Admissions for Bachelor in Animation 2020 opens on February 1st and closes on March 15 2020, 11:59 am

In addition to the entrance test, the programs have the following entry requirements for all applicants: Upper Secondary School Leaving Certificate AND English proficiency.

 

Proof of entry requirements for Danish applicants

Bachelor in Animation:
1) Upper Secondary School Leaving Certificate for one of the following educations:
- STX, HF, HHX, HTX, EUX or IB Diploma
- HF
- EUD in Digital Media or EUD Mediegrafiker

AND

2) Danish applicants must document English skills corresponding to B-level (B-niveau) or higher in the Danish framework.
- Applicants with English B-level (Danish Framework) must have an average grade on 3,0 or higher.
- Applicants with English A-level (Danish Framework) must have an average grade on 2,0 or higher.

Bachelor in Graphic Storytelling)
1) Upper Secondary School Leaving Certificate for one of the following educations:
- STX, HF, HHX, HTX, EUX or IB Diploma
- HF
- EUD Grafisk tekniker or EUD Mediegrafiker

AND

2) Danish applicants must document English skills corresponding to B-level (B-niveau) or higher in the Danish framework.
- Applicants with English B-level (Danish Framework) must have an average grade on 3,0 or higher.
- Applicants with English A-level (Danish Framework) must have an average grade on 2,0 or higher.

 

Proof of entry requirements for non-Danish applicants

Upper Secondary School Leaving Certificate
You must send proof of your upper secondary exam (high school, baccalaureate, IB or similar).
The diploma must not be translated from the original language.
Proof of other education and courses
Documentation of your current English proficiency.

 

If you do not meet the formal requirements

If you do not meet the specified admissions requirements, you can request an individual competence evaluation. The assessment of individual competences is an opportunity for applicants who took a different path than upper secondary school to apply for admission based on skills achieved through other means than education (for instance, work, travels, other courses). Together with the application for a competency evaluation, you must send a CV along with proof of the activities (courses, jobs, travels etc.) which have given you the relevant competencies. 

Read more about the application procedure and how to apply for an individual assessment of your competences.

 

If you already have a Danish Bachelor or Master’s degree

According to current Danish legislation, it is not possible to take a second degree at the same or lower level (for instance, two bachelor degrees or a master degree, followed by a bachelor degree). The rule only applies to applicants who took the first degree in Denmark.

Please note: On 3 December 2019, the Danish government announced that the double degree rule is cancelled as of July 1st 2020. We do not yet know exactly how the change will affect the admissions for 2020, but we will update the information on this page as soon as new guidelines are issued.

If you have already completed a Danish Bachelor degree, we suggest you contact us before applying to our programs.

Read more about the current double degree rule  (in Danish).

 

Previously earned credits within Animation or Graphic Storytelling:

When you apply for admission, you are obliged to inform us whether you have completed Danish or international programs on a similar level. You are also required to tell us if you have been employed in the field. If one or more of the educational elements you have completed as part of a higher education corresponds to one or more parts of the program you have been admitted to, the credits will be transferred.

You cannot participate in lectures or take exams in the educational parts of the program which you received credit transfer for. 
This also means that if you already have a full BA or higher degree within the subject field that you apply to, we cannot accept your application.
It is not up to you as an applicant to decide whether or not you apply for credit transfer. 

You can read more about the credit transfer rules and procedures here

 

English language requirements 

If English is not your first language, you must document your English language level. This is unconditional! 

• Danish applicants must document their English exam at B-level (B-niveau) or higher.
• Applicants with a high school exam from Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland, must document their English level as listed here.
• All other applicants must document their English level through a proficiency test. You can find a list of the acknowledged tests and the required test scores here. Please be aware that VIA only acknowledges test scores for 2 years after the test date.

If you do not have a valid English exam or test, you may choose to sit for the VIA English Language Assessment Test – the VIAT/e. The test will be offered in connection to the admissions test taking place in Viborg in May (it is not available as an online/long distance option). The VIAT/e will take approximately 100 minutes and is only valid for admission into study programs at VIA University College. The test will be conducted by a qualified VIALAC representative.

Please be aware that your VIAT/e test scores are only valid for 1 year after the test date, and only for programs offered by VIA.

You can read more about the test here.

 

Exceptions to the rule

Applicants who are English native speakers or have proof of secondary school education from the UK, Australia, the USA, Canada, and New Zealand are exempt from the English language admission requirements.

We require you to upload your portfolio in one single PDF file, max 100 MB, together with the application on www.optagelse.dk

 

Your portfolio must be handed in using the template (see below), and must contain:

• a filled out and signed cover letter;
• a letter of intention;
• examples of your work as listed and fulfilling the requirements:
  - Character Animation 
  - Computer Graphic Artist
  - Graphic Storytelling
    Below, you can see the requirements for the 2019 admissions. The portfolio requirements will be updated for the 2021 admissions round. The requirements for 2020 will be announced in October 2020 at the latest.

 

Download portfolio template

To make it as easy as possible, we have made a template for Photoshop, InDesign, and OpenOffice as well as a How-to-guide for saving your portfolio as a single PDF-file. In the template, you will find the necessary information about requirements for the portfolio, the coverletter form and the letter of intent. 

Character Animation - portfolio template (zip-folder)

Computer Graphic Arts - portfolio template (zip-folder)

Graphic Storytelling - portfolio template (2019 - changes may apply for 2021) (zip-folder)

Tip! You don't have to squeeze all of your 10 croquis drawings into one page - use as many pages per category as you feel is necessary to show off your work.

What are we looking for in your portfolio?

Drawing and storytelling skills, as well as the overall potential demonstrated in the portfolios, are decisive for our selection of applicants for the test and interview.

For Character Animation and Computer Graphic Arts, we first and foremost look for solid drawing skills. Excellent life drawing and perspective drawing are a crucial foundation. Furthermore, we are interested in seeing originality and a broad range of personal drawing styles in your portfolio.

For Graphic Storytelling, we look for compelling visuals – ideally a combination of strong life drawing and perspective fundamentals and distinctive visual stylization – and compellingly plotted and written narratives. Both versatility and originality are a plus.

The letter of intent is meant to allow us to get to know the applicants: Their background, interests, and motivations for applying. It is as vital a part of your application as the portfolio; we encourage you to use it to stand out among the other applicants. The letter of intent has to be written in English (in a letter format, not bullet points or answers to the questions).

Please use the questions below as a point of departure for your letter. You do not have to cover all the topics and if you have some other topic you prefer to include please do so. We would like to read what is most interesting for you to write about.

• Why are you applying and why did you choose the specific program? Your ambitions for future work?
• How do you see the industry developing in the future? Your professional influences and inspirations and why?
• Your favorite works (films, games and/or comics) and why? Your least favorite works (films, games and/or comics) and why?
• Do you have any related work experience, course or other activities?
• CA and CGA applicants: Do you have any leadership experience?
• A list of your software knowledge and user level
• Tell us about any travel or experience abroad, and how it affected you
• How do you plan to finance the education?

Word count max. 2000

The test and interview take place at The Animation Workshop in Viborg. For applicants who are unable to come here, it can be done in a long distance version as well (see further down the page). Dates are the same for both versions.

• In 2020, the admissions test and interview take place on the following dates:
• Workshop: May 18-19 and interviews May 18-22, 2020.
  Option for English proficiency test for applicants: Tuesday May 19, 2020 (ONLY in person, no online option).

If you are selected for the test and interview, you will be invited to book your appointment through our online booking platform. You do not need to bring anything for the test; all materials will be provided.
The admissions test takes three hours and the interview lasts approximately 30 minutes. You can book your interview either the same day or the day after the test.
If you would like to take advantage of the English test option in Viborg, while at the test, you will be able to book an appointment for that while booking the other appointments. You can read more about the English test here

 

Admissions test

The admissions test for Bachelor in Animation (Character Animation and CG Arts) consists of a short individual drawing test, followed by a two-hour workshop. The workshop focuses on your collaboration and communication skills.

For Graphic Storytelling applicants, the test consists of a three-hour individual drawing and storytelling test.

 

Admissions interview

Our purpose with the interview is to get to know our applicants. We are especially interested in your motivations and goals, where you think your strengths lie and what you could bring to the class.

 

What are we looking for at the test and interview?

In addition to a strong portfolio, we are looking for self-reflected, diligent and curious students who are eager to learn and open to collaborating in a shared responsibility environment. You must demonstrate an open attitude to taking critique and to trying new work methods. The program is demanding, and you must be ready to be a part of an intensive learning environment.

 

Test and interview for applicants living outside of Denmark

Normally, our current students offer to accommodate our applicants for one or two nights; this will reduce your travel costs significantly.

If it is not possible for you to come to Viborg for the test, you will have the option of taking the test via email and the interview via Skype. In this case, we will email the test to you, and you will have three hours to complete the test, scan it and email it back.

 

Drawing test long distance

The Character Animation and Computer Graphic Arts tests focus on drawing skills, knowledge, and use of character posing and gestures, composition, and design theory to support a chosen genre and tone.

The Graphic Storytelling test focuses on drawing skills, idea creation, and visual storytelling.

 

Interview long distance

The interview will take place within the same week, following the test. You must have a reliable internet connection and camera for the interview. 

At The Animation Workshop, we are happy to welcome exchange students to our Bachelor programs. Please note, however, that we have a limited capacity for taking in exchange students. This means that we do not always have available seats, and we are only able to confirm a place after the completed application procedure (see below).

How to apply for an exchange stay?
In order to apply for an exchange to the Bachelor programs, you must send the following documents to our study administration (taw.bachelor@via.dk):

• A filled in Exchange Student Application Form
• A PDF portfolio and additional works as specified below under each program

The deadline for exchange applications for the fall term is March 15th.
The deadline for exchange applications for the spring term is November 1st. 

Requirements for an exchange to BA in Animation (Character Animation or CG Arts)
In order to apply for an exchange semester in the Animation program, you must hand in a PDF portfolio, which shows a representation of the key subjects in the portfolio requirements for the program you apply to:

• Character Animation
• Computer Graphic Arts

In addition to the portfolio, exchange applicants to the Animation program should include animation or computer graphics work, depending on which program they wish to join, showing a skill set, which is comparable to a first year reel for application to the second year, and a second year reel for application to the third year. You can find an overview over the content of the available exchange semesters here.

After the application deadline, we will review the applications, and invite the qualified applicants to participate in Skype interview, in order to clarify expectations and determine whether the course you applied to is a good match for you. 

You will be notified of our decision before December 1st for the spring term, and before June 1st for the fall term.

Requirements for an exchange to BA in Graphic Storytelling
In order to apply for an exchange semester in the Graphic Storytelling program, you must hand in a PDF portfolio of work you have done that is relevant to Graphic Storytelling. Please include:

• Minimum 5 pages of comics
• Minimum 5 life drawings – sketches as well as long studies
• A one page prose story based on a childhood memory

After the application deadline we will review the applications, and invite the qualified applicants to participate in a 4 hour cartooning test followed by a Skype interview. The test and interview are meant to clarify expectations, and determine whether the course you applied to is a good match for you. 

You will be notified of our decision before December 1st for the spring term and before June 1st for the fall term.

Fees and finances for exchange students 
Exchange students are normally free of tuition fees. Please note, however, that all students, including exchange students, must pay the monthly materials fee covering materials, software, hardware, drawing equipment, prints, etc. The fee is DKK 2.300  per month for Animation students matriculating in 2018 or later, and DKK 2,200 per months for GS students.