Washington pays game workers better than the national median in every role we track, and the game design schools in Washington reflect a split market. DigiPen Institute of Technology (Redmond) graduates 92 students a year but costs $40,015 after aid and ranks 74 of 89. Lake Washington Institute of Technology offers a public animation bachelor's at $8,545, and Cornish College of the Arts adds a small design program in Seattle.
Kevin ToFounder & EditorB.S. in Computer Science, Temple UniversityUpdated
2Game Design Bachelor's Programs Ranked for 2027top score: DigiPen Institute of TechnologyOur ranking
9Game-Related Programs in the State5 bachelor's, 2 associate, 2 graduateIPEDS
$40.0kMedian Net Pricebachelor's schools here, aided first-year studentsIPEDS
DigiPen Institute of Technology leads at 47.3.2 ranked programs in Washington, scored on completion, net price and size. It finishes 56% of its students and has a $40,015 net price. Cornish College of the Arts is next at 31.0.The Ranking ›
Software developers earn $166,540 here.The U.S. median for the same job is $135,980. About 107,030 people work as software developers in Washington. Web and digital interface designers, where BLS counts game designers, earn $130,480 in Washington, 25% more than the $104,000 national median. Prices in Washington run 7.0% 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 Washington run 7.0% 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 $5,255.The Washington College Grant is Washington's main state grant. Washington's public four-year colleges are a good deal: aided in-state students pay $11,223 on average across 42, under the $13,240 median state. Out of state, tuition averages $11,487.Costs ›
City guides: Seattle.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 ›
Washington in brief
Key Facts About Studying Game Design in Washington
Washington has two ranked bachelor's programs, both private. DigiPen Institute of Technology files under simulation, scores 47.2, completes 56% of its students and graduates 92 a year, the largest class in the state. Cornish College of the Arts files under game design, ranks 89 of 89, and graduates two a year, so it is a very small program.
The public option is animation. Lake Washington Institute of Technology has a 75.2 score and an $8,545 net price, far below the $40,015 charged by DigiPen Institute of Technology, or the $40,164 charged by Cornish College of the Arts, and altogether Washington has 9 game-related programs at five colleges, including three associate programs and two graduate programs.
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 Washington
The 2 Best Game Design Schools in Washington for 2027
DigiPen Institute of Technology leads, ranked 74 of 89 in the national game design ranking, with a completion rate of 56% and an average net price of $40,015. 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 Washington, 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.
Redmond, WA · Private for-profit · Simulation program
47.3
#74 of 89 nationally
Technical track: simulation
Private
For Washington residents, DigiPen offers a single price: $38,600 in tuition whether a student is from Redmond or from out of state, because it is a private for-profit institute. The campus is in a city, and the institute enrolls only 1,084 students.
The Bachelor of Science in Computer Science in Real-Time Interactive Simulation is the largest program in the state on this list, with about 92 graduates a year. It begins with low-level programming, builds toward custom game engines, and requires team game projects each year. School-wide, the net price for aided first-years is $40,015, the admit rate is 64%, and 56% of students finish within eight years.
Earnings for graduates of all majors are $79,878 ten years after enrolling, school-wide, and the cost of attendance is $65,001. The degree is ABET accredited, and the institute is an Unreal Engine Academic Partner.
Seattle, WA · Private nonprofit · Game design program
31.0
#89 of 89 nationally
Private
Cornish takes an art-centric approach to making games. Its BFA in Game Art balances artistic skill with design and technology, so students develop a portfolio of varied work and a capstone project in the final year. They learn industry-standard art software, and they make games individually and in teams.
The college is private and in the city of Seattle, and Washington residents pay the same published tuition of $40,038 as everyone else. Aided first-years across the college pay $40,164 net, while the school-wide cost of attendance is $62,814. Enrollment is only 505 students, and the completion rate is 54%. The program is small, with about 2 graduates a year, and its courses frame games as cultural media, with historical, political and aesthetic aspects.
Animation bachelor's programs in Washington, 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 Washington
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.
Washington sits above the national median on all six occupations. Software developers have a median of $166,540, ahead by $30,560, across 107,030 jobs. Computer programmers have $125,620, ahead by $25,230. Game designers are counted with interface designers, who have $130,480, ahead by $26,480 across 11,580 jobs, and animators and effects artists have $133,480, ahead by $31,450.
Graphic designersWhere many art and UI graduates start
$72,710
$57,390–$93,490$57k–$93k$57,390 to $93,490
3,960
$62,960
Computer programmersProgramming roles outside software development
$125,620
$106,040–$142,440$106k–$142k$106,040 to $142,440
2,540
$100,390
Art directorsSenior art leads; rarely a first job
$121,170
$82,790–$157,140$83k–$157k$82,790 to $157,140
650
$114,850
Annual wages, BLS OEWS May 2025. The middle half earns between the 25th and 75th percentile.
Pay in Washington's Largest Metro Areas
Metro area
Software developers
Web and digital interface designers
Special effects artists and animators
Price level
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue
$167,280
$133,760
$134,120
111.1
Spokane-Spokane Valley
$130,690
$92,790
$77,310May 2023
100.3
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater
$124,060
$95,070
Not published
103.7
Median annual wages, BLS OEWS May 2025, for the state's largest metropolitan areas by total employment, all in Washington. Price level is BEA's Regional Price Parity for 2024, where the U.S. average is 100. Figures tagged May 2023 are from that earlier BLS release, because BLS didn't publish one for that metro area in the current release. 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.
The art side is solid too. Graphic designers have a median of $72,710, art directors have $121,170 across 650 jobs, and both beat the national figures. The state is a rare place where a design or animation graduate can see a salary like a developer's, though the number of art-director jobs stays small.
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue pays the most: developers $167,280, interface designers $133,760, animators $134,120, graphic designers $76,720 and art directors $124,610. BLS publishes no programmer figure for the metro. Spokane pays programmers $125,240, which is almost level with the state median, and Olympia pays developers $124,060 and interface designers $95,070.
Pay comes with a price tag. Everyday costs run about 7.0% above the national average (state level 107), and Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue is higher still at 111.1. Spokane is the cheaper choice at 100.3 and Olympia sits at 103.7. Entry points include QA tester, junior designer, art assistant and junior programmer, and DigiPen alumni land in all of them.
About 107,030 people work as software developers in Washington. Web and digital interface designers, where BLS counts game designers, earn $130,480 in Washington, 25% more than the $104,000 national median. Prices in Washington run 7.0% 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 Washington
Paying for School in Washington
Washington's 42 public four-year colleges are the low-cost part of the picture. Residents pay $5,255 on average and nonresidents pay $11,487, a premium of $6,232. Residents with aid land near $11,223 after grants. Restricted to schools with a game or animation bachelor's, resident tuition is $3,291 and out-of-state is $8,804, a difference of $5,513.
Public colleges in WA
Figure
Public four-year colleges
42
Average in-state tuition
$5,255
Average out-of-state tuition
$11,487
Average net price, aided in-state students
$11,223
Means across Washington's public four-year degree-granting colleges that offer undergraduate study: tuition from IPEDS for 2023-24 (42 colleges reporting), net price for 2022-23 (42 reporting). Net price is what first-year students with grant aid paid after grants.
Washington's public four-year colleges are a good deal: aided in-state students pay $11,223 on average across 42, under the $13,240 median state.
Apply for the Washington College Grant, a need-based award from the Washington Student Achievement Council, as the state aid to check, and then look at the exchange. The Western Undergraduate Exchange also covers Washington, and Idaho is listed as having public game programs nearby. That helps Washingtonians looking east, and it helps Idaho students looking west.
State Aid in Washington
Washington's main need program for undergraduates is the Washington College Grant, run by the Washington Student Achievement Council. In its own words: "WA Grant gives eligible people more money for more types of education and training beyond high school." Fill out the FAFSA early, since many state programs award money until it runs out.
Tuition Exchanges
Washington belongs to the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE). In the program's own words, "WUE enables eligible students to enroll as nonresidents in 170 participating public colleges and universities and pay 150% (or less) of the enrolling institution’s resident tuition."
The two ranked programs cost almost the same, $40,015 at DigiPen Institute of Technology and $40,164 at Cornish College of the Arts, so the choice is about focus. DigiPen Institute of Technology is technical and large, with 92 graduates a year. Cornish College of the Arts is an arts college in Seattle with two graduates a year, so you'd be one of very few game majors.
If cost matters, look first at Lake Washington Institute of Technology, which at $8,545 after aid is a fraction of the private price, and its animation score of 75.2 is the highest in the state. It isn't a game design degree, so confirm what the curriculum covers and whether it leads to the roles you want.
Don't assume private means better outcomes. The completion rates (56% and 54%) are school-wide, and Washington's high pay applies to the whole industry, not just those two schools. A public computer science or art degree plus a strong portfolio may cost $11,223 on average after aid and compete well for the same jobs. Ask each school how many of its recent graduates work in Washington studios, because that placement figure tells you more than the national rank does.
Neighboring States
Neighboring stateIdaho1 ranked game bachelor's · 2 programs in allView the Idaho guide ›
Neighboring stateOregon2 related programs, no game bachelor'sView the Oregon guide ›
City guides
Cities in Washington
One city in Washington has its own guide, ranking every program inside the metro and within 50 miles of the city center, with distances, metro pay and nearby public college costs.
Seattle, WA9 programs within 50 miles · 2 ranked game bachelor'sView the Seattle guide ›
DigiPen Institute of Technology is the top-ranked game design school in Washington, 74 of 89 in our national ranking, followed by Cornish College of the Arts at 89. It finishes 56% of its students and has an average net price of $40,015 for aided first-year students, both school-wide IPEDS figures, and the program graduates about 92 students a year. It is also the lowest-priced of the 2 ranked here. See all 2 ranked Washington programs in the state ranking.
What Do Game Designers Earn in Washington?
Web and digital interface designers, where BLS counts game designers, earn $130,480 in Washington, 25% more than the $104,000 national median. Software developers, the BLS occupation that counts game programmers, earn a median of $166,540 in Washington, against $135,980 nationally (BLS May 2025). Prices in Washington run 7.0% above the U.S. average on BEA's index, which takes a bite out of both pay and a student budget. About 107,030 people work as software developers in Washington. See what game jobs pay in Washington.
What Is the Cheapest Game-Related School in Washington?
The lowest-priced ranked option in Washington is DigiPen Institute of Technology, at an average net price of $40,015 a year for aided first-year students. The catch is completion: 56% 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 Washington averages $5,255, if a related program at home fits. See paying for school in Washington.
Does Washington Have a State Grant?
Washington's main state grant for undergraduates is the Washington College Grant, run by the Washington Student Achievement Council. In its own words: "WA Grant gives eligible people more money for more types of education and training beyond high school." State grants usually require you to study at an eligible college in Washington, 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 $11,223 after grants. See paying for school in Washington.
Is Washington Expensive to Live In?
Washington is more expensive than average to live in: overall prices run at 107 on BEA's Regional Price Parities, where the U.S. average is 100, and housing at 126. Housing is the steep part, at 126 on BEA's housing index against 100 nationally. Washington's public four-year colleges are a good deal: aided in-state students pay $11,223 on average across 42, under the $13,240 median state. The city guides show local rent and room and board. See what game jobs pay in Washington.
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.
