelsIPEDS locations
25Game Programs Within 50 Milesat 18 collegesIPEDS locations
3Ranked Game Design Bachelor's Programs Nearbyranked, within 50 miles; plus 6 animationOur ranking
New Jersey Institute of Technology leads the metro at 85.5.8 ranked programs sit inside the New York, Newark and Jersey City metro. It beats the ranking's medians on both counts: 84% of its students finish, against 59%, and aided first-year students pay $16,736, against $26,150.The Ranking ›
Software developers earn $166,830 here.The U.S. median for the same job is $135,980. About 121,000 people work as software developers in the metro, close to the national share. Web and digital interface designers, where BLS counts game designers, earn $119,190 in New York City, 15% more than the $104,000 national median.Pay ›
1,346 software and game publishers in the metro.Concentration 0.84, where 1.00 matches the U.S. Those publishers employ 52,271 people. The metro also has 5,121 custom programming studios and 2,168 film, video and animation production companies.Employers ›
In-state tuition starts at $4,800.12 public colleges nearby offer a game-related program. The highest in-state tuition nearby is $16,334, so where you enroll changes the bill a lot.Costs ›
A one-bedroom rents for $1,708 a month.The U.S. median one-bedroom is $1,301. Rent is the big cost in the New York, Newark and Jersey City metro: the median is $1,851 a month, $364 over the U.S. median. The lowest on-campus room and board nearby is $11,324 a year at CUNY Hunter College.Living Costs ›
Ranked in New York City
The Best Game Design Schools in New York City, NY for 2027
Eight ranked programs sit inside the metro, and six of them are animation. Fashion Institute of Technology scores 83.4 with 23 graduates a year and an 86% school-wide completion rate. New Jersey Institute of Technology scores 85.5 with 19 graduates, then Montclair State University at 74.8, though Montclair graduates only 3 a year in this program. The private names come next: School of Visual Arts at 50.4 with 80 graduates a year, and Pratt Institute-Main in Brooklyn at 48.8 with 61.
The game lists are thinner. Long Island University (computer game programming) ranks 34 of 89 with a 53% completion rate, and St. John's University-New York ranks 34 of 89 with 4 graduates a year. The School of Visual Arts carries a net price of $59,211, the highest on this page, so its large graduating class doesn't mean a cheap route.
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 New York City.
Newark, NJ · Public · Animation program · 14 miles
85.5
#2 of 82 in animation
14 miles from New York City
Animation
Public
NJIT is 14 miles from New York City, in Newark, and its Digital Design B.A. covers applications from movies and television to advertising and exhibits. Students and faculty exhibit and publish work worldwide, and the program has won international awards for design visualization.
Students new to the program take a Foundation Year with the whole School of Art + Design before specializing. In-state tuition is $16,334, the highest among the 82 animation programs we cover, and out-of-state students pay $34,024. Net price for aided first-years is $16,736 school-wide. About 19 students graduate yearly, and earnings for graduates of all majors were $84,276 ten years out across the university. The admit rate is 65% across the university, which enrolls 13,247 students, and the SAT midpoint is 1335.
Completion
84%school-wide
Net price
$16,736aided first-years
Grads a year
19this program
Earnings
$84,27610 yrs, all majors
In-state tuition
$16,334highest in-state tuition of the 82 ranked in animation
New York, NY · Public · Animation program · 7 miles
83.4
#8 of 82 in animation
7 miles from New York City
Highest completion in New York City
Animation
Public
FIT is in Manhattan, 7 miles from New York City's center in our measure, and its program mirrors the industry's production pipeline in a close-knit community of faculty and students. Thesis projects have included a first-person survival game, and techniques span Unity game design, Maya animation and stop motion.
The college has the highest school-wide completion rate in the city, 86%. Published tuition is $7,170 for New York residents and $21,692 for others, and aided first-years pay a net price of $19,649 against a $37,192 cost of attendance. FIT enrolls 8,206 students and admits 60% of applicants. Ten-year earnings average $62,696 across all majors, and about 23 students finish the BFA each year. Applicants need an AAS degree or 60 credits toward a BFA.
Montclair, NJ · Public · Animation program · 19 miles
74.8
#19 of 82 in animation
19 miles from New York City
Lowest net price in New York City
Net price earns full cost points
Animation
Public
Montclair State is 19 miles from New York City, and its Game Programming B.S. suits students who like the logic behind games: enemy behavior, boss fights, NPC decisions, physics and rendering. Graduates are described as ready for software development, app creation and tech startups as well as game studios.
Net price for aided first-years is $13,880 school-wide, the lowest near New York City among the programs we cover, and in-state tuition is $14,790. The university enrolls 23,375 students, 88% of applicants are admitted, and earnings for graduates of all majors were $61,415 ten years out. About 3 students graduate from this program each year, so expect small advanced classes. The campus is suburban, and the program is taught on campus.
Brookville, NY · Private nonprofit · Game programming program · 21 miles
63.3
#34 of 89 nationally
21 miles from New York City
Technical track: game programming
Private
Brookville is 21 miles from New York City, and the program says that proximity gives students chances to meet key figures in the game industry and shape career opportunities. A student could commute from the city or live on a suburban campus nearby.
The LIU Post BFA is project-based, and its senior game project and capstone thesis can serve as a portfolio piece or an independent commercial project. Tuition is $40,248. School-wide, net price for aided first-years is $22,620, and 53% of entering students complete within eight years. About 13 students graduate each year.
Electives include artificial intelligence and games, computer graphics and human-computer interaction. The SAT midpoint across the university is 1230, the admit rate is 86% and enrollment is 16,689.
Madison, NJ · Private nonprofit · Animation program · 27 miles
62.5
#38 of 82 in animation
27 miles from New York City
Animation
Private
Fairleigh Dickinson's Florham campus is in suburban Madison, New Jersey, 27 miles from New York City, which suits a student who wants a quieter campus with the city within reach. The B.A. in Film and Animation is a cohort program in which students shoot in their first year and work together on production projects. Courses run from Filmmaking I and Cinematic Storytelling to Post Production and Filmmaking II, with screenwriting, advanced production and optional internships, and the capstone is a thesis film. Learning outcomes cover technical film production, film history, film language, screenwriting and the business of television and film.
The sticker price is $36,288 in tuition for every student, with a net price of $26,472 for aided first-years. The Florham campus has 2,885 students and about 13 of them finish this program yearly. Nearly everyone who applies gets in (95%), 64% graduate within eight years, and earnings ten years out reach $57,273 across all majors.
Queens, NY · Private nonprofit · Game design program · 9 miles
57.3
#51 of 89 nationally
9 miles from New York City
Private
St. John's is nine miles from New York City, and its game development degree is built around the city's range of fields: edutainment, simulation, visualization, television and film. The 120-credit program teaches coding, narrative writing, asset production and the social, political and economic impact of games and emerging media.
Students work in the Media Art and Design Lab and the Advanced Graphics Lab, and a program coordinator handles admission questions. Earnings for graduates across all majors at the university were $69,571 ten years after entry. The sticker cost is $77,492 before aid, while aided first-years pay $28,206 on average. About 4 students complete the degree each year, so the cohort is close-knit inside a university of 19,389. Core competencies also include ethical thinking about media.
New York, NY · Private for-profit · Animation program · 6 miles
50.4
#62 of 82 in animation
6 miles from New York City
Largest program in New York City
Animation
Private
SVA is 6 miles from the New York City center, and the department points to film, television and game credits that its students have contributed to, among them Encanto, Stranger Things, Overwatch 2 and Diablo IV. It frames the BFA in 3D Animation and Visual Effects around the same tools used in the film industry, from pipeline thinking to virtual and augmented reality, and notes uses beyond entertainment such as medical visualization and architecture.
The program is among the largest in the city, with about 80 graduates a year. Published tuition is $51,400, school-wide net price for aided first-years is $59,211, and cost of attendance reaches $84,868. SVA is a private for-profit school with 3,812 students, a 76% eight-year completion rate school-wide, and a 93% admit rate.
Brooklyn, NY · Private nonprofit · Animation program · 2 miles
48.8
#65 of 82 in animation
2 miles from New York City
Animation
Private
Pratt sits 2 miles from the New York City center, and the program leans on its surroundings: students explore the cultural offerings of NYC both in and outside class. The School of Art houses this emphasis within Digital Arts, next to a separate 2-D animation emphasis, an art and technology emphasis and a Game Arts BFA. The 3-D track prepares students for the animation and visual effects sector over four years and 126 credits.
Living in the city is expensive. School-wide net price for aided first-years is $51,702, published tuition is $59,821 and the cost of attendance is $83,540. Pratt is private, with 5,356 students and a 73% admit rate. About 61 students a year graduate from the program, 72% of students across the school finish within eight years, and the SAT midpoint is 1270.
The rest of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro and the nearby areas are covered on the New York and New Jersey pages.
StateNew York8 ranked game bachelor's · 29 programs in allView the New York guide ›
Also in the metroNew Jersey1 ranked game bachelor's · 14 programs in allView the New Jersey guide ›
More ways in
Other Game Programs in New York City
16 more programs inside the New York, Newark and Jersey City 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 and tech pay in New York is a mixed picture. Software developers, the group that includes game programmers, earn $166,830 at the median, $30,850 over the national figure and only $650 over New York's. Computer programmers do even better against their state at $126,750, $22,770 above the state median. Art directors reach $142,990, though that's usually a later-career job.
Graphic designersWhere many art and UI graduates start
$79,280
$62,040–$102,060$62k–$102k$62,040 to $102,060
15,160
$77,340
$62,960
Computer programmersProgramming roles outside software development
$126,750
$94,990–$151,470$95k–$151k$94,990 to $151,470
6,670
$103,980
$100,390
Art directorsSenior art leads; rarely a first job
$142,990
$108,780–$198,160$109k–$198k$108,780 to $198,160
8,980
$137,320
$114,850
Annual wages, BLS OEWS May 2025, for the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metropolitan area. The middle half earns between the 25th and 75th percentile.
The animation line is the exception. Special effects artists and animators, the occupation counting game animators and 3D artists, land at $96,760, a figure $5,270 below the national median. That's a useful reality check for the many animation programs on this page: the city pays programmers well, and artists less than you'd guess from the rent. Web and digital interface designers, where game and UI designers fall, earn $119,190, and graphic designers $79,280.
Living costs are the other half. Everyday prices rate 112.6 on a scale where the country sits at 100, and housing rates 148.6. A student weighing a Brooklyn campus against a New Jersey one should price the commute and the apartment together, because the tuition difference can be eaten by rent.
About 121,000 people work as software developers in the New York, Newark and Jersey City metro, close to the national share. Web and digital interface designers, where BLS counts game designers, earn $119,190 in New York City, 15% more than the $104,000 national median. Prices in the New York, Newark and Jersey City metro run 12.6% above the U.S. average on BEA's index, which takes a bite out of both pay and a student budget.
New York's game employment is mostly invisible in the official counts. The Census Bureau has no separate line for game studios. Most land in the software publisher category, which here sits at 84% of the national concentration, slightly under the national mix. The bigger signal is custom programming studios, at 1.3 times the national concentration. It's a big field: 5,121 businesses employing 78,654 people.
Industry
What it covers
Businesses
Employees
Concentration
Software and game publishers
Software publishers (game publishers and studios are filed here)
1,346
52,271
0.84
Custom programming studios
Custom computer programming services (contract and co-development studios)
5,121
78,654
1.27
Film, video and animation production
Motion picture and video production (animation and VFX studios)
2,168
12,928
1.33
Graphic design firms
Graphic design services
1,450
4,605
1.53
Establishments and March payroll employees in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ 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.
Look at the art side too. Animation and film studios reach 1.3 times the national concentration, and graphic design firms reach 1.5 times. By occupation, art directors are the standout, more common in the metro than nationally at a location quotient of 2.77, and web and digital interface designers come in at 2.17. Software developers (1.17) and special effects artists and animators (1.28) are also more common here than nationally.
The takeaway is range. You won't find a single dominant studio industry, but you will find programming shops, motion and design firms, and a big pool of art direction jobs. Some console and mobile game work does exist locally too.
How Common Game-Adjacent Jobs Are in New York City
Occupation
Jobs per 1,000
Location quotient
Software developers
12.75
1.17
Web and digital interface designers
1.58
2.17
Special effects artists and animators
0.16
1.28
Graphic designers
1.60
1.26
Computer programmers
0.70
1.18
Art directors
0.95
2.77
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 New York City Produces
Within 50 miles, game-related programs at every level turn out 469 graduates a year, and 230 of them finish bachelor's degrees. Of those, 446 come from colleges in the metro itself, and the metro holds 137,550 core jobs, a ratio of 0.3%. The biggest single source is CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College with 81 associate graduates, followed by School of Visual Arts with 80 and Pratt Institute-Main with 61 bachelor's graduates.
The 10 largest game-related programs within 50 miles of central New York City by graduates a year, IPEDS completions averaged 2022 to 2024:
Read that 0.3% as a sign the metro's schools are small next to its job base, not as a promise of work. Most of the 137,550 jobs are software and web design roles outside games, so the real game openings are a small slice of the total. Graduates also don't stay put, and the 50-mile total of 469 includes colleges in neighboring metros.
Cost near New York City
Paying for School in New York City
This is a cross-state metro, so in-state tuition flips depending on where you live. Fashion Institute of Technology is $7,170 for New York residents and $21,692 for everyone else, a premium of $14,522. New Jersey Institute of Technology is in New Jersey, so it charges $16,334 to New Jersey residents and $34,024 to New Yorkers, a premium of $17,690. Montclair State University is $14,790 in-state and $24,900 out-of-state. A New Yorker saves more at Fashion Institute of Technology than at either New Jersey school.
The public colleges within 50 miles that offer a game-related program. 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).
The community colleges are the cheap entry point. CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College is $4,800 in-state and $7,680 out-of-state, with a net price of $5,418, and CUNY Hostos Community College is the same tuition. The New Jersey two-year schools like Middlesex College, plus Raritan Valley Community College, charge the same rate to everyone. There's no undergraduate regional tuition exchange, so ask each school's aid office what applies.
State Aid in New York
New York's main need program for undergraduates is the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), run by the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation. In its own words: "Eligible students can receive up to $5,665 to help cover tuition expenses." The New York page covers state aid and public college costs in more detail.
Tuition Exchanges
No regional undergraduate tuition exchange covers New York, so public schools in other states charge their full nonresident rate.
State line
Studying Across the State Line From New York City
The New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro spans New York and New Jersey, so a public college a short drive away can charge you nonresident tuition. 8 of the public colleges listed above are across the line from New York.
State
In-state tuition
Nonresident tuition
Gap
New York
$7,031
$17,217
$10,186
New Jersey
$14,443
$24,904
$10,461
Average published undergraduate tuition at each state's public four-year colleges, 2023-24 (IPEDS IC).
No single regional tuition exchange covers all of these states, so expect the nonresident rate across the line unless a college offers its own discount.
Living costs
Living in New York City as a Student
Rent is the hard part of choosing New York. Renters in the metro pay a median of $1,851, a full $364 above the U.S. median. A one-bedroom there lists at $1,708 monthly, which adds up to $20,496 across twelve months. Splitting a two-bedroom at $1,887 brings it down to $944 each. Price levels run high too, so budget for the whole city and not just the lease.
Monthly rent
New York, Newark and Jersey City metro
U.S.
All rentals, median
$1,851
$1,487
One bedroom, median
$1,708
$1,301
Two bedrooms, median
$1,887
$1,490
Median gross rent (rent plus utilities the tenant pays), American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates, tables B25064 and B25031.
On campus, room and board ranges widely among the 10 colleges that report it. CUNY Hunter College is cheapest at $11,324, and Fashion Institute of Technology is the priciest at $24,623. Pratt Institute-Main sits at $16,710 and School of Visual Arts at $24,200. Housing is thinner at the community colleges: CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College lacks campus housing, and so does CUNY Hostos Community College, so you'd rent privately or live at home.
Rent is the big cost in the New York, Newark and Jersey City metro: the median is $1,851 a month, $364 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.
How to Choose a Game Design Program in New York City
Look at the mix first. Of the three ranked game bachelor's programs here, only one is a game design program and two are programming or simulation, while six animation programs fill out the list. If you want to code, Long Island University, plus Rider University, are your names. If you want to draw, animate or design, the city is packed with options, and the question becomes which one you can afford.
Public versus private is a money question. The public schools run net prices of $19,649 at Fashion Institute of Technology, $16,736 at New Jersey Institute of Technology and $13,880 at Montclair State University, against $28,206 at St. John's University-New York and $51,702 at Pratt Institute-Main. Graduating classes range from 3 or 4 students a year at Montclair State University, 4 at St. John's University-New York and 80 at School of Visual Arts.
Commuting works for most of the inner list. Pratt Institute-Main is 2 miles, School of Visual Arts is 6, and St. John's University-New York is 9, all straight-line. Local studios in the city are places to ask about internships.
Admission is rarely the hard part here: 7 of the 16 colleges on this page admit anyone with a high school diploma, and among the rest fall 2024 admission ran from 54% at CUNY Hunter College to 95% at Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Campus. None requires SAT or ACT scores.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Which of the Best Game Design Schools in New York City Ranks Highest?
New Jersey Institute of Technology has the top-ranked program in New York City, an animation bachelor's scoring 85.5. It beats the ranking's medians on both counts: 84% of its students finish, against 59%, and aided first-year students pay $16,736, against $26,150. About 19 students a year graduate from it, a mid-sized program by the ranking's standards. Fashion Institute of Technology is next at 83.4, one of 8 ranked programs in the metro. The cheapest ranked option in the metro is Montclair State University at $13,880, with 71% completion. See the ranked programs.
How Much Do Game Developers Make in New York City?
Software developers, the BLS occupation that counts game programmers, earn a median of $166,830 in the New York, Newark and Jersey City metro, against $135,980 nationally (BLS May 2025). Web and digital interface designers, where game designers are counted, earn $119,190 in the New York, Newark and Jersey City metro, 15% more than the $104,000 national median. Prices in the New York, Newark and Jersey City metro run 12.6% 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 New York City.
Is In-State Tuition in New York Better Than New Jersey for a New York Resident?
In-state tuition at public colleges near New York City starts at $4,800 a year, at CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College, and runs up to $7,170 at Fashion Institute of Technology. Nonresidents pay $7,680 at CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College. 11 public colleges within 50 miles offer a game-related program, and private colleges charge every student the same tuition. After grants, CUNY Hunter College has the lowest average net price nearby, $4,127, under the $13,240 public average in the median state. See paying for school in New York City.
How Much Does Rent Cost Near New York City Game Design Schools?
Median rent in the New York, Newark and Jersey City metro was $1,851 a month in 2024, $364 above the U.S. median of $1,487 (Census ACS). A one-bedroom runs $1,708. On-campus room and board at nearby colleges starts at $11,324 a year at CUNY Hunter College, which bundles meals and avoids a lease. Housing is the expensive part: BEA puts it at 148.6 against a U.S. average of 100. See living in New York City as a student.
Is It Hard to Get Into a Game Design School in New York City?
Admission is rarely the hard part here: 7 of the 16 colleges on this page admit anyone with a high school diploma, and among the rest fall 2024 admission ran from 54% at CUNY Hunter College to 95% at Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Campus. 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 CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College, 5 miles from central New York City. The median published rate among them is 83%. 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.
