Skip to content
Game DesignSchools
Academy of Art University campus — Academy of Art University building, South of Market neighborhood , San Francisco
Academy of Art University building, South of Market neighborhood , San Francisco. Campus photograph; online students may study remotely. · Photo: (User: Wgreaves ) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Academy of Art University logo

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, CAPrivate for-profit WSCUCSchool of Game Development

Academy of Art University in San Francisco offers game degrees through its School of Game Development: BFAs in Game Design and Game Art, a BS in Game Programming, and MA and MFA degrees in Game Development, each available online and on campus. Undergraduate admission is inclusive with no portfolio required; graduate applicants submit a portfolio/reel for class placement.

Game degrees at Academy of Art University

5 programs verified (3 bachelor's, 2 master's). Dedicated game degrees and officially named game concentrations only; the school may offer related courses or minors that are not degrees.

Academy of Art University logo

Academy of Art University

Game Design

Bachelor'sBFAFirst-year entry

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Game Design

Field: Game Design
Administering location: San Francisco, CAInstitution location, not a residency requirement
Delivery: Online (on-site requirements not stated)The institution offers the degree online but its pages do not say whether any on-site activity is required.
Campus attendance: Campus attendance not verified
Portfolio: Portfolio not required (stated)
Duration: Duration not verified · 120 credits
Tuition: Tuition: $1,682 per credit · International — Undergraduate, international students, per unit (Fall 2026-Summer 2027) · 2026-2027
Next deadline: January 25, 2027 · Spring 2027
View program
Academy of Art University logo

Academy of Art University

Game Art

Bachelor'sBFAFirst-year entry

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Game Art

Field: Game Art
Administering location: San Francisco, CAInstitution location, not a residency requirement
Delivery: Online (on-site requirements not stated)The institution offers the degree online but its pages do not say whether any on-site activity is required.
Campus attendance: Campus attendance not verified
Portfolio: Portfolio not required (stated)
Duration: Duration not verified · 120 credits
Tuition: Tuition: $1,682 per credit · International — Undergraduate, international students, per unit (Fall 2026-Summer 2027) · 2026-2027
Next deadline: January 25, 2027 · Spring 2027
View program
Academy of Art University logo

Academy of Art University

Game Programming

Bachelor'sBSFirst-year entry

Bachelor of Science in Game Programming

Field: Game Programming
Administering location: San Francisco, CAInstitution location, not a residency requirement
Delivery: Online (on-site requirements not stated)The institution offers the degree online but its pages do not say whether any on-site activity is required.
Campus attendance: Campus attendance not verified
Portfolio: Portfolio not required (stated)
Duration: Duration not verified · 120 credits
Tuition: Tuition: $1,682 per credit · International — Undergraduate, international students, per unit (Fall 2026-Summer 2027) · 2026-2027
Next deadline: January 25, 2027 · Spring 2027
View program
Academy of Art University logo

Academy of Art University

Game Development

Master'sMA

Master of Arts in Game Development

Field: Game Development
Administering location: San Francisco, CAInstitution location, not a residency requirement
Delivery: Online (on-site requirements not stated)The institution offers the degree online but its pages do not say whether any on-site activity is required.
Campus attendance: Campus attendance not verified
Portfolio: Portfolio required
Duration: Duration not verified · 36 credits
Tuition: Tuition: $1,857 per credit · International — Graduate, international students, per unit (Fall 2026-Summer 2027) · 2026-2027
Next deadline: January 25, 2027 · Spring 2027
View program
Academy of Art University logo

Academy of Art University

Game Development

Master'sMFA

Master of Fine Arts in Game Development

Field: Game Development
Administering location: San Francisco, CAInstitution location, not a residency requirement
Delivery: Online (on-site requirements not stated)The institution offers the degree online but its pages do not say whether any on-site activity is required.
Campus attendance: Campus attendance not verified
Portfolio: Portfolio required
Duration: Duration not verified · 63 credits
Tuition: Tuition: $1,857 per credit · International — Graduate, international students, per unit (Fall 2026-Summer 2027) · 2026-2027
Next deadline: January 25, 2027 · Spring 2027
View program

Department, studios and facilities

As the school describes them. Facilities are campus resources unless the school states that online students can use them.

Student work

Official showcases of student games and projects, linked from the school's own pages. We link to them; we do not copy or rate student work.

Accreditation

  • WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC)

    Institutional accreditation — accredited · since May 25, 2007

    Recognized by: U.S. Department of Education

    Source: ope.ed.gov · verified October 12, 2026

Institutional accreditation covers the whole institution. Programmatic accreditation (for example NASAD for an art and design unit) is shown on a program page only when the school names it for that program.

Online enrollment by state

Whether the school can enroll online students from your state, as it publishes it.

State authorization

  • Enrollment is restricted for applicants in areas where online programs are not approved; students should consult the State Authorization for Distance Education Status Table.
    Source: academyart.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Offerings we reviewed but do not list

This directory lists dedicated game degrees and officially named game concentrations. These offerings were checked against official pages and fall outside that scope (minors, certificates, degrees without a named game pathway, esports).
  • Game Development AAS / Game Design AAAssociate degrees are out of scope.Source: academyart.edu · verified October 12, 2026
  • Esports (School of Game Development)Esports activity page, not a game design degree.Source: academyart.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Institution

Official name
Academy of Art University
Control
Private for-profit
Source: nces.ed.gov · verified October 12, 2026
Main location
79 New Montgomery, San Francisco, CA 94105
Source: nces.ed.gov · verified October 12, 2026
Students enrolled exclusively in distance education
3,420 of 6,320 students (Fall 2023)
Source: nces.ed.gov · verified October 12, 2026

Sources

Last verified October 12, 2026. Program facts and their sources are on each program page.
  1. IPEDS 2024–25 Institutional Characteristics (HD2024), via College Navigator — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 12, 2026
  2. IPEDS Fall 2023 enrollment by distance-education status (EF2023A_DIST) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 12, 2026
  3. DAPIP — WSCUC institutional accreditation record (data files downloaded 2026-10-12) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 12, 2026
  4. academyart.edu/academicpolicies — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
  5. academyart.edu/academics/game-development/ — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
  6. academyart.edu/academics/game-development/degrees/game-development-mfa/ — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
  7. academyart.edu/academics/online-education/ — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
  8. academyart.edu/admissions/ — Official admissions page, verified October 12, 2026

Suggest an update · Claim this profile