Princeton Review Ranks Champlain College a Top 10 School for Game Design

The newly released 2022 Princeton Review rankings place Champlain College among the best schools for game design once again—this year, as a top 10. This is the school’s 10th time appearing on the list and its highest ranking to date.

Champlain College was the first college to offer four-year academic programs in video game development—launching game courses in 1998 and game-specific degrees in 2004. Today, Champlain offers one of the most comprehensive undergraduate game development programs, with Bachelor of Science degrees in nine game-relevant majors and eight minors; state-of-the-art facilities; a student-driven esports club; varsity level esports teams; and more than 150 game-relevant courses that represent every aspect of the industry.

“We are honored to be recognized as a leader in game design studies year after year by The Princeton Review,” said Amanda Crispel, Interim Dean of the Division of Communication and Creative Media and the Chair of the Game Studio. “We offer hands-on education for students who want to design and develop games, but also for business students and entrepreneurs with interest in publishing and promoting games, analyzing the market, and engaging through esports. Champlain’s career-forward approach prepares students to successfully step into the game industry right from graduation.”

We are honored to be recognized as a leader in game design studies year after year by The Princeton Review.

Amanda Crispel,
Interim Dean of the Division of Communication and Creative Media and Chair of the Game Studio

Champlain’s Game Studio is a cross-disciplinary, collaborative setting that mirrors a professional game studio. Led by an experienced faculty of industry professionals and experts, Champlain’s career-focused program emphasizes inclusivity, teamwork, and respect across all game development disciplines. Three game-related degrees launched recently—Game Business & Publishing, Interaction Design, and App Development—round out an extensive academic offering that includes Game Art, Game Design, Game Programming, Game Production Management, Creative Media, and Game Sound Design.

As a result of Champlain’s “upside-down curriculum,” game students start taking courses in their major from their very first semester. This immerses them in their field from day one, ensuring they are ready for professional internships far earlier than most other undergraduates.

In addition to its Burlington campus, game students can also study at Champlain’s international campuses in Dublin and Montreal, a global game hub. Champlain game graduates have gone on to work at leading game companies, including Rockstar, Sony, Microsoft, Blizzard Entertainment, Ubisoft, Epic Games, Raven, EA, Bungie, Insomniac Games, Vicarious Visions, and more.

Learn more about what makes Champlain College a top 10 school for game design and explore student work like the art work featured above, “Mushroom Land,” by Game Art graduate Michelle Lee ’20.