Game Design Schools Near Oregon for 2027

From Portland, Irvine is roughly 860 miles away, so this is a program for an Oregon student ready for a long move. The non-resident tuition of $44,148 is $31,888 above the $12,260 California rate, and net price after aid is $14,647 school-wide for first-years.

The reason to travel is the curriculum: computer science fundamentals, statistics and logic, and a sequence that includes game design, game engines and multiplayer games. Electives number nearly thirty. Students build games in teams, in genres that include entertainment, education and training, and finish with a two-quarter capstone. The university has about 37,297 students, and 86% of entering students complete within eight years. Applicants from the Pacific Northwest should note that the department says the major welcomes both experienced gamers and students who are only curious about games.

An Oregon student looking south will find UC Santa Cruz about 591 miles from Portland, a long drive or a short flight. It is a public university in a city setting, and its Bachelor of Science in Computer Science: Computer Game Design joins programming coursework to game design.

Tuition depends on residency. Oregonians are charged $44,148 in published tuition, while California residents pay $12,260, a $31,888 yearly premium for coming from out of state. Net price figures soften that: school-wide, aided first-years pay $16,526 on average. About 139 graduates complete the major each year, and 66% of applicants to the university are admitted. The university enrolls 19,938 students, and 81% of them complete a degree within eight years. Graduates of any major earn a median of $68,396 ten years after enrolling.

Chico is about 403 miles from Portland, reachable by car for Oregon students who want a California public university without going far south. The Bachelor of Science in Computer Animation and Game Development charges them out-of-state tuition of $18,684, which is $12,600 above the $6,084 California residents pay.

The program mixes two disciplines. Animation Production leads into 3D animation or computer-generated imagery, and Game Development teaches level design, scripting and production. Students also use a motion capture lab and join a studio that ships student games. Across the university, 75% of students complete a degree within eight years, and aided first-years pay a net price of $15,187. The university admits 93% of applicants, which keeps admission straightforward for out-of-state students.

At 344 miles from Portland, Boise State is one of the nearest public options in a neighboring state for Oregon students interested in games. The Bachelor of Science in Games, Interactive Media, and Mobile is taught in a city setting.

Oregon students pay $24,859 in published out-of-state tuition, which is $18,740 higher than the $6,119 charged to Idaho residents. The school-wide cost of attendance is $31,191, and aided first-year students pay an average net price of $19,037. Roughly 41 students graduate from the program every year, and 57% of students across the university complete a degree within eight years. The university enrolls 27,198 students and admits 87% of applicants, and graduates of any major earn a median of $51,658 ten years after enrolling.

For an Oregon student the move is 828 miles south to a private campus in Los Angeles. USC charges $69,904 in tuition regardless of residency, so there is no nonresident premium, and net price after aid is $41,496 for aided first-years school-wide.

The major is the B.S. in Computer Science Games, a program that requires at least 3 to 5 units of high school mathematics and one unit of science for admission to the engineering school. The university admits 10% of applicants and reports a 1500 SAT midpoint. About 41 students graduate from the degree annually. Across the university, 93% of entering students complete within eight years, with earnings of $92,498 ten years out for all majors. Students complete two semester-long final game projects, and the degree needs a minimum of 128 units. The cost of attendance before aid is $95,234 school-wide.

Biola sits 840 miles from Portland, so an Oregon student would be relocating to Southern California for the program. The tuition is $48,984 for every student, with no residency premium at this private nonprofit, and aided first-year students pay $30,510 net across the university.

What the move buys is a game design degree that mixes narrative, technical and artistic training, culminating in a portfolio of built games and the studio hours every student completes. The university is accredited by WSCUC, enrolls 5,434 students and admits 74% of applicants. School-wide, 69% of entering students finish within eight years, and earnings ten years after entry average $56,778 across all majors. The program graduates about 6 students a year. The program is taught on campus over a standard four years and 120 credits.

Portland is 815 miles from Burbank, a long trip for an Oregon student, but Woodbury's pitch is a team-based studio setting that mirrors professional production. Artists and designers work side by side on projects, learning to handle fast-changing technology in making and distributing games.

The program also lists a national accreditation that tells employers about its quality. Oregon students pay the same $45,562 tuition as California residents. School-wide, the net price for aided first-years is $31,257, and the admit rate is 82%. The BFA graduates about 10 students a year at a university of 849.

Internships are a required component, and the program lists employers such as Nickelodeon, Activision Blizzard and Disney. The BFA carries a STEM designation. Classes are small, with one-on-one time with accomplished instructors.

San Jose is about 562 miles from Portland, and Oregon students can skip the drive by taking the Bachelor of Arts in Game Design online. The program also runs on campus in Silicon Valley for students who want to live there.

Because this is a private school, tuition does not depend on residency: $21,480 for Oregonians and Californians alike. Students take three courses at a time rather than four and graduate with a portfolio of shipped projects. School-wide, the net price for aided first-years is $30,602 and 52% of students complete a degree within eight years. The college enrolls 477 students, and about 22 graduate from this major annually. The school admits 51% of applicants, and the cost of attendance across the university is $47,302.

DigiPen in Redmond is 151 miles from Portland, close enough for an Oregon student to make a weekend visit. Tuition is $38,600 for all students, since the institute is private for-profit, so Oregon residents pay the same as Washingtonians.

Each year of the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science in Real-Time Interactive Simulation, students join an interdisciplinary team to create a fully playable game from start to finish. As they advance they can focus on physics, networking, code optimization or artificial intelligence. The program is ABET accredited, about 92 students graduate each year, and the school-wide completion rate is 56% within eight years.

Tuition is the same for in-state and out-of-state students, and the net price for aided first-years is $40,015 school-wide. The page also notes that DigiPen is an Unreal Engine Academic Partner.

At 867 miles from Portland, this Laguna Beach college is far from home, so an Oregon applicant would be moving to a small art college on the Southern California coast. The BFA in Game Art & Development lets students choose Game Art or Game Design, works in industry-standard tools, and ends with a portfolio-building capstone.

Because the college is private, tuition is $37,500 a year for all students, and an Oregon resident pays the same as a Californian. The full cost of attendance school-wide is $63,823, while aided first-years pay an average net price of $44,285. The admit rate is 94%, and 67% of entering students across the college complete a degree within eight years. The setting is rural, which is rare among the programs on this list. The Game Design track adds production and documentation work.