8Bit/Digi

A new study by 80 Level has ranked the best universities in the world for game developers and University of California, Santa Cruz is ranked among the top 10.

80 Level rating criteria was based on recognized educational institutions around the world then use two ratings in the field of Game Design education (based on the Princeton Review Top Game Design Schools Rating and Game Designing) while working with QS, Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), THE (Times Higher Education), The Complete University Guide, BS in Computer Science, and RAEX. The scoring is based on examining over 15 criteria, divided into four groups, which helped analyze universities to find the best of the best.

The University of California, Santa Cruz (the only Bay Area school on the top list) was ranked #7th as among the best according 80 Level criteria. The report noted that they a great diversity in the topics of research while  projects range from working on artificial intelligence and interactive storytelling to  cinematic communication along with procedural content generation. It further noted that alumni and those invoked in the program have published in some of the most respected journals.

The complete rank of the top 10 best universities for game developers are as followed:

1. DigiPen Institute of Technology
2. University of Southern California
3. Michigan State
4. University of Southern Florida
5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
6. Full Sail University
7. University of California, Santa Cruz
8. Oklahoma Christian University
9. Carnegie Mellon University
10. Abertay University

80 Level is a media outlet dedicated to providing information along with current trends in the gaming industry. University of California, Santa Cruz is one of 10 campuses in the University of California system along with one of many institutes of higher learning in the Bay Area.