The University of Central Florida ranks No. 1 as the best video game graduate school in North America, according to The Princeton Review and PC Gamer Magazine.
After two years as the second-ranked school in North America, the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy, an anchor of UCF's planned downtown campus, achieved it's first No. 1 ranking.
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This Princeton Review has ranked graduate-level video game development schools six times, and FIEA has ranked in the top five every year.
The Princeton Review (www.PrincetonReview.com) chose the schools based on a survey it conducted in 2015 of 150 institutions offering game design coursework and/or degrees in the U.S., Canada, and some countries abroad.
FIEA has enrolled more than 500 students since its opening in 2005.
Graduates are working at more than 130 companies around the world, including Google, Microsoft, Disney, Nintendo, and Electronic Arts.
The average starting salary for recent FIEA graduates is $63,000.
Graduates are working on some of today's most popular franchises, including Fallout 4, Madden 17, NBA Live 17, and Halo 5.
FIEA is designed to graduate experienced and skilled professionals to work in video games, simulation industries, and new media.
FIEA is located in UCF's Center for Emerging Media building in Downtown Orlando. The proposal for a renovated Center for Emerging Media would have the school join a new academic building that UCF and Valenica College would share.
UCF has collected $16 million in community support to help fund construction of the new academic building. UCF aims to raise $20 million in community support, along with $20 million from the state and $20 million in university resources.