Game Design Degree Costs: Tuition, Fees and Equipment

Game design degrees are priced in ways that are hard to compare at a glance. One school quotes a price per credit, another a flat rate per semester, another a total for the whole program, and each may add technology fees, program fees or a required laptop on top. A low number on one page and a high number on another may not describe the same thing. This guide explains how to read official tuition pages, using examples published by schools for 2026–2027 and later, and what to add before you treat any figure as your cost.

Four ways tuition is quoted

Every tuition figure in our directory keeps the basis the school printed. Here is what those bases look like in practice:

These are not interchangeable. A per-credit rate is not a total: you need the program's credit count, the number of credits that transfer in, and the chance that the rate changes. DigiPen notes that its online graduate rate of "$1,666 per credit reflects the current academic year and may change in future terms." A per-year price changes each year as well. Laguna College of Art + Design publishes $40,560 for 2026/27 and $42,600 for 2027/28, so a four-year degree is not simply four times the first-year figure.

Program totals are easier to compare but still need a check on what they cover. Full Sail's table lists $67,000 online and $94,000 on campus for the same Game Development BS. UCF's Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy lists a program total of $32,940 in-state and $60,145 out-of-state for its MS in Interactive Entertainment, and says tuition "includes all coursework, materials, supplies, books and a state-of-the art laptop computer."

Residency and student category

Public universities charge by residency, and the gap can be large:

• Kennesaw State lists $192 per credit hour for in-state undergraduates and $722 for out-of-state students in its 2026–2027 table for programs such as the BS in Computer Game Design and Development.
• UCF lists $212.28 per credit hour in-state and $891.07 out-of-state for its Digital Media BA, Game Design track.
• The University of Arizona lists $6,084 per semester in-state and $20,665 out-of-state for its campus BS in Game Development, labeled non-guaranteed, plus college and university fees.

Online programs may use a single rate. Arizona Online lists a cost per credit of $525.00 for its online BS in Game Development. Some schools also publish discounted categories: Champlain College Online lists $297 per credit for alumni, associate degree graduates, veterans and military families, and $250 for military servicemembers. Private schools may separate international students; DigiPen lists a higher flat rate for international undergraduates.

Fees that game programs add

Beyond general university fees, game and art programs often carry their own charges. Examples from official pages:

• Technology fees. Ringling College lists a technology fee of $1,530 per semester in the first year and $2,565 per semester in years two to four of Game Art. SMU's 2026–2027 graduate fee table lists a $5,200 technology fee for its Master of Interactive Technology programs.
• Equipment and program fees. UCF lists an equipment fee of $90 per term for full-time Digital Media students. Shawnee State lists a $100 program fee per semester for Fine Arts/Gaming and for Digital Simulation/Game Programming.
• Program-level tuition. West Virginia University says, "In addition to the rates above, your program will charge college tuition." UW-Stout says its B.F.A. programs "have an additional program-specific tuition."
• Materials. Academy of Art University lists materials and supplies at "$545/average per semester," an estimate.

The opposite also exists. LCAD says its 2026–2027 undergraduate tuition comes "with no additional college fees," and Lindenwood describes its online BA in Game Design tuition as all-inclusive, covering "textbooks, manuals, production materials, lab and technology fees." Read what is included before comparing two numbers.

Laptops and equipment

A game-capable computer is often the largest cost outside tuition. Schools handle it in three ways:

1. Included. Full Sail says its Game Development BS laptop package is included in tuition. UCF's FIEA program total includes a laptop the student keeps.
2. Provided with a deposit. Lawrence Technological University issues a laptop through its laptop program after students "Pay a $500 security deposit."
3. Bought by the student. Utah Valley University suggests computers "in the $1400-2000 range" for its animation and game students, plus a drawing tablet.

Specs vary by program and track; see our guide to hardware for online game design students for what schools publish. A bundled laptop is part of the price, not a gift, so compare it with what you would spend buying your own.

From sticker price to your price

Tuition and fees are only part of the cost of attendance. The U.S. Department of Education's Federal Student Aid Handbook says the books, supplies and equipment part of a school's cost of attendance may include "a reasonable allowance for the rental or upfront purchase of a personal computer." Ask each financial aid office what allowance it uses for game students.

The Department of Education defines net price as "the amount that a student pays to attend an institution in a single academic year AFTER subtracting scholarships and grants." Colleges post net price calculators on their own websites, and the Department's Net Price Calculator Center links to them; they estimate what students like you paid in the previous year. College Navigator from the National Center for Education Statistics lets you look up institutions by state and program. These tools work at the institution level, so use them alongside the program's own pages.

Scholarships and grants reduce what you pay; loans do not, because they must be repaid. See our scholarships page for program-level funding we have verified.

A checklist for comparing costs

• Note the basis (credit, semester, year, program) and the academic year printed with each figure.
• Multiply per-credit rates by the credits you will actually take after transfer credit.
• Add program, technology and equipment fees, and check whether they recur each term.
• Price the required computer, tablet and software, or confirm they are included.
• Confirm your residency category and whether an online rate applies to you.
• Run each school's net price calculator.

When you are ready, compare programs side by side with the compare tool, browse affordable online game design degrees, or start from all online programs. Our methodology page explains how we record tuition.