If you're looking for game design schools near Raleigh, the list starts and nearly ends with one private college: William Peace University, 3 miles from the city center, a game design program and placing 43 of 89. Everything else close by is a community college, which is a perfectly good way to begin. Four-year alternatives sit 67 to 76 miles away.
Kevin ToFounder & EditorB.S. in Computer Science, Temple UniversityUpdated
2Game Programs Within 25 Milesgame design, programming, simulation and animation, all levelsIPEDS locations
4Game Programs Within 50 Milesat 4 collegesIPEDS locations
1Ranked Game Design Bachelor's Nearbyranked, within 50 milesOur ranking
William Peace University leads the metro at 60.1.One ranked program sits inside the Raleigh and Cary metro. Price is its strength: aided first-year students pay $24,503, $1,647 under the ranking's median, though 46% completion trails the 59% median.The Ranking ›
Software developers earn $132,770 here.The U.S. median for the same job is $135,980. About 12,580 people work as software developers in the metro, a heavier concentration than the country as a whole (location quotient 1.56). Pay for web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, in Raleigh sits close to the national median: $102,860 against $104,000.Pay ›
169 software and game publishers in the metro.Concentration 2.87, where 1.00 matches the U.S. Those publishers employ 12,813 people. The metro also has 529 custom programming studios and 59 film, video and animation production companies.Employers ›
In-state tuition starts at $1,824.3 public colleges nearby offer a game-related program. The highest in-state tuition nearby is $2,432, so where you enroll changes the bill a lot.Costs ›
A one-bedroom rents for $1,471 a month.The U.S. median one-bedroom is $1,301. Rent is the big cost in the Raleigh and Cary metro: the median is $1,674 a month, $187 over the U.S. median. The lowest on-campus room and board nearby is $12,198 a year at William Peace University.Living Costs ›
Ranked in Raleigh
The Best Game Design Schools in Raleigh, NC for 2027
William Peace University graduates about 20 students a year in the program and scores 60.0. Published tuition is $33,526, and families end up paying $24,503 on average school-wide after aid. The school-wide completion rate is 46%, which is the number to ask the admissions office about, since fewer than half of students finish.
Having a single ranked bachelor's in the metro means you can't set two Raleigh schools side by side. That puts more weight on the program page, a campus visit and a straight conversation about what the 46% completion figure reflects before you apply.
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 Raleigh.
Raleigh, NC · Private nonprofit · Game design program · 3 miles
60.1
#43 of 89 nationally
3 miles from Raleigh
Private
The William Peace campus is 3 miles from Raleigh, in the city itself, and the program notes numerous simulation and game companies in and around the Triangle area. Students in the Simulation and Game Design B.A. can seek internships nearby, and two students recently took internships with World University Games this spring.
The small university enrolls 722 students, and about 20 of them earn this degree each year. Tuition is $33,526, and net price for aided first-year students is $24,503 school-wide. The SAT midpoint across the university is 1153, and ten-year earnings for graduates of all majors are $46,643.
Cost of attendance before aid is $50,762, and the admit rate is 94%. Every course carries four credit hours, and transfer students can bring up to 90 credit hours.
The rest of the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro and the nearby areas are covered on the North Carolina page.
StateNorth Carolina3 ranked game bachelor's · 14 programs in allView the North Carolina guide ›
More ways in
Other Game Programs in Raleigh
2 more programs inside the Raleigh and Cary 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).
Graphic designersWhere many art and UI graduates start
$61,700
$50,410–$78,940$50k–$79k$50,410 to $78,940
1,040
$58,450
$62,960
Computer programmersProgramming roles outside software development
$86,220May 2024
$46,220–$113,730$46k–$114k$46,220 to $113,730, May 2024May 2024
1,770May 2025
$81,070May 2025
$100,390
Art directorsSenior art leads; rarely a first job
$103,990
$74,470–$138,630$74k–$139k$74,470 to $138,630
200
$90,000
$114,850
Annual wages, BLS OEWS May 2025, for the Raleigh-Cary, NC metropolitan area. 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 the Raleigh and Cary metro in the current release.
Some design roles pay above the state. Web and digital interface designers earn $102,860, ahead of North Carolina's median by $4,870, and art directors earn $103,990, ahead by $13,990. Animators earn $79,360, though only about 100 are counted here, and the state median of $88,350 is higher. Graphic designers earn $61,700. BLS published no metro median for computer programmers, so the state figure of $81,070 is the best guide.
Costs are near average. The metro price level is 98.2, under the national average of 100, though housing runs slightly above at 103.5. Rent is the number to watch when you compare a Raleigh offer with one elsewhere.
About 12,580 people work as software developers in the Raleigh and Cary metro, a heavier concentration than the country as a whole (location quotient 1.56). Pay for web and digital interface designers, where bls counts game designers, in Raleigh sits close to the national median: $102,860 against $104,000. BEA's index puts prices in the Raleigh and Cary metro near the U.S. average, at 98.2.
Raleigh leans toward software, even though the Census Bureau keeps no separate game studio category. Most studios are counted under software publishers, and that industry sits at 2.9 times the national concentration. The count is 169 firms and 12,813 workers. Custom programming studios add 1.8 times the national concentration, from 529 firms and 8,269 workers.
Industry
What it covers
Businesses
Employees
Concentration
Software and game publishers
Software publishers (game publishers and studios are filed here)
169
12,813
2.87
Custom programming studios
Custom computer programming services (contract and co-development studios)
529
8,269
1.85
Film, video and animation production
Motion picture and video production (animation and VFX studios)
59
187
0.27
Graphic design firms
Graphic design services
127
286
1.31
Establishments and March payroll employees in the Raleigh-Cary, NC 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.
The occupation figures are striking. Computer programmers score 4.01 on the location quotient, so they're far more common here than nationally, and software developers reach 1.56. Web and digital interface designers are at 1.42 and special effects artists and animators at 1.07, both more common than nationally as well.
The weak spot is the visual side of production. Animation and film production lags at 27% of the national concentration, and art directors are less common here than nationally at 0.78. A programming-minded student fits Raleigh well, while an animator should expect fewer local studios.
How Common Game-Adjacent Jobs Are in Raleigh
Occupation
Jobs per 1,000
Location quotient
Software developers
16.93
1.56
Web and digital interface designers
1.03
1.42
Special effects artists and animators
0.14
1.07
Graphic designers
1.40
1.10
Computer programmers
2.38
4.01
Art directors
0.27
0.78
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 Raleigh Produces
Programs within 50 miles produce 67 graduates a year, and only 20 are at the bachelor's level. Inside the metro itself, two colleges turn out 55 a year, and the metro has 13,450 core jobs, which puts metro graduates at 0.4%. Wake Technical Community College is the largest source with 35 associate graduates, followed by William Peace University with 20 bachelor's graduates.
The 4 largest game-related programs within 50 miles of central Raleigh by graduates a year, IPEDS completions averaged 2022 to 2024:
That's a thin local supply next to a deep software job market. Still, core jobs are mostly outside games, and the count measures people who finished programs, not people who stayed or found work. Many associate graduates may transfer on to a four-year school elsewhere.
Cost near Raleigh
Paying for School in Raleigh
Every public college within 50 miles is a community college in North Carolina, and the prices are low. Wake Technical Community College charges residents $1,824 and others $6,432, so out-of-staters pay $4,608 more, and its net price is $8,493. The next two share one price sheet of $2,432 and $8,576. Piedmont Community College has a net price of $8,281, Wayne Community College $3,597.
The public colleges within 50 miles that offer a game-related program, all in North Carolina. 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).
North Carolina's grant is the Next NC Scholarship, from the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority. There's no undergraduate regional tuition exchange to lean on, so a program outside the state won't get a discount that way.
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." The North Carolina page covers state aid and public college costs in more detail.
Tuition Exchanges
SREB’s FAQ says that "North Carolina no longer participates in the ACM."
Living costs
Living in Raleigh as a Student
Raleigh's rent sits modestly above the national figure. Median rent is $1,674 in the metro, a modest $187 above the U.S. median. Raleigh one-bedrooms go for $1,471 monthly, which is $17,652 a year. Sharing a two-bedroom at $1,651 brings it to about $826 each. The metro price level is 98.2, just under the national 100, though the housing price level is 103.5.
Monthly rent
Raleigh and Cary metro
U.S.
All rentals, median
$1,674
$1,487
One bedroom, median
$1,471
$1,301
Two bedrooms, median
$1,651
$1,490
Median gross rent (rent plus utilities the tenant pays), American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates, tables B25064 and B25031.
On campus, William Peace University is the only college reporting room and board in this data, at $12,198. The three community colleges have no campus housing. Wake Technical Community College lists $10,134 for off-campus living and Piedmont Community College lists $6,284, so a commuter route can run well under the residence hall figure.
Rent is the big cost in the Raleigh and Cary metro: the median is $1,674 a month, $187 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.
The local mix is one ranked game design program, with nothing a game programming program and no ranked animation bachelor's. For a student who wants to write code, the practical route is computer science plus game projects, or the associate programs. For design, William Peace University is the single ranked answer, and the associate at Wake Technical Community College covers similar ground for less.
Public against private breaks down simply: the only ranked bachelor's is private, and every public choice is a two-year college. Starting at Wake Technical Community College costs $1,824 in tuition for a resident, while William Peace University lists $33,526.
Commuting is easy for the two campuses nearest the city, with William Peace University 3 miles away and Wake Technical Community College 13. Wayne and Piedmont sit at the edge of the 50-mile circle and, as straight-line figures, understate the road. If you plan to live at home, compare that housing price level of 103.5 against a dorm bill before moving near campus.
Admission is rarely the hard part here: 1 of the 2 colleges on this page admits anyone with a high school diploma; William Peace University admitted 94% of applicants for fall 2024. None requires SAT or ACT scores.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Is There a Ranked Game Design Degree in Raleigh Itself?
William Peace University is the top-ranked game design school near Raleigh, scoring 60.1 and ranked 43 of 89 nationally. Price is its strength: aided first-year students pay $24,503, $1,647 under the ranking's median, though 46% completion trails the 59% median. About 20 students a year graduate from it, a mid-sized program by the ranking's standards. It is the only ranked game bachelor's in the metro. See the ranked programs.
What Does a Game Job Pay Around Raleigh?
Software developers, the BLS occupation that counts game programmers, earn a median of $132,770 in the Raleigh and Cary metro, against $135,980 nationally (BLS May 2025). Pay for web and digital interface designers, where game designers are counted, in the Raleigh and Cary metro sits close to the national median: $102,860 against $104,000. BEA's index puts prices in the Raleigh and Cary metro near the U.S. average, at 98.2. See what game jobs pay in Raleigh.
What's the Cheapest Way to Start a Game Degree Near Raleigh?
In-state tuition at public colleges near Raleigh starts at $1,824 a year, at Wake Technical Community College, and runs up to $2,432 at Wayne Community College. Nonresidents pay $6,432 at Wake Technical Community College. 3 public colleges within 50 miles offer a game-related program, and private colleges charge every student the same tuition. After grants, Wayne Community College has the lowest average net price nearby, $3,597, under the $13,240 public average in the median state. See paying for school in Raleigh.
How Far Is Wake Technical Community College From Raleigh?
Wake Technical Community College is 13 miles from central Raleigh. Published tuition is $1,824 for in-state students and $6,432 out of state. It offers a game design program at the associate level that our ranking doesn't score. The program graduates about 35 students a year. It admits any high school graduate, so the program is open to you without an application contest. See the ranked programs.
What Does Rent Cost in Raleigh for Game Design Students?
Median rent in the Raleigh and Cary metro was $1,674 a month in 2024, $187 above the U.S. median of $1,487 (Census ACS). A one-bedroom runs $1,471. On-campus room and board at nearby colleges starts at $12,198 a year at William Peace University, which bundles meals and avoids a lease. BEA's housing index for the metro, 103.5, is near the national 100. See living in Raleigh as a student.
Can I Get Into a Game Design Program Near Raleigh Without Test Scores?
Admission is rarely the hard part here: 1 of the 2 colleges on this page admits anyone with a high school diploma; William Peace University admitted 94% of applicants for fall 2024. 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 Wake Technical Community College, 13 miles from central Raleigh. Each program card shows its college's admission rate where one is reported. See how to choose a program.
Keep exploring
Related Pages
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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.
