For the 17th year in a row, The Princeton Review has ranked DigiPen as one of the best game design colleges in North America and abroad. The 2026 results placed DigiPen at No. 6 on its list of the top 50 undergraduate schools, up from No. 11 last year, and No. 12 on its list of the top 25 graduate schools, holding steady at its 2025 spot.
Rankings are based on a 2025 survey of over 150 institutions offering game design coursework and degrees across the United States, Canada, and abroad, drawing on responses to over 40 questions covering faculty, facilities, technology, academics, graduate outcomes, and career data.
This year’s climb in the rankings reflects DigiPen’s continued investment in its academic programs, student support system, and professional mentorship opportunities. DigiPen provides students with a hands-on, multidisciplinary education through team-based game projects, hundreds of gaming-related courses spanning everything from game AI and physics programming to narrative design and adaptive music composition, and specialized facilities including professional production labs, a user research lab, a dedicated makerspace, and sound studios. During the 2024–25 academic year, DigiPen’s Career and Alumni Relations office welcomed representatives from 140 game and tech companies to campus for guest lectures, summits, and the annual NextGen networking, portfolio review, and reverse career fair event, which set a record for employer attendance.
DigiPen is also embracing the future of technology head-on. Starting in the Fall 2026 semester, the college is launching the BS in Computer Science in Artificial Intelligence, replacing its machine learning degree that originally launched in 2019. The updated four-year undergraduate program builds a strong foundation in computer science fundamentals while incorporating machine learning coursework that addresses both the practical and ethical dimensions of AI — one of the fastest-growing sectors in tech. Also starting in Fall 2026, DigiPen’s newly streamlined MS in Computer Science degree will allow graduate students to complete the program in just three semesters while expanding capstone project options.
DigiPen students had a standout 2025 across art, animation, audio, and game design. Drew Mitchell and Sasha Ponomarenko took top honors in the World of Warcraft Student Art Contest. The 2D student film Mariposa earned Rookie Awards nominations and won Best Film at the Kino Film Festival. Qi Ren Soo and four peers swept Platinum and Gold at the GDC Student Narrative Analysis Competition. The student team behind Shadow’s Grove claimed the Music Award at the inaugural G.A.N.G. Student Game Music & Sound Design Competition. Student team Wise Reply showcased their AI-powered dialogue system from their junior game Barton at LVL Up Expo. DigiPen’s Steam page, offering student games free to players worldwide, surpassed 14 million unique downloads in 2025.