DigiPen Ranked No. 3 in Princeton Review's List of Undergraduate Game Design Programs

The Princeton Review has ranked Redmond's DigiPen Institute of Technology as one of the top game design schools in the country for the fourth consecutive year.

DigiPen's undergraduate program was ranked third, behind the University of Southern California and the University of Utah, while its graduate program came in at no. 6.

Here's how the Princeton Review described the methodology behind the rankings:

The Princeton Review chose the schools for its 2013 list based on a comprehensive survey it conducted in the 2012 academic year of administrators at 150 institutions offering video game design coursework and/or degrees in the United States and Canada.

The Princeton Review developed the survey with the assistance of an advisory board the company formed for this project in 2009. Advisory board members included faculty at top institutions offering game design courses and professionals at leading companies in the gaming industry. The survey, which has more than 50 questions, covers a wide range of topics, from academics and faculty credentials to graduates' employment and career achievements. Some of the survey questions asked of each school are below.

The selection and ranking of schools for the list was based on criteria that broadly covered the quality of the curriculum, faculty, facilities and infrastructure. The Princeton Review also factored in data it collected from the schools on their scholarships, financial aid and career opportunities.

The rankings will be featured in the May issue of the magazine PC Gamer, which hits newsstands on April 2.