Best Visual Effects Schools & Colleges in the World 2022

Since 2011, The Rookies has been supplying reliable performance information about colleges and universities to students, their families, academics, university leaders, governments, and business. The results for 2022 are based on a staggering 58,443 portfolio reviews, completed by a team of over 150+ industry professionals.

The Rookies World School Rankings® are not like other education based ranking systems. They are driven and judged by industry professionals without the interference of paid advertising dollars that cloud the judgement of other ranking sites. • Scott Thompson, founder of Think Tank Training Centre.

We feel that traditional school rankings – that include peer and employer reviews, faculty-to-student ratio, citations and other data – are not adequate when ranking creative schools. This might work in industries with more traditional career paths, but when it comes to technical and creative roles things are much more complicated, and we need to take a different approach.

Our answer to this is quite arduous, but very accurate. The process involves reviewing thousands of digital portfolios from graduating students. These portfolios are the equivalent of a final exam for traditional industries, and provide an incredibly accurate dataset of how well the university or college has prepared their students for industry level skills.

Learn more about how we rank schools.

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Rank	School	Location	Score
1	SF Film School	Korea	83.38
2	ArtFX School	France	79.67
3	Think Tank Training Centre	Canada, Online	79.12
4	PIXL VISN | media arts academy	Germany	72.84
5	Netherlands Film Academy	Netherlands	72.09
6	Lost Boys | School of Visual Effects	Canada	70.31
7	Gnomon	Online, United States	63.03
8	cg5 Academy	Korea	61.94
9	FX ANIMATION Barcelona 3D & Film School	Spain	58.05
10	Howest University of Applied Sciences - Digital Arts and Entertainment	Belgium	57.79
11	ESMA	France	57.42
12	Animum Creativity Advanced School	Spain	57.41
13	New3dge	France	57.39
14	3dsense Media School	Singapore	53.32
15	Flinders University / CDW Studios	Australia, Online	50.17
16	Lightbox Academy	Spain, Online	47.76
17	Bournemouth University	United Kingdom	46.30
18	Savannah College of Art and Design	United States, France, Online	40.44
19	CG Spectrum	Online	39.87
20	University of South Australia	Australia, Online	36.19

Detailed information about the top schools and colleges for Visual Effects

The following schools are the top Visual Effects educational facilities for 2022 and offer great courses and curriculum that produces students that are ready for the challenges faced by professional artists working in Visual Effects. Follow the links below to find out more about these schools, their facilities, team, success stories, student artwork and more.

1. SF Film School

We are a professional education institution specifically for CG and VFX (Visual Effects). Our branches are in Seoul and Busan of South Korea. A lot of our graduates are currently working for the top VFX and 3D animation companies in the world. We welcome all the students regardless of the amount of experience that they have. Our systematic education curriculum guides any students who have no previous experience into a CG and VFX professional. If a student already has previous experience, we focu...

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2. ArtFX School

ArtFX is a private digital arts college, training its students in CGI, VFX, 3D Animation and Video Games. Located in Montpellier (France), the school was created by professionals of the film, video games and visual effects industries.As the only school in Europe specializing in compositing CGI into live-action footage, ArtFX is a reference for CGI and CG animation training. At ArtFx you will develop professional level skills and build a solid network of contacts thanks to our close partnerships ...

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3. Think Tank Training Centre

Think Tank Training Centre was born out of a passion for sharing industry knowledge with the next generation of artists creating assets, animation, or VFX for the top Film, Television, and Game companies across the globe. Think Tank has ranked in the top 3 creative entertainment schools in the world by the prestigious Rookies online community the past three years in a row. The school is known for its intimate, personalized support for each student during and beyond the programs. Our training ...

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4. PIXL VISN | media arts academy

PIXL VISN was founded in 2010 by industry professionals Andrei Stirbu and Robb Innes. We offer an accelerated 15-month 3D Animation and Visual Effects training program in a modern facility equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, located in the heart of Cologne, Germany. Instructors at PIXL VISN are a part of the industry: They work in relevant positions at major studios around the world helping to create major Hollywood feature films, hit television series and blockbuster video games. Our grad...

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5. Netherlands Film Academy

The academy is the only recognised institute in the Netherlands that offers training to prepare for the work in the various crew disciplines. Specialisation is possible in fiction directing, documentary directing, screenwriting, editing, producing, sounddesign, cinematography, production design, and interactive multimedia/visual effects....

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6. Lost Boys | School of Visual Effects

With its roots as an internationally renowned boutique visual effects studio, Lost Boys offers specialized programs in VFX Compositing, Effects, and CG Lighting for feature film VFX & Animation productions delivered by highly esteemed instructors within a studio environment. Thanks to our long history as leaders in visual effects production, our active industry participation, and our track record of producing the top fresh talent for world-class studios, we are experts in guiding our students to...

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7. Gnomon

For over twenty years, Gnomon has educated many of the world’s best digital artists. Called “the MIT of visual effects” by Fast Company magazine, Gnomon offers a variety of educational options to help students reach their goals in the entertainment industry, with both degree and vocational certificate programs, specialized courses for high school students and over 100 individual courses for professional enrichment. Visual effects artists launched Gnomon with the support of the entertainment indu...

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8. cg5 Academy

We are teaching CG graphics based on sincerity and trust so that those who study CG can achieve their desired goals....

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9. FX ANIMATION Barcelona 3D & Film School

FX ANIMATION Barcelona ArchViz School, pioneer in the field of architectural visualisation training and with 14 years of experience, offers you the possibility to complete your professional profile as an interior designer or architect thanks to its high performance training. Our specialised training and live online methodology (for English or Spanish speaking students) will allow you to master the leading software in the sector with great technical and visual depth, which will allow you to carry...

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10. Howest University of Applied Sciences - Digital Arts and Entertainment

Digital Arts & Entertainment (DAE) is a state-of-the-art, yet accessible, English-taught Bachelor’s degree. Fully accredited, 3 years, amounting to 180 ECTS credits. DAE is taught at Howest, a modern and unconventional university of applied sciences, situated in a small but beautiful historic city in Flanders, Belgium, in the heart of Western Europe. At DAE you can choose between 4 study majors: Game Development, Game Graphics Production, Independent Game Production or 3D Production & VFX. It...

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11. ESMA

ESMA CG School is a hiher education institution located in Montpellier, Toulouse, Nante, Lyon and Montreal, with more than 25 years of experience.Recognized for the quality and richness of its artistic teachings, the school offers two courses related to CG Animation and FX: a Prépa Entertainment and a Professional Cycle CG Animation & FX.Our ambition: to offer a teaching in adequacy with the professional environment in order to prepare our students for the various artistic professions and to...

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12. Animum Creativity Advanced School

We constantly network and advise with Industry Stakeholders and academic partners globally to ensure we are constantly industry relevant. We network with Epic Games, Unity 3D, Rokoko, Reallusion, GSU, NYU, Southern Institute of Technology, Ara Institute, Yoobee Colleges, and more.Students are regularly hired by Epic Games, Weta Group, Eleven FX, Graphic Monk, Geo AR....

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13. New3dge

New3dge, located in Paris, is a private school of higher education specialized in the fields of Game Art, 3D Animation&VFX and Concept Art. We have tailored our student program and our teaching methods alongside some of the major players in these fields. We recruit our educators from our network of respected professionals around the globe. At New3gde, we give our students the opportunity to learn skills and work with cutting edge technology in an ever-evolving environment, guaranteeing their...

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14. 3dsense Media School

3dsense Media School is a leading digital arts school in Asia, preparing students for careers in the creative entertainment industry since 2003. We focus on providing industry-based training for Visual Effects, Animation, Game Art, Motion Design, Concept Art, Illustration and Toy Production. Since 2015, 3dsense has been consistently ranked amongst the Top 10 Art Schools globally by “The Rookies World School Rankings”, the world’s most respected ranking system for creative media schools. Bes...

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15. Flinders University / CDW Studios

In partnership Flinders University and CDW Studios have created a very unique study environment where you are being taught by an instructor who currently works as a professional in that industry. Our instructors are world class, and have experience freelancing and working for some of the world’s top entertainment providers and creators, such as Blizzard Entertainment, Rising Sun Pictures, Disney, Warner Brothers and Lego just to name a few. By employing industry professionals CDW Studios and Fli...

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16. Lightbox Academy

Lightbox Academy is a Digital Arts School located in Madrid that came into being thanks to the most lauded Animation Film Production Company in Spain: Lightbox Animation Studios. The school’s academic offer encompasses the production pipelines in animation, series and videogames.Having started with a foot already in the door allows Lightbox Academy to present a training program adapted to the real workflow in any studio or production company nowadays. The s...

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17. Bournemouth University

Bournemouth University is a public university in Bournemouth, Dorset, England, with its main campus situated in neighbouring Poole. The university was founded in 1992 as one of the new universities, however the origins of its predecessor date back to the early 1900s.The university was a finalist for two prizes in British higher education – the 2009 Times Higher Education (THE) Awards for "University of the Year" and "Research Project of the Year".Traditionally known for its focus on professional...

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18. Savannah College of Art and Design

Savannah College of Art and Design prepares talented students for creative professions through engaged teaching and learning in a positively oriented university environment. SCAD is continually recognized for educational and professional excellence, affirming our commitment to the highest standards of achievement in art and design in the U.S.SCAD constantly researches and reimagines programs to instill the critical skills and knowledge students need to succeed in their chosen careers....

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19. CG Spectrum

CG Spectrum brings the industry to you! Advance your career with a world-class education, personalized mentorship from film and game experts, specialized industry-led programs, career development services, and access to a vibrant community: a powerful network of peers and industry professionals supporting you during your studies and throughout your career.CG Spectrum is a a global top-ranked training provider, an Unreal Authorized Training Center, Unreal Academic Partner, Unreal Conne...

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20. University of South Australia

UniSA is Australia’s university of enterprise and is a globally-focused, locally-engaged institution established on the dual principles of equity and excellence.With more than 32,000 students, the university is South Australia’s largest and was ranked 25th in the QS World University Rankings for institutions under 50 years old in 2015.UniSA offers degree programs across a wide range of subjects including business, law, education, arts and social sciences, health sciences, information technol...

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How we calculate global school rankings

Data is based on the quality and performance of student work that is submitted to our judging panel for the Rookie Awards.

The Judging Process

Each entrant is reviewed by members of the official Judging Panel which includes over 150+ highly influential and respected industry veterans. The Judges were asked to score entries based on criteria including — creative skills, technical skills, presentation, variety of skills, complexity, raw talent, and employment potential.

School Calculations

Based on the results of student submissions we received this year we have released the following in-depth breakdowns about the best schools.

Each school is awarded a final score based on the performance of each student representing their academic facility.

When analysing the average scores of each student per school there are three possible data formulas available to use: mean, median and mode.

The Rookies uses median. The median is the middle point of a number set, in which half the numbers are above the median and half are below. A median is intrinsically understandable. It is the middle number when the values are put in order.

• Schools with < 14 student entries are excluded from ranking.
• Incomplete student entries are removed from calculations. No penalties.
• Each student receives a performance score. Max 100 points.
• Median students score calculated per school. Max 100 points.
• Each category finalist receives 2 bonus points toward School Score.
• Each category highly commended receives 4 bonus points toward School Score.
• Each category runner up receives 6 bonus points toward School Score.
• Each category winner receives 10 bonus points toward School Score.

Having the ‘employability of the Artist’ as a judging criteria is key, for in the creative fields you can be free of constraint and let the ideas flow but getting and building a career requires an additional ability to be practical and having ideas that can be executed and maintained. • Darryn Melrose, former Chief Executive of Media Design School.

Do you feel your school should be listed here?

Over 500 international schools submitted their student work to the Rookie Awards 2022 and were reviewed by industry professionals. To make sure your school is considered for next year's rankings please use the live-chat system located at the bottom-right of this page, or email our team at [email protected].