Animation Career Review (ACR) has released its 2022 Game Design School Rankings and UCI is ranked fifth best for game design in California, sixth best on the West Coast, eighth best (top 15%) among U.S. public schools and colleges, and 22nd best (top 20%) in the nation. UCI also ranked 15th best in the nation among schools offering a game design-related B.S. degree program.  

UCI offers a B.S. in game design and interactive media (GDIM) through the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences (ICS). The GDIM degree prepares students to be the next generation of designers, developers and industry leaders by providing them with the tools and training needed to reshape the field with innovative and inclusive games and other playable media experiences.

ACR considered almost 200 schools with game design programs nationwide in preparing this year’s 10th annual rankings to help aspiring animators and game designers identify top schools. The criteria ACR uses when compiling top school lists include academic reputation, admission selectivity, depth and breadth of programs, degree value as it relates to tuition and indebtedness and geographic location. ACR also incorporates school surveys during the evaluation process.