I'm looking into choosing a university for Animation.

College Majors Visual Arts and Film Majors
1

I’m currently enrolled at my local community college (Camden County College), and I’m trying to decide on a 4-year university to apply to; one that supports 2D and 3D animation. As much as I want to go independent, My family has sunken money on CCC and they encourage me to go to a college.

I have a few options that I’m definitely interested in:

Ringling College of Art & Design - Would take Motion Design (due to working with other formats of the animation medium (2D, 3D, Stop-Motion) or Computer Animation. They carry connections to some of my favorite animation studios (Pixar, Laika) and their campus has a decent set of activities (and they’re open to creating your own clubs). Plus, Florida is bound to have enough outside Sarasota to build a social life.

School of Visual Arts - Having visited New York, I like the location already. This school is considered one of the best art schools to go to, and there are some alumni I look up to that have made it in the film/animation industry (ie. Rebecca Sugar, Chris Prynoski, Michael Giacchino).

Savannah College of Art & Design - Some say the college is a scam. Some also say the location isn’t very safe, either. But I saw some student work from their animation program that looks great (the 2D shorts more so, but the 3D work doesn’t slouch either).

I also had College for Creative Studies, RISD, Pratt, and RIT in mind. But they rank way lower on my list since:

Some say Detriot isn’t safe and that CCS’ curriculum is punishing.
I don’t think I have a chance academically for RIT and haven’t found much about its animation program.
Some say RISD isn’t good for Animation, but better for other majors (ie: Illustration).
I haven’t looked into Pratt’s program that much, but I hear their 2D and 3D animation programs are good.

If anyone has gone to or considered any of these colleges, can I hear your thoughts? Would you recommend them? Are there any other institutions you’d recommend?

2

SCAD is consistently in the top 10 schools for Animation. The only time I hear it being called a scam is from those who either weren’t cut out for the field and didn’t do well and needed something to blame, or those who didn’t finish the program for whatever reason.

The difference with SCAD is that it seems to be the only art school that doesn’t require a portfolio. Some think that even with no art skills they can just come in and suddenly produce art. That isn’t how it works. It is far more work than they expect, and far more artsy than they thought it would be, and they can’t cut it.

For us, it came down to location and cost (amount of scholarship), and the number of credits the school would accept in transfer.

SCAD won out on almost all counts FOR US.

3

Ringling would be my choice if going for Animation. The school doesn’t give much merit aid though and it’s expensive. But the animation program is highly regarded.

SVA is a private, for-profit school and also doesn’t give much scholarship money. But it’s in an incredible location and networking would probably be top-notch.

I’ve heard the SCAD is a SCAM stories as well. But many people love the school and the city of Savannah. I know they come up to the New Jersey/PA area and run programs to learn about the school, so check their website.

Have you looked into University of the Arts in Philadelphia? They have an animation program and would likely offer more scholarship money since they are a lesser known school.