| Ranking | School | City | Ranking by Region | National Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Brigham Young University | Provo | #1 in Southwest | #11 |
| #2 | University of Utah | Salt Lake City | #8 in Southwest | #47 |
| #3 | Utah Valley University | Orem | Unranked | Unranked |
Our 2026 ranking -our fifteenth annual- of the top animation school program in Utah.
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.
Established in 2010, Brigham Young University (BYU) Center for Animation is an Unreal Academic Partner and Houdini Certified School that accepts no more than 25 students each year. Students can apply to the center through BYU’s Animation BFA program or the Computer Science BS with an Animation and Games emphasis. Program highlights include faculty mentoring; collaborative projects; and opportunities to intern with major studios such as Pixar, DreamWorks, and Disney. Graduates have landed positions at places such as Sony Pictures Animation, Nickelodeon, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Disney, Blizzard Entertainment, Pixar, Hasbro, Riot Games, DreamWorks, and Digital Domain.
The following factors contribute to BYU's position in Animation Career Review's 2026 animation school rankings.
Academic Peer Recognition: Elite Academic Peer Recognition (Tier 1)
Faculty Size: Mid-Sized Faculty (Tier 3)
Graduate Employment: Strong Employment Outcomes (Tier 2)
Admissions Selectivity: Moderately Selective (Tier 3)
Average Net Cost: Minimal Average Net Cost (Tier 1)
Student Indebtedness: Minimal Student Debt (Tier 1)
Graduation Rate: Strong Graduation Rate (Tier 2)
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.
The Department of Film and Media Arts at University of Utah (U of U or The U) has two paths to study animation including the Film and Media Arts BA (F&MA BA) with an Animation emphasis and the Animation Studies minor. Program features include state-of-the-art classrooms, studios, and production facilities; immersive workshops; professional internships; seminars; and optional study abroad experiences across 26 countries. Programs culminate with an animation project. Graduates have gone on to land positions at places such as Pixar, Lucasfilm, Warner Bros., Nickelodeon, and Paramount.
The following factors contribute to University of Utah's position in Animation Career Review's 2026 animation school rankings.
Academic Peer Recognition: Excellent Academic Peer Recognition (Tier 2)
Faculty Size: Small Faculty (Tier 4)
Graduate Employment: Strong Employment Outcomes (Tier 2)
Admissions Selectivity: Accessible (Tier 4)
Average Net Cost: Minimal Average Net Cost (Tier 1)
Student Indebtedness: Low Student Debt (Tier 2)
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.
Utah Valley University has two paths to study animation including the Animation and Game Development BS and the Art and Design BFA with an Illustration emphasis. The BS provides numerous networking and learning opportunities through the Game Developers Conference; Immerse Global Summit; and the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC). Recognized as an Animation Center of Excellence by Toon Boom (COE), the program also highlights two track options including 2D and 3D. Students in the BFA program have opportunities to intern with places such as Paramount Studios, the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (Utah MOCA), and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met). Course examples include 2D Animation for Illustration; Sequential Animation; Character Design; 3D Texturing and Rendering; Advanced Rendering of Forms and Surfaces; and Environment Design. Across programs, graduates have gone on to land positions at places such as Riot Games, Disney, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), NBCUniversal, Warner Bros. Discovery, Sony Pictures, Amazon, and Gearbox Software.
The following factors contribute to Utah Valley's position in Animation Career Review's 2026 animation school rankings.
Academic Peer Recognition: Strong Academic Peer Recognition (Tier 3)
Faculty Size: Small Faculty (Tier 4)
Graduate Employment: Moderate Employment Outcomes (Tier 3)
Admissions Selectivity: Highly Accessible (Tier 5)
Average Net Cost: Minimal Average Net Cost (Tier 1)
Student Indebtedness: Minimal Student Debt (Tier 1)
Graduation Rate: Low Graduation Rate (Tier 5)
First-Year Retention Rate: Fair First Year Student Retention (Tier 4)
Ranking Factor Tiers: Tier 1 represents the strongest performance and Tier 5 represents the weakest performance within each ranking factor.
