Title: Bachelor in Animation: Character Animation (CA)

Duration of the program: 3½ years (210 ECTS)

Program start: August

Language: English 

Finances: Danish students can apply for SU. For more information on finances go to the 'Fees and finances'-section.

Study program: See the full study program (PDF)

More information:

• Executive order (PDF - in Danish)
• Graduate survey (PDF)

Each year focuses on a progressively more complex curriculum that guides you on the path toward mastery of both 2D and 3D character animation as well as giving you hands-on experience with preproduction and productions.

First year

The Character Animation program begins with traditional exercises using pencil and paper, which allows you to explore the basics of drawing for animation before progressing to physics-based assignments and eventually acting scenes. Once the basics on paper are grasped, you are introduced to digital animation and begin using programs like TVPaint™, Adobe®, Toon Boom Harmony™ and After Effects®. You will also participate in a wide variety of film-making related courses like film history and culture, storyboarding, layout, and character design.

At various points during the year, you will be part of short productions with the Computer Graphic Arts (CGA) students and Animation Direction students from La Poudrière. These collaborations provide you with essential skills in communication, teamwork and project completion.

Second year

During the second year, you bring your 2D animation skills into the 3D platform using Maya® and experience animating computer graphic characters. You will also encounter other aspects of a 3D workflow such as previz and very basic modeling, rigging, lighting, and rendering.

CA and CGA students work together in the NGO project to create a film with a message. During this production, you learn how to work with a real client and further your skills for working in a CG production setting in groups.

All students pick an elective which provides the opportunity to go into depth with an area of specialization. You will also have classes that are designed to prepare you for the third-year projects. These classes may include world building, story development, cinematography, film analysis, and pitch presentation.

Third year

Third-year students from the CA and CGA programs come together to form production teams. Each team creates their graduation productions that culminate in the bachelor projects. The teams are formed based on a selected pitch, and you specialize in elective roles to plan and manage a complex project and learn the importance of adhering to deadlines.

CA students also produce the animation for the midway and graduation film projects made by the Animation Direction students at the National Film School of Denmark, thus giving you additional experience working with a director on a film production. Furthermore, you will compile your portfolio and showreel, guided by the staff and teachers, to highlight your skills as you apply for internships and target the jobs of your choice.

Seventh semester

During your final semester, you will do a 14-week internship with a production studio. Former students have been interning at Cartoon Saloon, Nørlum, Aardmann, Sun Creature, and Illumination, among others. Read more about the internship in the 'Career Guidance and Internship'-section of this page.

Admission to The Animation Workshop’s bachelor programs is talent based. We are looking for students with excellent drawing and storytelling skills. Therefore, all applicants must participate in an entrance test to show whether they qualify for admission.

In addition to the entrance test, you are required to have an upper secondary diploma as well as documented English skills corresponding to Danish B-level.
Applicants who meet these criteria and who pass the portfolio entrance test, are invited to an admissions test.

Find more in depth information about requirements, procedures etc. on our admissions page

Important dates

• Application deadline: March 15, 2021 11:59 am (CET - midday)
• Test and interview: May 2021
• Program start: August 26, 2021
• Next Open House with review sessions: February 11, 2021

Quick overview of the application procedure

1. You apply through the page www.optagelse.dk (comprehensive step by step-guides are available in Danish and English from the page). The page opens on February 1st and closes on March 15, 2021, at 11:59 am (CET - midday). Latecomers are not accepted!
2. With the application, you submit your entrance test portfolio. The required hand-in format is a single PDF-file
3. You receive a receipt for your application and are invited to log on to nemStudie, where you can keep track of your application
4. After the deadline, we evaluate the tests. Applicants who passes the first entrance test are invited to an admissions test and interview on the following dates:
   Test and interview days: May 2021
5. The results of the admissions test are announced early June
6. The final enrollment is completed on July 28, 2021

More information

• Go to the Admission page to get more information about requirements, procedures etc.
• Check out VIA's How to apply guide for non-Danish applicants

All teaching and extracurricular activities at TAW are held in English. The student body as well as the teachers, community, and staff count many with an international background.

Read more about living and studying in Denmark

Applying to the educations with international background

International applicants apply on equal terms with Danish applicants, following the same deadlines and procedures. Please refer to our admissions pages for more information about application procedures, requirements and deadlines.

Interested in an exchange semester at The Animation Workshop?

Please visit the Exchange students section under the admissions pages to see more about availability, application procedures, requirements and deadlines.

Visa and residency

Coming to Denmark from a Nordic or EU/EEA country, including Switzerland, you are free to live, study and work in Denmark. However, you must register with the Danish Immigration Service as well as the local municipality, if you intend to stay more than 3 months.

If you are coming to Denmark from outside the EU, you need a tourist visa (valid up to 3 months) or a residence permit (for stays exceeding 90 days). Normally, you must apply for visa or residence permit prior to your arrival in Denmark. Applying for a visa is a part of the enrollment process for the bachelor educations and is initiated by the school after you have been admitted to the program.

For detailed information about the application process and requirements, please visit the website of the Danish Immigration service.

Registering for Danish Social Security number (CPR) and Danish Health Insurance scheme

You must register in order to receive a Danish CPR-number. It is a social identity code which is key to all public registration and services, including tax, opening a bank-account, etc. Furthermore, the CPR-number will guarantee free public health insurance for the entirety of your stay (after a quarantine for the first six weeks for non-EU citizens).

Tuition fees

Students coming from countries outside of EU/EEA must pay tuition fees, unless they hold a permanent Danish residence permit. Paying the first year’s fee is a precondition for obtaining a student’s residence permit.
The fees for students matriculating in 2020 is € 7,300 per semester (€1,100 for the internship semester).

Payment schedule for Character Animation (PDF)

There are no tuition fees for students coming from Denmark, the Nordic countries, EU/EEA countries and Switzerland.

Study materials

As a student, you have the option of participating in a common study materials scheme for a fee. More information will follow.

Living Costs

You should expect average monthly living costs between DKK 5000 and 7000 (roughly 650 - 900 EUR), including accommodation.

Financial support for Danish students

The bachelor program is approved for SU for the official duration (3½ years or 41 months). 

Apply for SU

Financial support for students from EU/ EEA countries 

Foreign students are not eligible for the Danish educational support scheme (SU). Some exceptions are made for refugees and relatives of refugees and for other foreign citizens. EU citizens may be eligible for SU if they have a contract for 10-12 work hours per week.

More information about SU for foreign students

Scholarships for highly qualified students from outside the EU and the EEA

Each year, VIA awards a limited number of scholarships to highly qualified students from countries outside the EU and the EEA. The scholarship can be applied for by all current, international and tuition-fee paying students who have completed the first year of studies at VIA (2 semesters). A maximum of two full semesters can be awarded during studies at VIA. 

You can read more about the scholarship (selection criteria and application dates) and find the application form here.

Shortly after you have been accepted into The Animation Workshop/VIA University College, you will be contacted by the school’s Housing Coordinator with specific housing information.

The school itself has no accommodation. Our role is to provide various opportunities for housing and help create contact between housing providers and new students - and to assist with language barriers if necessary. If you need language assistance, please contact taw.housing@via.dk. Students can choose to apply for a dorm room - or make arrangements with private housing providers - for example for shared apartments with fellow students.

Cost of Living 

Dorm rooms in Viborg typically cost between 2500 and 3500 DKK (250 - 470 EUR) per month depending on size and whether you are willing to share facilities. Utility expenses, like electricity, internet and heating, are often paid separately and cost around 600 DKK (80 EUR) per month. Private rooms in shared apartments can range depending on size, location and other factors, but aren’t drastically different from the cost of student accommodation.

Camp Logos 

The dormitory Camp Logos is located across the street from the school and houses many of our students. Rooms at Camp Logos come with basic furniture. The availability in Camp Logos is very limited at this point. The Animation Workshop will contact you with further information about Camp Logos, prices and availability, shortly after you have been accepted into TAW.

The Merkur dormitory 

Merkur Kollegiet (The Merkur dormitory) is located in a newer residential area in Viborgs eastern district, 3.8 km from The Animation Workshop. All rooms are furnished with bed and desk and all have cable TV and free internet access. Each room has a storage room.

Shared apartments

It is our experience that the majority of our students prefer to move into a shared flat in the city. Join our Facebook Housing group to team up with other students looking for roommates and new tenants for the apartments, they are leaving themselves.

These websites may also be helpful:

• Boligselskabet Sct. Jørgen(Camp Logos and various rentals across city) 
• Boligselskabet Viborg(Merkur Kollegiet and various rentals across city)
• Danhousing (many large apartments in the city – suitable for sharing) 
• BoligPortal
• Boligdeal.dk 

If you have questions about housing or need language assistance, please contact taw.housing@via.dk

Your internship is a mandatory part of the education and a great way to start off your career and get contacts in the animation business. Prior to applying for an internship, you will be mentored by staff and teachers in culminating a portfolio for your chosen area of work.

Our students find internships all over the world and at some of the best and most influential businesses. Some of the studios our students have interned at include SYBO Games, IO Interactive, Nørlum, Illumination, Cartoon Saloon, Cartoon Network, Illumination and Sun Creature.

Read Julie's diary from her internship with Pipingaï Studio.

Career Destinations

Following the internship and prior to graduation, the school hosts recruitment sessions with companies who are hiring. Companies give briefings about their studio and what competences they are looking for, as well as their current and coming productions. It's a great opportunity to meet potential employers and get feedback on your portfolio.

Our alumni work as:

• 2D Character Animators and/or 3D Character Animators for commercials, series, film, and games 
• Concept Artists
• Visual Development Artists 
• Storyboard Artists
• Previz Artists
• Art Directors
• Animation Film Directors
• and much more.

The Animation Workshop encourage’s young people to try out the basics of animation to determine, if it may be an interesting career path for them. If you are interested in someday studying animation at The Animation Workshop / VIA University College, we can offer the opportunity to visit as a Character Animation student for a week for your internship as a high school or vocational student (9th grade and up) throughout the year.

During your week-long visit, you will follow the lectures of the current course and be guided through some of introductory animation assignments by a current first year animation student. School hours are following: Mondays 9:30 - 16:30, Tuesdays - Fridays 9:00 - 16:00. The assignments will be the fundamentals such as “Pendulum”, “Bouncing ball”, “Seaweed”, which introduces the basic animation principles essential to character animation. The tools will be traditional animation process with pencil on paper. You can see some of the assignment examples here

It is important that you possess a certain level of maturity, are able to work independently and have an advanced level of English in order to follow the teaching and keep up with the international environment. In addition, it is important that you have a curious and open mind to try out simple animation exercises and are able to follow the direction and guidance of your mentor.

In order to minimize the risk of spreading Covid-19, we are not offering individual College Visits in the school year 2020/2021.