Best Game Design Schools in North Carolina for 2027
Game design schools in North Carolina are all private nonprofits, and all three ranked programs are game design programs. William Peace University, in Raleigh, ranks highest at 43 of 89, then Greensboro College at 55 of 89 and High Point University at 76 of 89. The state's edge is cheap public tuition and low prices, with average in-state tuition at $4,569.
Kevin ToFounder & EditorB.S. in Computer Science, Temple UniversityUpdated
3Game Design Bachelor's Programs Ranked for 2027top score: William Peace UniversityOur ranking
14Game-Related Programs in the State3 bachelor's, 11 associate, 0 graduateIPEDS
$24.5kMedian Net Pricebachelor's schools here, aided first-year studentsIPEDS
William Peace University leads at 60.1.3 ranked programs in North Carolina, scored on completion, net price and size. It finishes 46% of its students and has a $24,503 net price. Greensboro College is next at 54.5.The Ranking ›
Software developers earn $134,710 here.The U.S. median for the same job is $135,980. About 58,470 people work as software developers in North Carolina. In North Carolina, web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, earn $97,990, which is 6% under the national median of $104,000. Living costs work in your favor in North Carolina: BEA puts prices 5.7% 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 North Carolina: BEA puts prices 5.7% below the U.S. average, so a paycheck or a student budget goes further.Prices ›
Public in-state tuition averages $4,569.The Next NC Scholarship is North Carolina's main state grant. North Carolina's public four-year colleges are a good deal: aided in-state students pay $12,324 on average across 18, under the $13,240 median state. Out of state, tuition averages $17,569.Costs ›
City guides: Raleigh, Greensboro and more.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 ›
North Carolina in brief
Key Facts About Studying Game Design in North Carolina
All three ranked programs are private nonprofit, and none is in game programming or simulation. William Peace University graduates 20 students a year at a net price of $24,503 and a 46% completion rate. High Point University graduates 21 but costs $43,578 net, the highest of the three, though its 71% completion rate is also the best.
Greensboro College is the cheapest of the three at $19,783 net, but it graduates only three a year and completes 37%. High Point University ranks 76 of 89, so weigh its price against the fit. Elsewhere, 13 colleges have a game-related program, 14 programs in all, 11 of them associate degrees, with no graduate programs and no animation bachelor's schools in the data.
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 North Carolina
The 3 Best Game Design Schools in North Carolina for 2027
William Peace University leads, ranked 43 of 89 in the national game design ranking, with a completion rate of 46% and an average net price of $24,503. None of them is a public university. The best game design schools ranking shows how these compare with every school in the country.
Each ranked program in North Carolina, 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.
Raleigh, NC · Private nonprofit · Game design program
60.1
#43 of 89 nationally
Private
North Carolina students pay the same $33,526 tuition at William Peace University as anyone else, because the school is private and sets no resident rate. After aid, first-years who receive it pay $24,503 school-wide, and the sticker cost is $50,762.
Every course at Peace is four credit hours and includes immersive learning. In the Simulation and Game Design major, coursework stresses aesthetics, technical skills, computer science, programming languages and audience analysis. Student teams have won a bronze medal at an international serious games conference. About 20 students a year graduate, and the university's admit rate is 94%.
Related majors include interactive design and esports and gaming administration. The SAT midpoint is 1153, and ten-year earnings across all majors are $46,643.
Greensboro, NC · Private nonprofit · Game design program
54.5
#55 of 89 nationally
Lowest net price in North Carolina
Private
North Carolina's lowest net price on this list belongs to Greensboro College, where aided first-years pay $19,783 school-wide. Tuition is $20,900, the same for in-state and out-of-state students, and the school says 99% of students are offered financial aid.
The Games & Interactive Media major lets students choose among five tracks, and career preparation comes through internships, capstone projects and coursework. Students explore game companies' strategies, esports tournaments, and real-world topics such as blockchain gaming. Earnings ten years after entry average $46,566 across all majors school-wide. About three students graduate from the program annually, and 37% of entering students finish within eight years. The college enrolls 967 students, and class sizes run from 10 to 30. Students can also study project management methods such as Agile and SCRUM.
High Point, NC · Private nonprofit · Game design program
44.0
#76 of 89 nationally
Highest completion in North Carolina
Largest program in North Carolina
Private
North Carolina students weighing High Point University should start with the price: it is a private school, so tuition is $39,714 whether a student is from the state or not, and there is no residency discount to chase. School-wide, aided first-year students pay a net price of $43,578, against a $67,986 cost of attendance before aid.
The Game Design B.A. runs 128 credits within the School of Communication, a community of more than 750 students and scholars across 8 disciplines. A game design minor is also offered for students majoring elsewhere. Across the university, 71% of entering students complete within eight years, and the game design program graduates about 21 students a year in a city setting.
Summer research with professors is an option, and a game development club holds game jams through the semester. Ten-year earnings across all majors at the university are $61,389.
Associate and Graduate Game Programs in North Carolina
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.
North Carolina pays close to the national median for programmers and less for most other roles. Software developers, 58,470 of them, have a median of $134,710, which lands $1,270 under the national figure. In the web and digital interface designer group, the median is $97,990, $6,010 below, and computer programmers earn $81,070, $19,320 below.
Graphic designersWhere many art and UI graduates start
$58,450
$46,710–$74,410$47k–$74k$46,710 to $74,410
5,660
$62,960
Computer programmersProgramming roles outside software development
$81,070
$44,030–$105,370$44k–$105k$44,030 to $105,370
4,120
$100,390
Art directorsSenior art leads; rarely a first job
$90,000May 2025
$82,340–$99,690$82k–$100k$82,340 to $99,690, May 2025May 2025
880May 2024
$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 North Carolina in the current release.
Pay in North Carolina's Largest Metro Areas
Metro area
Software developers
Web and digital interface designers
Special effects artists and animators
Price level
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
$135,920
$94,290
$92,340
97.3
Raleigh-Cary, NC
$132,770
$102,860
$79,360
98.2
Greensboro-High Point, NC
$125,190
$77,790
Not published
92.9
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 and art run lower. The animation group has 370 jobs at a $88,350 median, $13,680 below the national median. Graphic designers earn $58,450, and art directors earn $90,000, $24,850 below the national median. Newcomers typically begin as QA testers, junior designers, art and UI assistants or junior programmers, at less than these medians.
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia is the strongest metro: software developers earn $135,920 there, web and digital interface designers $94,290 and animators $92,340. Raleigh-Cary pays web and digital interface designers $102,860 and art directors $103,990, both above Charlotte. Greensboro-High Point pays software developers $125,190 and publishes no animator figure.
Cost of living helps. Prices in North Carolina sit about 5.7% under the national average, a BEA price level of 94.3. Greensboro-High Point is lowest at 92.9, Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia is 97.3 and Raleigh-Cary is 98.2, so a Raleigh design salary goes further than the same figure in a pricier state.
About 58,470 people work as software developers in North Carolina. In North Carolina, web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, earn $97,990, which is 6% under the national median of $104,000. Living costs work in your favor in North Carolina: BEA puts prices 5.7% 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 North Carolina
Paying for School in North Carolina
Public college is where North Carolina gets cheap. Its 18 public four-year colleges charge residents $4,569 in tuition on average and outsiders $17,569, a $13,000 markup. Once aid is counted, in-state students average a $12,324 net price. There's no public tuition figure for the game schools because none of the ranked programs are public.
Public colleges in NC
Figure
Public four-year colleges
18
Average in-state tuition
$4,569
Average out-of-state tuition
$17,569
Average net price, aided in-state students
$12,324
Means across North Carolina's public four-year degree-granting colleges that offer undergraduate study: tuition from IPEDS for 2023-24 (17 colleges reporting), net price for 2022-23 (16 reporting). Net price is what first-year students with grant aid paid after grants.
North Carolina's public four-year colleges are a good deal: aided in-state students pay $12,324 on average across 18, under the $13,240 median state.
The Next NC Scholarship, run by the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority, is need-based. SREB says North Carolina no longer participates in the Academic Common Market, so don't count on a regional discount out of state. The game and animation bachelor schools net a median of $24,503, well above the public college average.
State Aid in North Carolina
North Carolina's main need program for undergraduates is the Next NC Scholarship, run by the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority. In its own words: "The Next NC Scholarship is a financial aid program that helps most North Carolinians from households making $80,000 or less pursue higher education." Fill out the FAFSA early, since many state programs award money until it runs out.
Tuition Exchanges
SREB’s FAQ says that "North Carolina no longer participates in the ACM."
Choosing
How to Choose a Game Design Program in North Carolina
Every ranked program is private, so you won't find a cheap public game design degree in North Carolina, and the real choice is price against fit. William Peace University at $24,503 and Greensboro College at $19,783 are the two lower-cost picks. High Point University costs $43,578 net, so only consider it if aid changes that number.
All ranked programs are game design, so if you want to program you'll likely need an online degree or a computer science major at a public school with game electives, and you'd have to check each course list. Game Programming (BS) at University of Advancing Technology, online, costs $21,148 net.
Leaving the state is a harder sell, since no ranked program here is public and the in-state bargain lies in the public colleges, not the game schools. Georgia has two game bachelor's programs, Tennessee and Virginia have one each, and South Carolina has none. Because North Carolina doesn't take part in the Academic Common Market, out-of-state public tuition would apply. Staying put and using the state's price level of 94.3 is often easier on the budget.
Neighboring States
Neighboring stateGeorgia2 ranked game bachelor's · 6 programs in allView the Georgia guide ›
Neighboring stateTennessee1 ranked game bachelor's · 3 programs in allView the Tennessee guide ›
Neighboring stateVirginia1 ranked game bachelor's · 4 programs in allView the Virginia guide ›
Neighboring stateSouth CarolinaNo programs; the guide lists the nearestView the South Carolina guide ›
City guides
Cities in North Carolina
4 cities in North Carolina have their own guides, ranking every program inside the metro and within 50 miles of the city center (100 miles for a large city with few programs close by), with distances, metro pay and nearby public college costs.
Charlotte, NC8 programs within 100 miles · 2 ranked game bachelor'sView the Charlotte guide ›
Greensboro, NC4 programs within 50 miles · 2 ranked game bachelor'sView the Greensboro guide ›
Raleigh, NC4 programs within 50 miles · 1 ranked game bachelor'sView the Raleigh guide ›
Fayetteville, NC2 programs within 50 miles · 0 ranked game bachelor'sView the Fayetteville guide ›
William Peace University is the top-ranked game design school in North Carolina, 43 of 89 in our national ranking, followed by Greensboro College at 55. It finishes 46% of its students and has an average net price of $24,503 for aided first-year students, both school-wide IPEDS figures, and the program graduates about 20 students a year. The cheapest ranked option is Greensboro College at $19,783, though it finishes 37% of students. See all 3 ranked North Carolina programs in the state ranking.
What Are Game Designer Wages in North Carolina?
In North Carolina, web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, earn $97,990, which is 6% under the national median of $104,000. Software developers, the BLS occupation that counts game programmers, earn a median of $134,710 in North Carolina, against $135,980 nationally (BLS May 2025). Living costs work in your favor in North Carolina: BEA puts prices 5.7% below the U.S. average, so a paycheck or a student budget goes further. About 58,470 people work as software developers in North Carolina. See what game jobs pay in North Carolina.
Which North Carolina School Has the Lowest Net Price?
The lowest-priced ranked option in North Carolina is Greensboro College, at an average net price of $19,783 a year for aided first-year students. The catch is completion: 37% of its students finish, under the 59% median, and a program you don't finish costs more than its sticker. Public in-state tuition in North Carolina averages $4,569, if a related program at home fits. See paying for school in North Carolina.
Does North Carolina Have a Tuition Exchange?
Not through a regional exchange: North Carolina isn't in one for bachelor's students, so out-of-state public colleges charge their nonresident rate. 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 North Carolina's own public colleges averages $17,569 against $4,569 in state. See paying for school in North Carolina.
Is North Carolina a Cheap Place to Live?
North Carolina is cheaper than average to live in: overall prices run at 94.3 on BEA's Regional Price Parities, where the U.S. average is 100, and housing at 81.4. Housing pulls the cost down most, at 81.4 on BEA's housing index against 100 nationally. North Carolina's public four-year colleges are a good deal: aided in-state students pay $12,324 on average across 18, under the $13,240 median state. The city guides show local rent and room and board. See what game jobs pay in North Carolina.
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.
