Top 25 International Animation Schools and Colleges - 2021 College Rankings

Gobelins, l'école de l'image (Gobelins, School of Images) was originally founded by the Parisian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIP) in 1964. One of the world’s oldest animation schools, Gobelins serves more than 1,105 students (including 508 apprentices) enrolled in French Professional Baccalaureat and MA degrees in Animation, Audio and Video (Filming and Post-Production), Graphic Design, Motion Design, Photography, Printed & Multimedia Communication, Web and Mobile Design, and Video Games.

The Animation Program at Gobelins leads to a BA or MA degree in Character Animation and Animated Filmmaking. Students will earn Professional Certification in addition to the degree.

Students in the BA Program will master all digital and traditional animation techniques (2D and 3D), from pre-production to post-production, using professional methods from animation studios in France and abroad. Course highlights include 2D and 3D Digital Animation, Anatomical Drawing, Character Background and Design, Film Editing, Layout, Modeling and Rendering, Production Planning, Scriptwriting, Special Effects and Compositing, Storyboard Writing, and Sound Design. 

Students will produce short films in teams from both the English-speaking and French-speaking class and mandatory internship (in France or abroad) is part of the program. The BA in Character Animation and Animated Filmmaking takes three years to complete, full-time.

The MA is a full-time program taught in English. “In addition to exercises in writing, storyboarding and complex animation (mixed techniques, interacting characters),” says the school students in the program will “participate in an open-themed end of studies film in conditions similar to a professional environment.” They will also complete a “written report on a reflective work related to an experimental project.”

Curriculum highlights include Advanced 2D and 3D Animation, Character Definition and Characterization, Filmmaking (2D and/or 3D Layout, Character and Background Modeling, Setup, Skinning, Rigging, Acting, Character and Special Effects Animation, Rendering, and Compositing), Graphic Design, Scriptwriting and Directing, Sound Design, and Storyboarding.

Students will also learn about assessing and monitoring production planning, complying with specifications, production pipelines, and teamwork. Throughout the program, production teams will have the opportunity to mix with students from the French Program in Character Animation and Animated Filmmaking. They also have opportunities to participate in workshops and projects sponsored by companies or public institutions such as BMW, DELL, Musée Picasso, the French Ministry of Justice, Netflix, Olympus, Universal Music and many others.

The MA in Character Animation and Animated Filmmaking takes two years to complete. Graduates of the Gobelins Animation Programs enjoy an 88% job placement rate within six months.

Bournemouth University (BU) traces its roots back to the early 1970s, when Bournemouth College of Technology was created. The school became Bournemouth Polytechnic (BP) in 1990 and Under the Further and Higher Education Act 1992, BP finally became Bournemouth University, with an inauguration ceremony on 27 November that year. Today, BU is one of the top 100 young universities in the world, with a population of more than 19,000 students.

BU houses the prestigious National Centre for Computer Animation (NCCA), which is one of just a few research-intensive animation centers in the UK. In addition, BU “is one of a small number of institutions from around the world who have been granted Houdini Certified School status by Side Effects Software,” says the school. “Houdini is an Award Winning Industry Standard VFX and Computer Animation Software taught across the NCCA framework of Undergraduate and Postgraduate courses.”

The Centre has two Animation options—BA Degrees in Computer Animation Art & Design, and Computer Animation Technical Arts. Computer Animation Art & Design “places an emphasis on the creative side of computer animation,” says the school, “combining traditional art disciplines like life drawing and cinematography with more technically focused disciplines to produce computer animation using industry-standard tools and software.” Computer Animation Technical Arts “is a unique 50/50 mix of art and science, reflecting practice relevant to the production of graphics and animation for a range of applications.”

Other program highlights include access to professional-level facilities, the opportunity to attend the annual BFX Festival, featuring talks and masterclasses by award-winning artists in the field, and the option to undertake an eight- or 30-week placement (internship), locally or abroad.

In the senior year, students will complete a final major project and dissertation, working individually or as a group, to produce a “significant body of work.”

BU – NCAA Animation graduates enjoy a near 95% employment rate (or further study) within six months of graduation. Alumni have worked on films such as Blade Runner 2049, Dunkirk, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Solo: A Star Wars Story, The Avengers, and many others.

Rubika was established when three digital design schools merged: Institut Supérieur de Design (Higher Institute of Design 1988), Supinfocom (1988) and Supinfogame (2001). Today, this private school serves more than 1,300 students annually across four campuses in Valenciennes (France), Montreal (Canada), Nairobi (Kenya), and Pune (India).

Rubika has more than 5,000 alumni in over 50 countries, 100+ professional lecturers, partnerships with more than 300 companies, and 20+ partner universities. The school also has a 90% employment rate within a year.

Programs for aspiring animators include Bachelor/Master degrees in FX/VFX Special Effects, 2D Animation, and 3D Animation. Students in the programs will receive a bachelor’s degree after completion of the third year, and a master’s degree after completion of the fifth year. Program highlights include several mandatory internships, annual projects that allow students to work on project management and team management, and a final 3D Animation Project that will be presented to a professional jury.

Graduates of the Rubika Animation Programs are prepared to pursue positions such as 2D/3D Animator, CG Animator, Character Designer, Compositing Artist, FX Artist, Layout Artist/Tracking, Lighting Artist (Lighter), Modeling Artist, Rigger, Set/Environmental Artist, Shading/Texture Artist, Technical Animator, VR Animator, and many others. Potential employers include Rubika graduates include Aardman, Disney Animation Studios, DreamWorks, Framestore Pictures, Illumination Mac Guff, Industrial Light and Magic, Pixar, and more.

Founded in 1958, École Supérieure des Métiers Artistiques (ESMA) is a School of Applied Arts, with campuses in Lyon, Montpellier, Montreal, Nantes, and Toulouse. The school offers a Master’s in CG Animation & FX that takes three years to complete. The program focuses on “both artistic and technical knowledge,” says the school, while teaching students to master 3D software used by animation studios, production companies, and video game firms.   

Students will learn animation techniques and all about the production stages of an animation project including Pre-production (storyboard, layout, screenwriting…), Production (3D modeling, rigging, compositing, 3D animation…) and Post-production (lighting, rendering, FX…). The fourth year of the fourth year of the program is exclusively dedicated to the creation of an animation short film. Students will produce their final short films in groups consisting of four to seven students.

The CG Animation & FX Master’s Program can be completed in English ESMA’s Lyons campus. Graduates of the program enjoy a 93% employment rate within six months after graduation and a 100% employment rate within just nine months.

The Royal College of Art (RCA) began in 1837 as the Government School of Design. Today, RCA is the only entirely postgraduate institution of university status offering degrees in the areas of Art, Communication, Design, and Humanities. The school is home to some 2,300 students served by 450 permanent academic, technical and administrative staff, and more than 1,000 visiting lecturers and professors.

RCA consists of four schools across three sites in Battersea, Kensington, and White City. The School of Communication has been teaching Animation for more than 30 years. The school offers an MA in Animation with three Specializations: Documentary Animation, Experimental Animation, and Narrative Animation. The program consists of 240 UK credits and it takes two-years to complete, full-time.

Students in the program “animate material-based textures of painting, drawing, illustration, puppetry and sculpture, digital tools and processes or mixed media,” says the school. “Works include mimetic narrative, playful abstraction, and expanded documentary methods enhanced by carefully considered sound design.”

Other program highlights include multi-disciplinary electives, visiting artists and professionals, workshops, and experiential learning opportunities such as field trips to animation studios, exhibitions, museums, and archives. The program culminates in an Animated Film (Graduation Project) that will be presented to the Examination Board.

ArtFX, School of Digital Arts, was established in 2004. The school, which serves nearly 500 students, is one of the few European institutions that specializes in both Compositing and Filmmaking Techniques.

Degree pathways include a Master of New Technologies of Cinema, a Master of Animation: 2D and 3D, a Master of CGI & Visual Effects, a Master of Video Game (Game Art or Game Design), and Master of Programming. A Professional Certificate in Programming for Video Games & VFX is also available.

Highlights for all programs include an advanced and innovative pedagogical program, access to high-tech equipment, and membership to a strong professional network. Students also enjoy a main campus in Montpellier—a city known as the “Métropole French Tech” thanks to “an innovative entrepreneurial ecosystem, open to Europe and the world.”

All programs include workshops, internships, presentation in front of a jury of professional artists, meetings with professional artists, and completion of a short 2D or Stop Motion Animated Film. Students will also create a demo reel, and develop and direct a Short Animated Film. 

The Master’s Program is approved by the RNCP and recognized by professionals internationally.

Griffith University (Griffith U) was established in 1975. The school, which takes its name from Sir Samuel Walker Griffith, a former Chief Justice of Australia, was the first in the country to introduce degrees in Modern Asian Studies and Environmental Science. Today, Griffith U serves around 50,000 students from around the world, across six campuses in South East Queensland, Australia.

Griffith U offers more than 200 degree programs in everything from Aviation and Engineering to Visual and Creative Arts. Housed within the University is Queensland College of Art (QCA), one of Australia's longest-running art and design colleges, which offers a Bachelor of Animation and an Honors Bachelor of Animation.

The Honors Program consists of 80 credit points and it is designed for exceptional visual arts students looking to further develop their practical expertise and theoretical understanding to a more advanced level. The program takes one year to complete, full-time, or two years, part-time and classes are primarily on-campus, with some mixed-mode online delivery and off-campus work placements or internships.

The Bachelor of Animation consists of 240 credit points and offers majors in Art Direction, Character Animating, and Technical Direction. All students will “learn skills in concept development, storyboarding, 2D and 3D character animation, editing, sound recording, visual effects and post-production,” says the school. They will also “develop the ability to work out the most appropriate animation format for specific projects - traditional drawn animation, 2D, 3D and motion-captured digital animation, 3D puppet or clay animation and other experimental media.”

Other program highlights include hands-on experience through studio courses and engagement with industry production, the opportunity to work alongside film and screen media production and game design students to collaborate on and complete projects, and internship opportunities.

Students will also “complete work placements or in-class simulated work activities under direction as part of Introduction to Professional Practice, Industry Research and Animation Portfolio courses.” Other course highlights include Alternative Animation techniques, Animating: Acting and Performance, Animating: Mechanics and Motion, CGI Animation, Comics and Sequential Storytelling, Digital Storytelling, Interactive Storytelling, Outback Filmmaking Bootcamp, Reading the Moving Image, Scriptwriting, and Stop Motion Animation Fabrication.

The Bachelor of Animation Program takes three years to complete, full-time. Graduates of the program are prepared to pursue positions in 2D and 3D Character Animation and Visual Effects for Computer Games, Film, Interactive Media Companies, and Television Studios.

Teesside University was founded as Constantine Technical College in 1930. The school serves nearly 19,000 students enrolled in dozens of programs in five schools. The School of Computing, Engineering & Digital Technologies houses the Department of Transmedia, Digital Art & Animation, which offers BA degrees in 2D Animation and Stop Motion, Animation & Visual Effects, Computer Animation, and Computer Character Animation. At the graduate level, an MA in Animation is available.

The 2D Animation and Stop Motion BA helps students develop the skills needed “to work in the animated film and TV industry as a 2D artist, animator, stop-motion artist, model maker and compositor in animation,” says the school. The program includes an optional work placement year, at no extra cost.

The BA in Animation and Visual Effects prepares students “for a career in visual effects for film and TV.” Students in the program will “create photorealistic 2D and 3D visual effects, assets and simulations seamlessly composited into shots for film, TV and 3D animation.” The Computer Animation BA is for artists interested in the creation of 3D computer animation for film, games and TV. The program covers the “fundamental skills common to all animation roles, in drawing and pre-visualization, cinematography, asset design and modelling, 2D and 3D key frame animation and simulation.”

The BA in Computer Character Animation covers key areas such as 3D Character Animation, Look Development, Modeling, Motion Graphics, and Rigging. The MA in Animation is an intensive, practice-based program, which helps students develop skills in animated performance allowing them to “meet industry demands and developments.”

Students in all programs have access to dedicated life drawing spaces, recording and motion-capture studios, and a fully equipped soundstage including green screen facilities and motion-control cameras. Other program highlights include access to industry recruiters that routinely visit the Teesside campus, speakers from Disney, DreamWorks, Industrial Light & Magic and Pixar, and the opportunity to participate in Animex, the UK’s largest animation festival, which takes place on campus.

University of Hertfordshire (UH) opened as Hatfield Technical College in 1952 with 1,500 students. Today, UH serves more than 28,000 students. A large number of UH students are enrolled in the School of Creative Arts, which offers BA (Hons) degrees in 2D Digital Animation and 3D Animation & Visual Effects.

Students in the 2D Program have the opportunity to learn traditional animation techniques, work on simulated real-world briefs, and build a portfolio of their best work. Course highlights include Animated Thinking, Applying CG, Concepts in Motion: Articulated Research & Writing, Creativity, Concept & Story, Design, Interactivity & Professional Practices, Moving Visions, Pre-Production for 2D Animation, and Professional Practices & Degree Project.

Students in the 3D Animation & Visual Effects Program will learn Character Animation, Cinematography, Coding, Compositing, FX Simulations, Matte Painting, Modeling, Rigging, Shading, texturing, and more.

Students will work on live industry projects and make their first short 3D or VFX film during the second year of the program. The student’s final film project will be screened at the School of Creative Arts Animation Exposé, judged by a panel of industry experts.

Both the 2D and 3D Programs offer work placements and study abroad options at partner universities in Africa, Asia, Australia, Canada, South America and throughout Europe are also part of the program. University of Hertfordshire graduates enjoy an excellent 96.5% employment rate.

Graduates of the 2D and 3D Animation Programs “have gone on to work for a wide range of big name companies, and have won Oscars, BAFTAs and Emmys for their work on blockbusters” such as Avatar, Game of Thrones, Gravity, Harry Potter, Inception, Star Wars, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Jungle Book, and The Lion King.

Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD U) was originally established in Toronto in 1876 by the Ontario Society of Artists. Back then, the school was known as Ontario School of Art. Today, the school serves nearly 5,000 students, making it the largest and most comprehensive Art, Design and Media university in Canada.

OCAD U offers BFA Degrees in Drawing & Painting or Integrated Media. Both programs offer a Specialization in Digital Painting and Expanded Animation. Students in the Drawing & Painting option will “focus on digital media and painting including traditional painting techniques, digital tablet painting and animation,” says the school. In the Integrated Media Program, students will “focus on traditional and digital animation.”

Course highlights for the programs include 3D Modeling and Animation, Advanced Compositing, Animation: Stop-Motion, Body and Technology, Character Design and Animation, Intermediate Animation Studio, Paint and Digital: Collaboration, Paint and Digital: Production, Printing and Digital Imaging, Sound Design, and Wearable Art.

The entire senior year of both programs will be devoted to the student’s thesis project, which will be showcased at GradEx—OCAD U’s Graduate Exhibition. The school describes the event as the “biggest free art and design exhibition in Toronto with more than 40,000 visitors.”

Other highlights for the Animation BFA Programs at OCAD U include creative in-class projects with real-world industry partners, exclusive summer internships, freelance creative opportunities, gallery exhibitions of student work, short experiential learning placements from among hundreds of organizations, and employment after graduation.

Beijing Film Academy (BFA) was established in 1950 as the Performance Art Institution of the Film Bureau of the Ministry of Culture. When it opened, the school had just 38 students. Today, BFA serves more than 2,300 students and it is the only film academy in China and the largest film academy in Asia.

Equipped with four professional studios and hosting many of Asia’s top film festivals, BFA houses 15 departments and schools.

Established in 2000, the Animation School began as a single Animation major in the Department of Fine Arts of BFA. The first school of animation ever established in the field of higher education in China, the Animation School serves 350+ students enrolled in BA, MFA, and PhD Animation Programs.

Course highlights for the BA Program include Art of Animation, Comics, Computer Animation, and Game Design. In the final year of the program, students may participate in an exchange workshop with the Korean Academy of Film Art (KAFA) or the Netherland Film Academy (NFA). A Thesis Film is also part of the program along with the opportunity to compete for the Cinerent Award. Presented by Cinerent Beijing Ltd., the goal of the award is to support and encourage high-quality film projects.

The MFA in Animation has Specializations in Art Design and Film. Research areas for the program include Animation Product Design, Anime Planning, Game Design, and Stop-Motion Film. The PhD in Animation focuses on interdisciplinary studies during the first year, and Animation during the second. The research area for the program is Research on Animation Theory.

Students in all programs benefit from BFA’s long-term cooperative relationships with the major TV stations, studios, and media services both at home and abroad. Graduates of the programs are prepared to pursue positions in all areas of Animation, Film, Gaming, Television, Visual Effects, and more.

York University (York U) was established in 1959. With more than 55,000 students, York U is the third largest university in Canada. The school offers more than 200 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in more than 10 colleges and schools.

Aspiring animators may choose to be a student in the School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design (AMPD) or the Lassonde School of Engineering, where they will earn a BA in Digital Media Arts (DMA). This is Ontario’s only degree program that integrates Art, Computer Science, and Engineering.

While required courses for all DMA students are the same, students in the Lassonde School of Engineering will likely choose their electives from Computer Science or other areas of sciences to dig into Artificial Intelligence, Data Mining, Graphics and Visualization, Robotics, User Interfaces, and Virtual Reality.

AMPD students will likely choose their electives from AMPD courses, where they can collaborate and explore Art, Media, and Performance “in all their expanded formats,” says the school.

Both AMPD and Lassonde students will learn about the “raw tools that help create digital imagery and sound, including animation and 3D simulations,” says the school. Three Specializations are offered DMA, Digital Media Development (DMD), and Digital Media Game Arts (DMGA). Course highlights include 3D Computer Graphics, Building Interactive Systems, Fundamentals of Digital Media Studies, Introduction to Interactive Digital Media, Introduction to Virtual Reality, and Programming for Digital Media. Internship opportunities are also part of the program.

Graduates of the program are prepared for positions such as Animator, Artificial Intelligence Software Developer, Cartoonist, Film Effects Developer, Illustrator, User Experience and Interface Design, Game Developer, New Media Artist, Social Media Manager, Special Effects Director, and many others.

University of Melbourne was established in 1853. When it opened, the school had four professors and just 16 students. Today, University of Melbourne has more than 8,000 academic and professional staff serving a student body of more than 48,000, including more than 13,000 international students from over 130 countries around the world. The school offers hundreds of programs across eight campuses and in dozens of faculties, departments, and schools.

University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Fine Arts and Music houses the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA), which offers a BFA in Animation. The program “provides an immersive and experiential education, focusing on the origination and development of animated projects for a wide range of screen contexts and audiences,” says the school. Students will study and create in a studio-based environment that allows them to collaborate with students within the Film and Television programs and programs across Design, Music, Performing Arts, Production, and Visual Art.

Course highlights for the program include Animation Lab, Animation Studio, Collaborative Production, and Writing Animation. During every year of the BFA Program, students will produce an animated short film, written, directed, animated, sound designed and edited entirely by the student.

Graduates have established careers as Animation Artists for the Art and Entertainment Industries including Community Arts, Film, Games, Information and Advertising, New Developments in Media and Exhibition, Motion Graphics, Screenwriting, Storyboard Art, and Television.