Top Animation Programs in California

Examples of Top Animation Programs in California
School	City
Woodbury University	Burbank
California State University Northridge	Northridge
California State University Long Beach	Long Beach
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)	Los Angeles
University of Southern California (USC)	Los Angeles
Loyola Marymount University	Los Angeles
Chapman University	Orange
Art Center College of Design	Pasadena
Otis College of Art and Design	Pasadena
California Institute of the Arts	Valencia
Laguna College of Art and Design	Laguna Beach
Academy of Art University	San Francisco
California College of the Arts	San Francisco
San Jose State University	San Jose

So, what’s the difference between a “Best” animation school and a “Top” animation school? For starters, the criteria used to establish a “best” program might be different for top programs. One area that “best of” lists might not consider is the student population. These students may choose a top school for different reasons than someone that might choose a best school. For example, a top school may cost less than a best school, it might be more convenient than a best school, or the admissions process might be easier, meaning, being wait-listed might be a worry.

Simply put, a top school can still be a beloved school (and a quality one to boot), but this might have more to do with being sensible than anything! That said, some of the best schools also made the list of top schools, so continue reading to find out which ones made the cut. Please note that the top schools listed below are in order by student population from largest to smallest.

Top Animation School Programs Southern California

Burbank
Woodbury University
Backdrop: Suburban, 22 acre campus
Student Population: Approximately 1000 (as of 2023)
Programs: BFA Graphic Design, BFA Animation, BFA Game Art & Design

Northridge
California State University Northridge
Student Population: 38,000 (as of 2023)
Backdrop: Urban, 356-acre campus, easy access to Los Angeles
Programs: MFA, Concentration Graphic Design; BFA Visual Arts, Concentration Graphic Design; BA Art, Concentration Animation; BA Visual Arts, Concentration Illustration; MA Visual Arts, Concentration Illustration; MFA Visual Arts, Concentration Illustration

Find a school

Long Beach
California State University Long Beach
Student Population: 39,000 (as of 2023)
Backdrop: Suburban, 320-acre campus, easy access to Los Angeles
Programs: BFA Graphic Design, MFA Graphic Design , BA Film and Electronic Arts - Digital Arts Production and 3D Computer Animation coursework; BFA in Art - Option in Illustration, Animation Track; BFA with an Illustration Track

Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Student Population: 48,000 (as of 2023)
Backdrop: Urban, 419-acre campus
Programs: MFA Animation; BA Design Media Arts; MFA in Media Arts; UCLA Animation Workshop (12 Quarter Units of UC Credit), User Experience (UX) Certificate, BA Film and Television Production: Film, Television, Digital, Experimental and Animation

University of Southern California (USC)
Student Population: 49,000 (as of 2023)
Backdrop: Urban, 229-acre campus
Programs: BFA Animation & Digital Arts Concentration Visual Effects; MFA Animation and Digital Arts Concentration Visual Effects; MFA Interactive Media with Animation Electives; BFA Film & Television Production; MS Computer Science, Game Development Specialization and High Performance Computing and Simulation Specialization; Master of Science in Computer Science (Game Development); MFA Interactive Media with Heavy Games Electives; BS Computer Science (Games); BA Interactive Entertainment; BA/BFA Art, MA/MFA Art; Labs for Medical Virtual Reality, Mixed Reality, Modeling & Simulation, Social Simulation, and Virtual Humans.

Loyola Marymount University
Student Population: 10,000 (as of 2023)
Backdrop: Urban, 150-acre campus overlooking Los Angeles
Programs: BA Animation, BA Studio Arts - Graphic Design Emphasis (GRPH),

Orange
Chapman University
Student Population: 10,000 (as of 2023)
Backdrop: Suburban, 76-acre campus
Programs: BFA Digital Arts; BFA Graphic Design; Minor Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR and AR), BFA Animation & Visual Effects; MFA Production Design

Pasadena
Art Center College of Design
Student Population: 1,700 (as of 2023)
Backdrop: Suburban, 175-acre hillside campus
Programs: BFA Graphic Design, BS Entertainment Design with Tracks in Character Animation (Launches 2015) and Concept Design, BS Interaction Design, BFA Illustration Design Track, BS Entertainment Design

Otis College of Art and Design
Student Population: 1100 (as of 2023)
Backdrop: Urban, 5-acre campus
Programs: BFA Graphic Design, BFA Illustration, BFA Animation, BFA Game Design, MFA Graphic Design

Valencia
California Institute of the Arts
Student Population: 1500 (as of 2023)
Backdrop: Suburban, 60-acre campus, easy access to Los Angeles
Programs: BFA Graphic Design, MFA Graphic Design; Motion Graphics MFA (separate track within the Graphic Design program), MFA Experimental Animation, BFA Character Animation, BFA Experimental Animation

Laguna Beach
Laguna College of Art and Design
Student Population: 700 (as of 2023)
Backdrop: Small beach town, 9-acre campus, easy access to Newport Beach, Irvine
Programs: BFA Animation, BFA Game Art, MFA Game Design, BFA Graphic Design; Graphic Design w/Illustration Emphasis; Graphic Design w/Action Sport Design Emphasis, BFA Graphic Design + Digital Media w/Specialized Minor in UI/UX, BFA Illustration, BFA, Minor in Illustration in Entertainment Design

Top Animation School Programs Northern California

San Francisco
Academy of Art University
Student Population: 7800 (as of 2023)
Backdrop: Urban, 3-acre campus
Programs: AA Animation & Visual Effects, BFA Animation & Visual Effects, MA Animation & Visual Effects, MFA Animation & Visual Effects, MFA Game Design, BFA Game Design, MFA Graphic Design, BFA Graphic Design, BFA Illustration, MA Illustration, MFA Illustration, (Many programs available online)

California College of the Arts
Student Population: 1,600 (as of 2023)
Backdrop: Urban, 4-acre campus
Programs: BFA Animation, BFA Graphic Design, BFA Illustration

San Jose
San Jose State University
Student Population: 36,000 (as of 2023)
Backdrop: Urban, 104-acre campus
Programs: BFA Graphic Design; BFA Animation/Illustration; Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Computer Vision (CV) Lab

More Programs to Consider: