Laguna College of Art and Design · Game Development

Game Development

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Game Development

Bachelor'sBFAGame DevelopmentDedicated degree

Overview

A four-year, 120-credit BFA in which students choose a Game Art or Game Design track, work on interdisciplinary development teams and complete an individual capstone project. Admission requires a portfolio submitted with the free online application; admission is rolling with a December 1 priority date.

Official program title: Game Development
Exact award: Bachelor of Fine Arts in Game Development
Source: lcad.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Degree level: Bachelor's
Discipline: Game Development Game Art
Degree type: Dedicated degree
School and department: Laguna College of Art and Design — Game Development
Source: lcad.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Location: Laguna Beach, CA
Tracks and concentrations: Game Art · Game Design
Source: lcad.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Why this program is listed

Dedicated BFA in Game Development with Game Art and Game Design tracks.

Source: lcad.edu · verified October 12, 2026

We list dedicated game degrees and officially named game concentrations at institutionally accredited US schools. Eligibility rules

Format, length and attendance

Delivery, campus attendance, schedule and study intensity are separate facts, each shown only as the school states it. Online coursework does not by itself mean there is no residency, exhibition, internship or proctored exam.

Delivery: On campusClasses meet on campus.
Source: lcad.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Campus attendance: Regular campus attendanceClasses meet on campus (campus and hybrid programs).
Study intensity: Not published
Duration: four-year curriculum
Source: lcad.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Credits: 120 credits
Source: lcad.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Start terms: Fall, Spring
Source: lcad.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Entry routes

First-year entry. Open to first-time college students (freshman admission).Source: lcad.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Transfer entry. Admits students transferring credits from another college.Source: lcad.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Curriculum

What the school publishes about the program's game design, programming, art and production content. Tools and engines are listed only when the school names them — a program not listed as teaching Unity or Unreal may still use them, but we have not verified it.

Game Art covers environment and character design, concept art and VFX; Game Design covers mechanics and systems design, user experience, level design and technical scripting with prototyping in multiple engines. Courses include Development Team 1, game engines, scripting, senior portfolio courses and a senior capstone.

Art and animation content

Senior Portfolio courses in game art, modeling, concept art or effects.
Source: lcad.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Production and team projects

Development Team 1: interdisciplinary teams take a game concept from design through a playable prototype.
Source: lcad.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Development Team 2 elective with partnering schools and the graduate program to create demos and vertical slices.
Source: lcad.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Capstone

Individual capstone project.
Source: lcad.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Tools and engines named by the school

Unity and Unreal Engine AI tools; ZBrush for digital sculpting.
Source: lcad.edu · verified October 12, 2026
ZBrush used in Introduction to Digital Sculpting.
Source: lcad.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Other published details

Game Art Advancement Review of the first three semesters of work.
Source: lcad.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Tracks, concentrations and specializations

Game Art
Source: lcad.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Game Design
Source: lcad.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Hardware and software requirements

No hardware or software requirement published on the pages we checked.

Admissions and portfolio

Required, optional and not-required items are shown exactly as the school states them. Anything not listed is not verified — not “not required”.

Portfolio

Portfolio required

Portfolio submitted with the online application, following program-specific guidelines (separate Game Design and Game Art guides); JPG images up to 1MB each with an inventory list.

Format: Online application upload

Official portfolio instructions

Source: lcad.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Application fee: Not requiredFree online application.
Source: lcad.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Transcripts: RequiredOfficial final or in-progress transcripts.
Source: lcad.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Tests

SAT/ACT and English-language test policy: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

We do not publish acceptance rates or estimate admission chances. How to prepare a game design portfolio

Start dates and deadlines

Dates are shown with the intake the school printed. A past date is marked passed and is never carried into a new cycle.

Priority deadline
Rolling admission · for Fall (year not printed)
Source: lcad.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Rolling
Early action
Rolling admission · for Fall (year not printed)
Source: lcad.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Rolling
Priority deadline
Rolling admission · for Spring (year not printed)
Source: lcad.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Rolling

Tuition and costs

Each amount keeps its student category, academic year and basis. Per-credit, per-term and whole-program figures are not comparable with each other, and tuition is not the full cost of attendance.

Category	Amount	Basis and year
All students — BFA tuition, full-timeFrom the school-wide rate table for this level	$40,560	per academic year · 2026-2027Source: lcad.edu · verified October 12, 2026
All students — BFA tuition, full-timeFrom the school-wide rate table for this level	$42,600	per academic year · 2027-2028Source: lcad.edu · verified October 12, 2026
All students — BFA part-time enrollment, per unitFrom the school-wide rate table for this level	$1,775	per credit · 2027-2028Estimated tuition$213,000 = 120 credits × $1,775 per credit. Excludes mandatory fees, books, travel for any required visits or placements, transfer credit reductions and rate changes. Not the full cost of attendance.Source: lcad.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Other published fees

No additional college fees for full-time undergraduate tuition (2026-2027): $0 per academic year
Source: lcad.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Understanding tuition and equipment costs

Scholarships, assistantships and funding

Awards published by the school for this program or for students at this level. “Guaranteed” only when the school says every eligible student receives it. Loans must be repaid and are not scholarships. Scholarships guide

LCAD Institutional Grant (Merit Scholarship) Institutional scholarshipCompetitive
Renewed annually for the duration of study, subject to conditions
Eligibility: Students accepted for admission; based on academic record and admissions portfolio.
How to apply: Decided at the point of acceptance.
Source: lcad.edu · verified October 12, 2026

School-wide awards are listed because they apply at this degree level; eligibility conditions apply.

Accreditation and authorization

Institutional accreditation covers the school. Programmatic accreditation is shown only when it is named for this program — it is never transferred from another department or degree.

Institutional accreditation

WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) — accreditedSource: ope.ed.gov · verified October 12, 2026

Programmatic accreditation

None verified for this program. Game design degrees do not require one specific specialized accreditation.

International applicants

Not verified for this program.

Sources and verification

Every fact on this page comes from the official pages below. Last checked October 12, 2026.

DAPIP — WSCUC institutional accreditation record (data files downloaded 2026-10-12) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 12, 2026
lcad.edu/bfa-application-dates/ — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
lcad.edu/bfa-tuition/ — Official tuition and fees page, verified October 12, 2026
lcad.edu/how-to-apply-bfa/ — Official admissions page, verified October 12, 2026
lcad.edu/portfolio-information/ — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
lcad.edu/program/bfa-game-development/ — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
lcad.edu/program/bfa-game-development/course-listings/ — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
lcad.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/2027-2028-Game-Art-Game-Design-Program-Sheet.pdf — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026

Something out of date? Suggest an update · Represent this school? Claim the profile

Similar programs at other schools

Same degree level and primary field. Listed for discovery, not ranked.

Full Sail University

Interactive Technology Bachelor of Science Completion Program With a Concentration in Game Development

Bachelor'sBSNamed concentrationDegree completion

Interactive Technology Bachelor of Science

Concentration in Interactive Technology Bachelor of Science Completion Program — Game Development

Game Development

Winter Park, FLInstitution location, not a residency requirement

Online (on-site requirements not stated)

Campus attendance not verified

Portfolio policy not published

40 weeks · 120 credits

Tuition not verified

No upcoming verified deadline

View program

Full Sail University

Game Development

Bachelor'sBSFirst-year entryTransfer entry

Game Development Bachelor of Science

Game Development · Game Programming

Winter Park, FLInstitution location, not a residency requirement

Online (on-site requirements not stated)

Campus attendance not verified

Portfolio not required (stated)

27 months online; 20 months on campus · 120 credits

Tuition: $67,000 entire program · All students — Online, Game Development Bachelor of Science, program tuition (October - December 2026 table; $558 average per credit hour)

No upcoming verified deadline

View program

Grand Canyon University

Game Development

Bachelor'sBSFirst-year entryTransfer entry

Bachelor of Science in Game Development

Game Development · Game Programming

Phoenix, AZInstitution location, not a residency requirement

Online (on-site requirements not stated)

Campus attendance not verified

Portfolio policy not published

Duration not verified · 120 credits

Tuition: $490 per credit · All students — Online

No upcoming verified deadline

View program

GameDesignSchools.net is independent and not affiliated with Laguna College of Art and Design. Information is collected from official pages and can change; confirm requirements, costs and deadlines with the school.