New York University · NYU Game Center, Tisch School of the Arts

Game Design (BFA)

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Game Design

Bachelor'sBFAGame DesignDedicated degree

Overview

A four-year, 128-credit BFA in Game Design at the NYU Game Center (Tisch) covering game design, development and game studies, ending with a full-year senior capstone.

Official program title: Game Design (BFA)
Exact award: Bachelor of Fine Arts in Game Design
Source: bulletins.nyu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Degree level: Bachelor's
Discipline: Game Design
Degree type: Dedicated degree
School and department: New York University — NYU Game Center, Tisch School of the Arts
Source: gamecenter.nyu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Location: New York, NY

Why this program is listed

Dedicated BFA in Game Design at the Tisch School of the Arts.

Source: bulletins.nyu.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: gamecenter.nyu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Campus attendance: Regular campus attendanceClasses meet on campus (campus and hybrid programs).
Study intensity: Not published
Duration: four-year
Source: bulletins.nyu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Credits: 128 credits
Source: bulletins.nyu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Start terms: Fall
Source: gamecenter.nyu.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Entry routes

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

Transfer credit: OptionalExternal transfer students can receive up to 64 transfer credits
Source: gamecenter.nyu.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.

Major requirements (50 credits) include Games 101, game studies, introductory and intermediate game development and game design, programming for games, visual communication, Major Studio, and a two-semester capstone completed individually or in groups.

Curriculum overview

Game studies and history alongside design and technology
Source: bulletins.nyu.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Game design topics

Intro and Intermediate Game Design; Intro and Intermediate Game Development; Major Studio
Source: bulletins.nyu.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Programming content

GAMES-UT 180 Intro to Programming for Games
Source: bulletins.nyu.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Capstone

Full-year senior capstone projects, individual or group
Source: bulletins.nyu.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

Mandatory creative portfolio (Creative Supplement) uploaded through Slate after submitting the Common Application; late portfolios are not accepted.

Format: Slate upload (link sent after Common Application submission)

Official portfolio instructions

Source: gamecenter.nyu.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Application fee: Required$80 — Non-refundable $80.00 application fee; fee waiver may be requested
Source: gamecenter.nyu.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.

Early decision
November 1, 2026 · for First-year applicants (term not printed)
Source: gamecenter.nyu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Upcoming
Early decision
January 1, 2027 · for First-year applicants (term not printed)
Source: gamecenter.nyu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Upcoming
Application deadline
January 5, 2027 · for First-year applicants (term not printed)
Source: gamecenter.nyu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Upcoming

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 — Tisch School of the Arts, undergraduate students (two semesters, full-time)From the school-wide rate table for this level	$75,326	per academic year · 2026-2027Source: bulletins.nyu.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

Program-specific funding: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

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

Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) — 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.

bulletins.nyu.edu/undergraduate/arts/cost-attendance/ — Official catalog / bulletin, verified October 12, 2026
bulletins.nyu.edu/undergraduate/arts/programs/game-design-bfa/ — Official catalog / bulletin, verified October 12, 2026
gamecenter.nyu.edu/about/ — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
gamecenter.nyu.edu/academics/game-design-bfa/apply/ — Official admissions page, verified October 12, 2026
DAPIP — MSCHE institutional accreditation record (data files downloaded 2026-10-12) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 12, 2026

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