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What are the best animation school programs in Oregon for 2026?
| Ranking | School | City | Ranking by Region | National Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Willamette University | Salem and Portland | Unranked | Unranked |
| #2 | George Fox University | Newberg | Unranked | Unranked |
Our 2026 ranking -our fifteenth annual- of the top animation school programs in Oregon.
The criteria we used for the animation rankings consists, in no particular order, of the following: Academic reputation, Employment data, Admission selectivity, Depth and breadth of the program, Value as it relates to tuition and indebtedness, Graduation rate, and Retention rate. For an explanation of ranking criteria, click here.
1. Willamette University, Salem and Portland, Oregon
Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) at Willamette University (WU or Willamette) has an Animated Arts program with BFA and minor options. Program highlights include access to state-of-the art production facilities such as the Animated Arts Lab, Stop Motion/3D Animation Suite, and digital animation and 2D animation workstations; visiting artists; seminars and workshops; opportunities to work on projects for real clients; and professional internships. Students have worked on projects for or completed internships at places such as LAIKA, Adidas, Wieden+Kennedy, the NW International Animation Festival, and Nike. The program culminates with a thesis project. Graduates have landed roles with places such as Disney, Microsoft, Adult Swim, Google, The Jim Henson Company, XBox, Legoland, Netflix, LAIKA, Nintendo, Samsung, Coca-Cola, Nike, Adidas, Starbucks, IBM, Adobe, MSNBC, The New Yorker, Wieden+Kennedy, Meta, Lexus, National Geographic, and Dark Horse Comics.
Willamette University — Ranking Factors
The following factors contribute to Willamette's position in Animation Career Review's 2026 animation school rankings.
Academic Peer Recognition: Moderate Academic Peer Recognition (Tier 4)
Faculty Size: Large Faculty (Tier 2)
Graduate Employment: Limited Employment Outcomes (Tier 5)
Admissions Selectivity: Accessible (Tier 4)
Average Net Cost: Moderate Average Net Cost (Tier 3)
Student Indebtedness: Moderate Student Debt (Tier 3)
Graduation Rate: Moderate Graduation Rate (Tier 3)
First-Year Retention Rate: Strong First-Year Student Retention (Tier 2)
Ranking Factor Tiers: Tier 1 represents the strongest performance and Tier 5 represents the weakest performance within each ranking factor.
2. George Fox University, Newberg, Oregon
George Fox University (GFU) is home to a Cinematic Art BA that provides the opportunity to participate in the LA Film Studies Center (LAFSC) Program. Accepted students will travel to Burbank, California to work with major production studios for an entire semester. Students also have the opportunity to travel to Utah to attend film screenings and study independent filmmaking at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City. Other program benefits include small class sizes; access to production studios and labs in the Cinematic Arts Building; and the opportunity to present student productions at the Annual Fox Film Festival in Newberg. The program culminates with a series of 10- to 30-minute animated shorts for film festival submissions and a final portfolio. Graduates can be found at places such as Pixar, Nike, Soma Games, Portland Trail Blazers, Refuge VFX, Reverie Creative Agency, VIA Films, and Greystone Media.
George Fox University — Ranking Factors
The following factors contribute to George Fox's position in Animation Career Review's 2026 animation school rankings.
Academic Peer Recognition: Moderate Academic Peer Recognition (Tier 4)
Faculty Size: Small Faculty (Tier 4)
Graduate Employment: Limited Employment Outcomes (Tier 5)
Admissions Selectivity: Highly Accessible (Tier 5)
Average Net Cost: Moderate Average Net Cost (Tier 3)
Student Indebtedness: Elevated Student debt (Tier 4)
Graduation Rate: Moderate Graduation Rate (Tier 3)
First-Year Retention Rate: Moderate First-Year Student Retention (Tier 3)
Ranking Factor Tiers: Tier 1 represents the strongest performance and Tier 5 represents the weakest performance within each ranking factor.