UCA, BIMM, or Teesside for animation
Hi! I'm a student from the US, and I'm planning to study animation in England next September. So far, I have been accepted into University for the Creative Arts Farnham and BIMM MetStudios Brighton. I am also awaiting a decision from Teesside University. Any information about these schools would be greatly appreciated. I can't seem to find much info about BIMM/MetStudios, and the UCA reviews are very mixed. Are these schools good for animation? Are they good for international students?
Hi Jambuds.
BIMM is primarily a music school for students studying music or audio related courses - that is certainly it's reputation and what most people would know the institution for. I am surprised they offer an animation course, but can't really speak to it's quality. Brighton is a busy city but has a great community for young people, lots of things to do and independent shops etc.
UCA is a good arts university but very remote, it is located in a rural village with very few amenities, it may be quite isolating if you are international, or quite a culture shock if you are used to living somewhere busy. Equally can be a good fit for people perhaps more anxious about going to university, or who prefer living somewhere quiet with access to the countryside etc. They generally have smaller class sizes and quite a community vibe. I applied here and went to an open day and interview day.
Teesside is a larger town further north. I visited there for an open day. It is quite urban. I would say it is not a particularly pretty part of the UK if that is part of your motivation for studying internationally (although this is ofc personal opinion!). Has a wide range of general facilities in the town. The university is good for digital creative courses and gets generally good outcomes - I found the quality of the buildings varied a lot - some were very new and well- equipped, others were quite neglected and lacked a lot of modern equipment. Ultimately I personally decided not to apply there but it is pretty well reviewed for digital creative courses - definitely not a bad pick.
Have you considered/heard of Hertfordshire and Bournemouth university? These are some of the best animation universities in the UK and may be a good fit for you. The US also has some very accomplished animation schools and a large animation industry, is there a reason you chose to study abroad?
BIMM is primarily a music school for students studying music or audio related courses - that is certainly it's reputation and what most people would know the institution for. I am surprised they offer an animation course, but can't really speak to it's quality. Brighton is a busy city but has a great community for young people, lots of things to do and independent shops etc.
UCA is a good arts university but very remote, it is located in a rural village with very few amenities, it may be quite isolating if you are international, or quite a culture shock if you are used to living somewhere busy. Equally can be a good fit for people perhaps more anxious about going to university, or who prefer living somewhere quiet with access to the countryside etc. They generally have smaller class sizes and quite a community vibe. I applied here and went to an open day and interview day.
Teesside is a larger town further north. I visited there for an open day. It is quite urban. I would say it is not a particularly pretty part of the UK if that is part of your motivation for studying internationally (although this is ofc personal opinion!). Has a wide range of general facilities in the town. The university is good for digital creative courses and gets generally good outcomes - I found the quality of the buildings varied a lot - some were very new and well- equipped, others were quite neglected and lacked a lot of modern equipment. Ultimately I personally decided not to apply there but it is pretty well reviewed for digital creative courses - definitely not a bad pick.
Have you considered/heard of Hertfordshire and Bournemouth university? These are some of the best animation universities in the UK and may be a good fit for you. The US also has some very accomplished animation schools and a large animation industry, is there a reason you chose to study abroad?
(edited 2 months ago)
Original post by aspalax
Hi Jambuds.
BIMM is primarily a music school for students studying music or audio related courses - that is certainly it's reputation and what most people would know the institution for. I am surprised they offer an animation course, but can't really speak to it's quality. Brighton is a busy city but has a great community for young people, lots of things to do and independent shops etc.
UCA is a good arts university but very remote, it is located in a rural village with very few amenities, it may be quite isolating if you are international, or quite a culture shock if you are used to living somewhere busy. Equally can be a good fit for people perhaps more anxious about going to university, or who prefer living somewhere quiet with access to the countryside etc. They generally have smaller class sizes and quite a community vibe. I applied here and went to an open day and interview day.
Teesside is a larger town further north. I visited there for an open day. It is quite urban. I would say it is not a particularly pretty part of the UK if that is part of your motivation for studying internationally (although this is ofc personal opinion!). Has a wide range of general facilities in the town. The university is good for digital creative courses and gets generally good outcomes - I found the quality of the buildings varied a lot - some were very new and well- equipped, others were quite neglected and lacked a lot of modern equipment. Ultimately I personally decided not to apply there but it is pretty well reviewed for digital creative courses - definitely not a bad pick.
Have you considered/heard of Hertfordshire and Bournemouth university? These are some of the best animation universities in the UK and may be a good fit for you. The US also has some very accomplished animation schools and a large animation industry, is there a reason you chose to study abroad?
BIMM is primarily a music school for students studying music or audio related courses - that is certainly it's reputation and what most people would know the institution for. I am surprised they offer an animation course, but can't really speak to it's quality. Brighton is a busy city but has a great community for young people, lots of things to do and independent shops etc.
UCA is a good arts university but very remote, it is located in a rural village with very few amenities, it may be quite isolating if you are international, or quite a culture shock if you are used to living somewhere busy. Equally can be a good fit for people perhaps more anxious about going to university, or who prefer living somewhere quiet with access to the countryside etc. They generally have smaller class sizes and quite a community vibe. I applied here and went to an open day and interview day.
Teesside is a larger town further north. I visited there for an open day. It is quite urban. I would say it is not a particularly pretty part of the UK if that is part of your motivation for studying internationally (although this is ofc personal opinion!). Has a wide range of general facilities in the town. The university is good for digital creative courses and gets generally good outcomes - I found the quality of the buildings varied a lot - some were very new and well- equipped, others were quite neglected and lacked a lot of modern equipment. Ultimately I personally decided not to apply there but it is pretty well reviewed for digital creative courses - definitely not a bad pick.
Have you considered/heard of Hertfordshire and Bournemouth university? These are some of the best animation universities in the UK and may be a good fit for you. The US also has some very accomplished animation schools and a large animation industry, is there a reason you chose to study abroad?
Hi there!
I did apply to Hertfordshire, but I wasn't accepted. I want to study internationally because at the current time, I don't feel safe in my state. Since I have a British citizenship, I want to explore England, reconnect with my family, and spread my wings. Plus, the schools that I was interested in the US were MUCH more expensive.
Original post by jambuds
Hi there!
I did apply to Hertfordshire, but I wasn't accepted. I want to study internationally because at the current time, I don't feel safe in my state. Since I have a British citizenship, I want to explore England, reconnect with my family, and spread my wings. Plus, the schools that I was interested in the US were MUCH more expensive.
I did apply to Hertfordshire, but I wasn't accepted. I want to study internationally because at the current time, I don't feel safe in my state. Since I have a British citizenship, I want to explore England, reconnect with my family, and spread my wings. Plus, the schools that I was interested in the US were MUCH more expensive.
That makes a lot of sense! Having British citizenship will probably help you with studying internationally too.
I'm sorry to hear you weren't accepted to Herts. I would still consider Bournemouth, and possibly Staffordshire and Escape Studios (both particularly good for 3D/VFX and film, which there is a larger industry for in the UK than 2D animation). I would also suggest trying Linkedin and searching for UK animation companies, tabbing to "people" > "where they studied" for ideas. That is, if you're still open to the idea of studying outside of your original options (i.e. applying through clearing etc)
Of your original three, it really comes down to what is important to you - which is why I tried to give you a range of information about what I know of the universities location and reputation.
Reply 4
Hi @jambuds,
Please let us know if you would like more information about Animation or student life here at University of Staffordshire.
As a quick overview, our Senior Lecturer Daryl has shared a bit more about the course:
“We have always put a lot of emphasis on drawing skills at University of Staffordshire, and we value life drawing as the basis of all our animator’s skill development. This is one of the many things that our industry advisers insist upon. Our industry links led us to rebuild the course a few years ago and focus on making students industry ready character animators by graduation.
Our animation course has a staggered pathway structure so that you can pick one type of animation to go with after the first year, or you can go with multiple mediums. Combine 2D and 3D if you want to, or you may find that you want to go with Stop Motion after you try it.
We also focus on emerging technologies, the changing face of the industry and new developments in pipelines and software. This is why for 3D, although we use Maya and Blender a lot, we now teach Unreal Engine as this technology is becoming more important for series production and full keyframed animation. Both Blender and Unreal have a ton of assets and training online to get you started if you want to try them out.”
Happy to help if you need any other information, just let us know 🙂
Ellie in the Social Media Team
Please let us know if you would like more information about Animation or student life here at University of Staffordshire.
As a quick overview, our Senior Lecturer Daryl has shared a bit more about the course:
“We have always put a lot of emphasis on drawing skills at University of Staffordshire, and we value life drawing as the basis of all our animator’s skill development. This is one of the many things that our industry advisers insist upon. Our industry links led us to rebuild the course a few years ago and focus on making students industry ready character animators by graduation.
Our animation course has a staggered pathway structure so that you can pick one type of animation to go with after the first year, or you can go with multiple mediums. Combine 2D and 3D if you want to, or you may find that you want to go with Stop Motion after you try it.
We also focus on emerging technologies, the changing face of the industry and new developments in pipelines and software. This is why for 3D, although we use Maya and Blender a lot, we now teach Unreal Engine as this technology is becoming more important for series production and full keyframed animation. Both Blender and Unreal have a ton of assets and training online to get you started if you want to try them out.”
Happy to help if you need any other information, just let us know 🙂
Ellie in the Social Media Team
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