Where to study 3D Animation in Europe?

golden_mmxx

I want to study 3D Animation, but here in germany it's quite hard to find a place and get accepted. Most offers are from private schools and are expensive af and as far as i know: not worth it. I would rather work half time as a barkeeper and eat tutorials all day before going to a private school.

But being able to learn 3D Animation in a university would be great. Besides a hand full in germany and a well known in Denmark, do you have any recommendations here in Europe? I found an university in France but their english website is always offline. If I could decide it, i would also be open to study in Asia or America, but i think it's hard to survive there without the funding from the state.

Smiling_Neko

If it's just about obtaining the skills, you don't really need university. There are a lot of self-taught artists. I went to one of those private ones you mentioned (also in Germany) and here are my experiences:

- it's really great for developing discipline and working in a team
- you get instant help and feedback if you need it
- if you're a competitive type of person you'll be driven to not just get good grades but also build a decent portfolio
- not all programs offer student licences and you can use and work with those at university

BUT (and this is where I get a bit subjective)

- point 3 is solely up to you and you can get the same result without university if you're really serious about it
- despite lectures, most of my skills are self-taught, meaning if I hadn't sat down all day after lecture I wouldn't have gotten any results - my point is that many students have gotten decent grades but have sub-par portfolios that can't be compared to anything in the industry and the students who have better ones usually don't have them BECAUSE of attending university but because of the time they put in in their free-time
- as you've said, it costs a lot
- just because it costs a lot doesn't mean you'll get high-quality education or help there. I've had to ask myself more than once "What kind of university is this?" and a few fellow students of mine had the same impression

You have to decide for yourself. Is it worth the money / is there no other way you can obtatin those skills? If you REALLY want that degree and have the money, then go for it. But let me tell you right now that a degree will not guarantee you a job, especially in this industry. If you have discipline you can do it on your own just fine. There are a lot of high-quality (and mostly free) tutorials out there and you can ask other people for help as well. A university may make it easier to get the basics down but the cost-benefit-ratio really isn't worth it if you ask me.

tl;dr

golden_mmxx said:

Most offers are from private schools and are expensive af and as far as i know: not worth it.

This.

sacboi

Check out CGMA, Gnomon Workshop, or Animation Mentor, quality online tuition at a fraction of an academic price.

golden_mmxx

interesting that nobody is mentioning any state university. i give it a try to get a place that year but keep on sitting on it on my own in my free time and look for a decent job to pay my bills while doing so. Point 2 of nekos reply is one of the top reasons i would like to spend my time in a team and not all alone.

and thanks alot for the online tuitions sacboi. really appreciate it.

poopipe

IMO you want to be looking at... 
Howest in Belgium , University of Hertfordshire and for animation/rigging specifically Bournemouth in the UK
There's a couple of places in the Netherlands  - Breda and RKD(I think I have the right 3letter acronym) that are also very solid. 

I'd say probably 90% of the best graduates I've worked with over the last 6-7 years have come from those universities.
There are more good courses - those are just the ones that have stood out as being consistent

sacboi

golden_mmxx

"Point 2 of nekos reply is one of the top reasons i would like to spend my time in a team and not all alone."

Of course, at the end of the day it's entirely up too you, by all means go for it. There are always individual considerations to account for in any given circumstance and as an aside, sometime ago I'd freelanced on a couple of projects with self-taught people so therein my perspective.

Cheers.