15 Game Design Summer Programs for High School Students
If you're a high school student looking to explore game design before committing to it in college, a structured summer program can be a good option to explore. These programs often combine coursework, studio-style projects, or mentor guidance, helping you build skills, gain exposure to new material, and develop connections. Whether your interests lie in programming, art and animation, or narrative design, these programs can help you test out a specialization before deciding to pursue it further.
What are the benefits of a game design summer program?
You could build a playable game prototype using Unity or Unreal Engine, script character behavior and level mechanics, or work through a full studio-style production pipeline with a team. Many programs also culminate in a portfolio piece or showcase, giving you something tangible to bring into college applications. Whether you're set on a technical or creative path in game design, these programs can help you clarify which direction fits you best.
To help you get started, we’ve put together 15 game design summer programs for high school students.
If you’re looking for online summer programs, check out our blog here.
Key takeaways
These 15 game design programs span technical programming (C#, Unity, Unreal Engine), art and animation, and narrative design, with several concluding in a portfolio-ready game or showcase.
Costs vary widely, from Rider University's Game Design Academy ($12,012) and CMU's National High School Game Academy ($13,281), with many offering scholarships or financial aid.
Virtual options like Veritas AI, the Lumiere Research Scholar Program, and DigiPen Academy's Pre-College Game Design Program let students explore game design remotely without needing to relocate.
Advanced programs like Champlain Indie Game Studio require prior experience with tools like Unity, Unreal Engine, Maya, or Blender, while beginner-friendly options like UT Austin's Academy for Game Development and NYFA's Game Design Summer Camp welcome students with less technical background.
1. Veritas AI
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies by program (financial aid available)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Several cohorts year-round
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort. You can apply here.
Eligibility: High school students | The AI Fellowship requires completion of the AI Scholars program or prior experience with Python
Founded and led by Harvard graduate students, Veritas AI combines group-based foundational coursework with independent research on AI frameworks. In the AI Scholars program, you learn Python programming, data science fundamentals, neural networks, and computer vision, concluding with a collaborative group project. The AI Fellowship program provides one-on-one sessions with an AI practitioner or researcher to build a customized, novel AI model. For game design applications, you can program algorithmic level generation models, design responsive non-player character (NPC) behavior trees, or script procedural asset generation tools, resulting in a polished portfolio piece.
2. UCLA Game Lab Summer Institute
Location: University of California, Los Angeles, CA
Cost: $3,591 (virtual) | $6,541 (residential)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Session A (virtual): June 22 - July 9 | Session B (residential): July 12 - 30
Application Deadline: June 15 (virtual) | June 30 (residential)
Eligibility: High school students who are 15 - 18 years old
The Game Lab Summer Institute introduces high school students to game production as a form of contemporary art. The curriculum focuses on four workflow-oriented tracks: game design, character animation, world building, and game programming. You utilize professional software to design responsive digital environments and develop unique, navigable assets. Instruction covers the formal mechanics of programming interactive systems along with foundational principles of character physics. The program concludes with a digital gallery showcase where you showcase your finalized game builds and earn four units of UC college credit.
3. Lumiere Research Scholar Program
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies by program (financial aid available)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Several cohorts year-round
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: High school students
Lumiere pairs students with graduate-level mentors from leading universities to author an independent, college-level academic paper. Students interested in game design can align their track with computer science, interactive media, human-computer interaction, or behavioral psychology. The first few weeks are focused on literature review, topic scoping, and defining a specific research question. After that, you might gather data or analyze software mechanics or player dynamics, and draft your primary manuscript. The final weeks will focus on refining academic syntax, incorporating edits based on mentor feedback, and preparing the paper for potential submission to high school or undergraduate journals.
4. CMU’s National High School Game Academy (NHSGA)
Location: Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
Cost: $13,281 (scholarships available)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 20 - August 1
Application Deadline: March 1
Eligibility: Rising juniors and seniors (16+ years) with a GPA of 3.0+
CMU’s National High School Game Academy replicates a professional studio so that high school students can experience what the current gaming industry is all about. You receive instruction in specialized tracks, including software development, 2D/3D art, sound design/music composition, and a general track. Working in cross-disciplinary teams, you apply agile development methodologies to conceptualize, script, and test original interactive software. The curriculum covers underlying mathematical concepts in game engines, asset delivery constraints, and procedural mechanics. By the end of the final week, you’ll debug, polish, and present an original, fully operational digital game.
5. Champlain Game Academy
Location: Champlain College, Burlington, VT
Cost: $4,600
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 20 - 31
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Rising 10th to 12th graders and recent high school graduates who are 15 - 18 years old
Modeled after the college's specialized Game Studio curriculum, this summer program for high school students highlights the diverse collaborative roles within professional development teams. You’ll explore foundational concepts in game art, animation, production management, system design, and audio scripting. Technical instruction focuses heavily on utilizing industry-standard tools, such as Maya, Unity, and the C# programming language. You’ll collaborate in teams to brainstorm, scope, and script prototype levels to understand iteration cycles. The final output is a refined functional prototype suitable for undergraduate application portfolios.
6. USC Cinematic Arts Summer Program’s Essentials of Game Design
Location: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Cost: $9,868/4-unit course plus additional costs
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 21 seats
Dates: June 29 - August 7
Application Deadline: May 1
Eligibility: High school students (16+ years)
This game design course for high school students focuses on play-centric design methodologies and teaches the fundamental principles of game creation. You will participate in rigorous daily lectures and practical sessions covering game design theory, ideation mechanics, and system balancing. The course requires you to develop two distinct projects simultaneously: one tabletop game modification and one portfolio-ready digital game. You’ll learn user interface constraints, level design pathways, and iterative prototyping based on structural playtesting feedback. You’ll conclude the course with a polished game that you’ll showcase to your audience.
7. NYU Steinhardt’s Coding for Game Design High School Summer Program
Location: NYU Steinhardt, New York City, NY
Cost: $3,045 plus optional fees | Scholarships are available to commuter students in NY
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Session 1: July 6 - 17 | Session 2: July 27 - August 7
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors (15+ years for residential students) with an intermediate understanding of coding and programming who don’t require a visa to attend the program
This game design summer program connects the core principles of structural game design using the C# programming language and the Unity engine. Morning lectures focus on core structural concepts, such as mechanics, systemic dynamics, user aesthetics, and structural level layout. The afternoon blocks focus on practical coding execution, syntax tracking, asset integration, and debugging frameworks. The current curriculum introduces a specialized module teaching the ethical and practical integration of Generative AI tools within the production workflow. The program concludes in a team-based development showcase where your finalized 2D Unity games are showcased to your peers.
8. Clark University’s Summer Game Studio
Location: Clark University, Worcester, MA
Cost: $4,999
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 5 - 18
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school students and recent graduates
Offered by the Becker School of Design & Technology, this summer game design program offers structured training in interactive media creation. You work directly in the campus Center for Media Arts, Computing, and Design to study concept art, programming, and motion capture workflows. The curriculum covers every aspect of game design, from animation and sound design to visual narrative development, playtesting protocols, and production budgeting. Industry professionals from leading game studios such as Epic Games and Riot Games deliver technical seminars on current development workflows. The program concludes with each student finalizing and exporting an original, playable game build.
9. UT Austin’s Academy for Game Development
Location: University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
Cost: $2100 (scholarships available)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 5 - 10
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Rising 10th to 12th graders
Hosted by the Department of Computer Science, this residential program introduces high schoolers to interactive media programming using JavaScript and the Phaser framework. The curriculum balances faculty lectures with hands-on game laboratory sessions where you program structural game mechanics. Instruction covers software logic, input mapping, character physics, and algorithmic level design. You’ll work in small groups under the guidance of undergraduate mentors to design, build, and debug an original digital game project. The program includes academic facility tours and guest presentations from local industry professionals, concluding with a formal certificate of completion.
10. Champlain Indie Game Studio
Location: Champlain College, Burlington, VT
Cost: $4,600
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 20 - 31
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Rising 11th graders to college freshmen who are 16 - 19 years old and have prior game development experience
Designed specifically for students with prior experience in Unity, Unreal Engine, Maya, or Blender, this advanced game design summer program replicates an independent game studio pipeline. The structured curriculum focuses on rapid prototyping, mechanical execution, system asset deployment, and peer critique frameworks. Rather than covering introductory coding concepts, you focus on executing advanced scripting workflows to test mechanical viability. You’ll be organized into collaborative studio teams to navigate the typical phases of an indie game development lifecycle. The program concludes with a professional pitch session where teams present their creative vision alongside a fully playable, polished digital prototype.
11. Quinnipiac University’s Game Design Lab
Location: Quinnipiac University, Hamden, CT
Cost: $3,700 (residential), $2,700 (commuter) | Financial aid is available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Maximum 30 students/course
Dates: July 6 - 17
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school students who are 15 - 18 years old
Quinnipiac’s Game Design Lab trains high school students in visual scripting using the Unreal Engine Blueprints system. You study level geometry, lighting environments, and technical implementation strategies for asset integration. The course covers team production methods, professional asset pipelines, and cross-platform structural design. A secondary entrepreneurship track teaches students how to translate creative game mechanics into formal product business plans. The outstanding team projects will be prepared for compliance and potential publication layout on platforms such as iOS and Google Play.
12. Rider University’s Game Design Academy
Location: Rider University, Lawrenceville, NJ
Cost: $1,500
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 36 students
Dates: July 5 - 10
Application Deadline: June 12
Eligibility: High school students
This game design academy introduces high school students to the essential software packages used for professional digital production. The initial days feature targeted workshops on sprite design, interaction mechanics, environmental audio logic, and level boundary mapping. Midway through the program, the structure pivots into a 48-hour competitive Game Jam pipeline. Working in teams, you must apply your new programming and asset optimization knowledge under strict real-world time constraints. The program concludes with a public presentation showcase where teams answer analytical questions about their published 2D game builds.
13. DigiPen Academy Pre-College Game Design Program
Location: Virtual
Cost: $2,995
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 6 - 31
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Rising juniors and seniors or recent graduates (16+ years)
This pre-college game design program simulates the foundational undergraduate curriculum for a Bachelor of Arts in game design. You enroll in three required core courses: principles of game design, applied computer science for games, and interactive narrative and character creation. The morning schedule focuses on design theory, structural mechanics, user psychology, and narrative writing constraints. In the afternoon, you enter the Game Project Lab with students from all tracks to apply engineering principles and test physical and digital mechanics. Working across remote pipelines, you’ll utilize Tabletop Simulator and introductory scripting environments to build, balance, and iterate on a functional game prototype.
14. New York Film Academy (NYFA) 3-Week Game Design Summer Camp
Location: New York Film Academy, Los Angeles, CA
Cost: $ 4,100
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: 3 weeks in the summer
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: High school students
This immersive game design program introduces high school students to fundamental systems thinking and computational architecture through practical game creation. Instruction focuses on the Unity Game Development Engine, teaching asset management and folder structures. You’ll learn foundational computer programming concepts using the C# language, including variables, conditional logic, and functions. The coursework directly explores how different gameplay sub-systems interact within a broader software loop. By the end of the final week, you’ll compile, build, and debug a fully playable standalone game file.
15. Tisch Summer High School Game Design Program
Location: New York City, NY
Cost: $12,012 (tuition fee) plus housing, meals, and additional costs | Limited scholarships are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: July 5 - August 1
Application Deadline: December 1
Eligibility: High school sophomores and juniors (15+ years) with a GPA of 3.0+
This game design summer program introduces high school students to the creative and technical frameworks of modern game development. You enroll in three distinct foundational modules: Game Literacy, Game Design Workshop, and Game Development Workshop. The curriculum explores games from formal, social, and cultural perspectives while teaching the fundamentals of interactive mechanics. You apply these concepts by building non-digital analog prototypes before transitioning into digital production. You’ll work in collaborative teams to master basic programming tools, culminating in creating and scripting a functional digital game.
Frequently asked questions
1. What are the best game design summer programs for high school students?
Strong options depend on interests. Students interested in technical programming might consider CMU's NHSGA or NYU Steinhardt's Coding for Game Design program, those interested in AI applications might look at Veritas AI; and students with prior game development experience might consider Champlain Indie Game Studio.
2. Are there affordable game design programs for high school students?
Yes, more affordable options include Rider University's Game Design Academy ($2,100) and DigiPen Academy's Pre-College Game Design Program ($2,995), several of which also offer financial aid.
3. Can students participate in a game design program virtually?
Yes, Veritas AI, the Lumiere Research Scholar Program, and DigiPen Academy's Pre-College Game Design Program are fully virtual, while UCLA's Game Lab Summer Institute offers both a virtual and residential session.
4. Which game design programs are best for students with no prior experience?
Programs like UT Austin's Academy for Game Development, NYFA's 3-Week Game Design Summer Camp, and Rider University's Game Design Academy are designed for beginners, while Champlain Indie Game Studio requires prior experience with tools like Unity or Unreal Engine.