According to Education-Portal.com, CalArts, or California Institute of the Arts, located in in Valencia, California, is among the top universities to learn animation. Recent alumni include Tim Burton, the director of "The Nightmare Before Christmas", the "Batman" series, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "Alice in Wonderland". Another notable former student of CalArts is John Lasseter, the chief creative officer of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios and the maker of "Toy Story" and "Cars" series of animated movies. If you want to study 3D animation a CalArts, apply to the School of Film/Video, which has one of the best top animation design studios in the U.S.
The University of Southern California in Los Angeles rivals CalArts as the leading animation school in America. To study 3D animation at this university, enroll in the John C. Hench Division of Animation and Digital Arts to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Animation and Digital Arts. Available specializations include visual effects, three-dimensional computer animation, character animation and interactive animation.
If you want to study 3D animation on the east coast, a top university to consider, according to Education-Portal.com, is the Rhode Island School of Design. The school's animation program awards a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (BFA), which generally requires four years of full-time study. You can also earn a Bachelor of Graphic Design if you study for an additional year.
With 50,121 students, the University of Central Florida is one of the largest universities that offers an animation program. It is offered by the Art Department, and the program emphasizes animation approached from an artistic point of view. Its advertised goal is "to discover new ways to use the animation medium for narrative and non-narrative applications."