Photo: CalArts

California Institute of the Arts in Valencia is the No. 1 school for animation in the United States, according to a new survey from Animation Career Review, a leading online source for aspiring animators, game developers and digital artists.

“Cal Arts is to animation what M.I.T. is to physics – it just doesn’t get any better,” Animation Career Review said.

The University of Southern California came in at No. 2, followed by UCLA at No. 3.

California State University, Northridge, was ranked 13th, and officials there were quite pleased.

CSUN Animation

“We know what kind of skillsets and portfolios the industry expects, and that is the benchmark we use to prepare our students,” said Robert St. Pierre, assistant professor of art and an industry veteran. He said CSUN’s program is competitive because of a robust curricula taught by faculty with professional industry experience and standing relationships within the industry – the epicenter of which is right across town.

Animation Career Review said its rankings are based on school reviews by major surveyors including Princeton Review and US News Best Colleges, as well as student reviews and its own surveys of animators and studios.

Here is the rest of what it had to say about CalArts:

“Ask anyone in the animation industry for their choice of top 3 animation programs and they will inevitably concur. Its legacy is steeped in a rich tradition that fills the annals of animation history: the founders of the college included none other than Walt Disney, his brother Roy and several of the ‘Nine Old Men’ (Disney’s legendary animators) during the so-called ‘Golden Years of Animation’. But history alone isn’t the only reason to believe us when we say Cal Arts is number one in the West.

Pixar chief John Lasseter (right) with CalArts President Steven Lavine in May 2014 | Photo by Steve Gunther/CalArts

“With a longstanding tradition of producing widely acclaimed animators, Cal Arts alumni directory reads like a ‘who’s who’ of animation and includes the venerable John Lasseter (of Pixar fame). What is the recipe for creating one of the world’s most revered animation programs? Start with a classically-oriented framework (think illustration, storytelling and design) and then add layers of nuanced studies which may include work on graphic novels, CG animation and advanced visual design. Individualized coursework, with the assistance of its internationally renowned working faculty members, rounds out students’ education preparing them for a lifetime of often successful, fulfilling career roles.

“Offering a BFA in Character Animation and a BFA and MFA in Experimental Animation, California Institute of the Arts attracts not only the best and brightest out of high school but those who are willing to endure four years of rigorous yet immersive animation studies. And with just 900 undergraduate students, high school students should be prepared for a challenging acceptance process with a low 30.6% acceptance rate made even more daunting by the fact that most students applying have outstanding scores and recommendations (US News Best Colleges 2012). Also be prepared for a steep tuition… now might be a good time to discover what your financial realities are and to check into available grants! That said, graduates go beyond what is considered ‘excellent job placement rates’ by getting hired by studios that make most animators drool at the ripe age of 23.”

In order, Animation Career Review’s top 20 schools for animation are:

1. California Institute of the Arts

2. University of Southern California

3. University of California at Los Angeles

4. Otis College of Art & Design

5. Academy of Art University

6. California College of the Arts

7. Brigham Young University

8. Ex’pression College for Digital Arts

9. Loyola Marymount University

10. University of Colorado at Denver

11. DigiPen Institute of Technology

12. Los Angeles Film School

13. California State University Northridge

14. Woodbury University

15. University of Utah

16. University of Hawaii at Manoa

17. Southwest University of Visual Arts

18. Santa Monica College

19. Los Angeles Mission College

20. University of Advancing Technology