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What are the top Chinese schools with animation degree programs?
| Ranking | School | City |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beijing Film Academy | Beijing |
| 2 | Jilin Animation Institute | Changchun |
| 3 | Communication University of China | Beijing |
Our 2024 rankings of the top animation degree programs in China.
For this ranking we only consider formal degree programs (bachelor's degree or equivalent). For an explanation of our ranking criteria, click here.
1. Beijing Film Academy, Beijing, China
Beijing Film Academy (BFA) is China’s only film academy and the largest film school in Asia. In 2000, BFA launched the Animation School—formerly the Animation major in the Department of Fine Arts—and the first ever school of animation in the field of higher education in China. BFA Animation School leadership consists of 21 teachers and staff, including one professor, three associates, five lecturers, and eight associate lecturers. Beijing Film Academy also hosts famous animators and cartoonists from China and around the world.
With nearly 360 students enrolled in BA, MFA, PhD, and non-degree programs, the Animation School focuses on the following disciplines: Computer Animation, Comics, Game Design, Art of Animation, Film, and Art Design. The MFA has formal Game Design, Stop-Motion Film, Anime Planning, and Animation Product Design research areas. For the PhD program, students can focus in Research on Animation Theory.
Students in all Beijing Film Academy programs benefit from opportunities to collaborate on projects with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Gobelins, Straight Entertainment (Hollywood, CA), and Taylor’s University; interdisciplinary studies; the opportunity to participate in the student film festival known as Cinerent Award; participation in exchange workshops with the Korean Academy of Film Art (KAFA) and the Netherland Film Academy (NFA); and long-term cooperative relationships with major studios in China and abroad.
Graduates of the Animation Programs at Beijing Film Academy are prepared to pursue roles in areas such as animation, computer games design, cartooning, television, visual effects (VFX), multimedia design, web design, research, and art education. Program alumni are Animators, Directors, Educators, Researchers, Designers, Filmmakers, and VFX Artists.
Graduates have worked on productions that have won awards at the Cannes Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, Shanghai International Film Festival, and the Tokyo International Film Festival.
Beijing Film Academy 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 approximately 4,000 students across 15 departments and schools. The school provides undergraduate, graduate, PhD, and short-term training programs. Around 72% of BFA students are enrolled in four majors including Film Directing, Performing Arts, Cinematography, and Chinese Language. Beijing Film Academy is recognized by the Beijing Municipal Commission of Education.
2. Jilin Animation Institute, Changchun, Jilin, China
Jilin Animation Institute (JAI) is home to the School of Animation Art (SAA). Established in 2000, the school is one of the first on China to provide an undergraduate animation program. Serving more than 2.600 students, the SAA hosts than 200 international visiting professors, including Director of Kung Fu Panda, Mark Osborne. Students also benefit from SAA-based research and experimental platforms such as Jilin International Joint Research Center for Digital Animation Technology; Jilin Virtual Simulation Animation Technology Laboratory; and the Jilin 3D Interactive Technology Laboratory.
Other SAA benefits include participation in international exhibitions and competitions; research, technology development, and projects with close to 100 international universities in 30 countries; immersive workshops; and state-of-the-art classrooms, studios, and production facilities.
The School of Animation Art at Jilin Animation Institute also provides three BA programs: 2D Animation, 3D Animation, and New Media Animation. Across programs, students may take courses such as 3D Design; Programming; History of Animation; Character Design; Principles of Timing; Color and Media; Web Design; Animation Project Management; Web Design; Layout, and Post-Production.
All JAI SAA animation students will have the opportunity to complete several Animated films and an internship.
The Animation BA programs at Jilin Animation Institute can be completed in four years, full-time. Graduates are prepared for graduate study and careers in animation, games, television and film, advertising, and more. Graduates have gone on to pursue graduate study at top institutions such as Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), Rubika France, and University of the Arts London.
Program alumni have also been hired at Tencent, Light Chaser Animation, CCTV, NetEase, Perfect World Entertainment, ALPHA, and miHOYO.
Jilin Animation Institute was established in June 2000. This independent, private, undergraduate college serves 12,000 students enrolled in 36 majors across 14 schools/academies including Animation Arts; Manga; Games; Design and Product; Film; Film Technology; Virtual Reality; Cultural Industry Business; Animation Industry; Civil Aviation; Innovation and Entrepreneurship; Marxism; General Education; and International Exchange. Jilin Animation Institute is approved by the Ministry of Education.
3. Communication University of China, Beijing, China
Communication University of China (CUC) is home to the School of Animation and Digital Arts. Within the school are the Department of Animation and Comics, and the Department of Game and Esports. Across departments, students have multiple paths to study animation. The Department of Animation and Comics has Animation (Animation Art), 3D Animation and Special Effects, and Animation Creation and Digital Creative Design programs.
The Department of Game and Esports has an Animation (Game Art) program. With the exception of the Animation Creation and Digital Creative Design program, which leads to a master’s degree, all programs lead to a bachelor’s degree.
Across programs, students will take courses such as Digital Art Creation; Storyboarding; Computer Graphics; 3D Game Art; Multimedia & Interactive Programming; Animation Team Project; Visual Effects; Digital Compositing Technology; Experimental Animation; Art of Editing; Animation Design; Screenwriting; Digital Compositing Technology; Animation Sketch; Game Concept Design; Animation Directing; Animation Production; 3D Game Art and Game Special Effects; and Creative Thinking of Interactive Art.
Students in all School of Animation and Digital Arts programs benefit from partnerships and joint labs with Apple, Microsoft, Tencent, Unity, HP, Shanghai Film Studio, and Innovation Works; access to state-of-the-art facilities and studios; and opportunities to complete an internship at a professional studio.
The animation programs at Communication University of China end with a final project and project of the student's best work. Graduates are prepared for careers across the entertainment, games, and media industries. Program alumni have been hired at places such as Pixar, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Disney, Google, Yahoo, People's Network, Light Chaser Animation, Scanline VFX, CCTV, China Technology and Technology Museum, the National Library, and the National Museum.
Some graduates have gone on to become educators or researchers at Beijing Film Academy, Zhejiang Media Institute, Beijing Normal University, Sichuan University, and CUC.
Communication University of China began in 1954 with the founding of a training center for technicians of the Central Broadcasting Bureau. The center was renamed the Beijing Broadcasting Institute (BBI) in 1959. The BBI was renamed Communication University of China in 2004. Today, CUC serves approximately 15,305 students enrolled in more than 70 programs across 15+ schools and 37 departments. Communication University of China is one of the national-level major universities in China and an affiliate of the State Ministry of Education.