Study abroad at Redmond

Redmond (globally renowned as the 'Bicycle Capital of the Northwest' and the epicentre of the global software and video gaming industry) is an affluent, safe, and technologically powerhouse city in King County on the Eastside of the Greater Seattle metropolitan area, Washington State, located along Lake Sammamish and the Sammamish River just 15 miles (20 minutes) east of Downtown Seattle and 25 minutes from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). Celebrated for Marymoor Park (640 acres with the state's largest velodrome and concert venue), Lake Sammamish State Park, extensive bike trail networks, zero state personal income tax (0%), and its status as the world headquarters of Microsoft Corporation (a massive 500-acre corporate campus with over 50,000 employees), Nintendo of America headquarters, and major engineering labs for Meta/Oculus, SpaceX (Starlink satellite manufacturing), and Amazon. Redmond is the world-renowned campus home of the undisputed pioneer in video game development and interactive media education: DigiPen Institute of Technology (founded in 1988 by Claude Comair, co-founder of Nintendo Software Technology, consistently ranked the #1 to Top 5 Video Game Design School in the world by the Princeton Review for over a decade, enrolling over 1,200 specialized students on a cutting-edge campus where students develop commercial-quality games and software engine architectures). DigiPen is globally acclaimed for the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science in Real-Time Interactive Simulation (BSCS RTIS), Bachelor of Fine Arts in Digital Art and Animation, Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering, and Master of Science in Computer Science, alongside Lake Washington Institute of Technology (LWTech - premier public institute of technology offering applied bachelor's degrees). Degrees are taught 100% in English with prestigious US accreditations. International students benefit from unrivaled corporate recruitment by Microsoft, Nintendo, Valve, Bungie, Amazon, and Epic Games, generous DigiPen International Merit Scholarships ($3,000 to $10,000/year), Sound Transit 2 Line light rail connection to Seattle, and direct US F-1 / I-20 Student Visa support with 3-year STEM OPT work extensions.

Tuition fees in Redmond for international undergraduate students at DigiPen Institute of Technology range between $36,500 and $38,800 per academic year for Real-Time Interactive Simulation Computer Science, Game Design, Digital Art & Animation, and Computer Engineering (with DigiPen awarding automatic International Academic Merit Scholarships discounting $3,000 to $10,000/year from tuition for qualified applicants with strong academic and portfolio credentials). At Lake Washington Institute of Technology (LWTech), international undergraduate tuition ranges from $12,500 to $15,500 per year. Modern private student residences (DigiPen Housing: Red160, The Village at Overlake Station, Avalon Redmond - fully furnished student suites with high-speed Wi-Fi, utilities, and shuttle service to campus) cost between $850 and $1,400 per month (inclusive of utilities), while private shared apartments in Redmond Town Center and Overlake range from $700 to $1,200 per month. General monthly living expenses range between $950 and $1,500.

International students require a US F-1 Student Visa. Upon academic admission and verification of financial documentation (bank statement certifying first-year tuition and living expenses minus scholarship awards approx. $30,000), International Student Services at DigiPen issues the official Form I-20. The student pays the SEVIS I-901 fee, completes the DS-160 online visa application, and attends the F-1 visa interview at the US Embassy or Consulate. STEM graduates qualify for a 24-month OPT extension (total 36 months of US employment authorization across Microsoft, Nintendo, Amazon, and tech studios nationwide).