DigiPen Institute of Technology has been ranked No. 4 on The Princeton Review’s annual list of the top 50 undergraduate schools for game design in 2019, as well as No. 6 on the list of top 25 graduate schools. This marks the 10th anniversary of The Princeton Review’s inaugural ranking of the best game design schools and the 10th consecutive year that DigiPen has been named as a Top 5 school.
“This is a tremendous honor for DigiPen as we celebrate our 30th year as an institution,” Christopher Comair, Chief Operating Officer for the Redmond campus, said. “When our family founded DigiPen in 1988 and we launched our first educational programs in game programming and 3D computer animation, we had no idea what kind of a lasting impact our students and alumni would make on the emerging video game industry. Even today, we are amazed at the incredible contributions our graduates are bringing to the world of AI, audio programming, VR and AR technology, and so much more. We are proud of the educational model we’ve created here at DigiPen and thankful to The Princeton Review for recognizing our programs these past 10 years.”
The Princeton Review rankings were chosen based on a survey of 150 schools in the U.S., Canada, and abroad offering game design programs or courses. The survey gathered data on a wide range of areas and indicators, such as course offerings, game lab facilities, faculty research, alumni success, and more. More than 40 data points in four areas (academics, faculty, technology, and career prospects) were evaluated.
You can read the full report and rankings on The Princeton Review website, which includes profiles of the schools with application information and links to the school sites. Readers of PC Gamer magazine will also find information about the 2019 rankings in the upcoming May issue.
“The schools that made our lists this year have stellar programs for aspiring game designers and developers,” Robert Franek, The Princeton Review’s Editor-in-Chief, said in their press release. “Their faculties are outstanding and their facilities are awesome. Just as impressive: Their alumni include many of the video game industry’s most prominent artists, designers, developers, and entrepreneurs.”
The Princeton Review developed its “Top Game Design Schools” project in 2009 with assistance from a national advisory board that helped design the survey instrument and methodology. Board members included administrators and faculty from respected game design programs and professionals from some of the top gaming companies.
The Princeton Review is also known for its annual rankings of colleges, business schools, and law schools in dozens of categories, as well as its book publications, which include The Best 382 Colleges and Colleges That Pay You Back. The company is not affiliated with Princeton University.