“I think this instilled in us a certain work ethic that would help prepare us for a tough industry.”
BA (Hons)Animation
Apply on UCAS
Starting in: 2026
Register your interest- 3 years
- 4 years with foundation year
UCAS code: W615
Institution code: S30
UCAS points: 104-120Flexible entry options available
Campus: Southampton City CentreView on Google Maps
Why study an animation degree at Solent University
Learn character performance based animation, build a professional portfolio and gain the creative skills needed for a dynamic career in the animation industry.
- 0thin the UK in film production and photography, out of 70 institutions (Guardian Uni Guide 2026)
- Top0for career prospects in film production and photography, out of 44 institutions (Guardian Uni Guide 2026)
- Top0%nationally for graduate earnings (LEO 2025)
- Students have access to Toon Boom Harmony, software used by the largest animation and gaming studios from around the world. The all-in-one, end-to-end 2D animation software allows animators to create cut-out and paperless animation in every style.
- You'll be taught by an industry-active course team with a wealth of first-hand experience to share.
- Industry projects are embedded into the course enabling you to gain vital experience during your studies.
- Students have access to a range of specialist facilities, including traditional lightboxes, special effects workshops and green screen rooms.
Any questions?
Contact international admissions
Email: Call:Course overview
The BA (Hons) Animation programme supports you to develop the creative, technical, and critical skills needed to become confident and original practitioners within the animation and wider screen industries.
The course emphasises classical training in character performance, movement, and visual narrative, while giving you a broad understanding of contemporary animation practice. You will work across multiple production pipelines, including traditional 2D hand-drawn animation, digital 2D workflows, stop-motion, and 3D performance using pre-existing assets. This diverse technical grounding allows you to explore varied creative approaches and develop your own distinctive artistic voice.
The curriculum reflects real industry practices and is supported by active practitioners, live briefs, and regular formative “rushes” sessions that mirror studio environments. Throughout the course you will also be encouraged to adopt reflective and collaborative working methods, engaging in iterative processes such as versioning, critique, and peer-led review.
Our in-house creative agency, Solent Creatives provides you with the chance to pitch for paid work with commercial clients – past clients have included Bear Grylls, the BBC and Southampton Airport.
If you’re looking to study our animation degree but don’t have the relevant qualifications or experience, the digital arts foundation year will help you develop the core skills and knowledge to progress. Find out more about the digital arts foundation year.
Accreditations
Blackmagic Design
Student work
Our creative degrees allow our students to develop a critical eye for design with a knowledge of different design approaches and problem solving techniques. Take a look at some of the great work they produce.
Who is this course for?
Solent’s animation programme is ideally suited to students who want to bring characters to life on the screen. Applicants should have a keen interest in drawing, making things move, and cinema generally.
What does this course lead to?
The classical animation training on this course provides a springboard into any of the animation and related industries after graduation. Whether it’s animating explosions on the latest video games, or creating a quirky character in adverts, or TV. It is all built upon a solid, classics approach.
Graduate stories
Hear from Solent alumni about where their careers have taken them and how studying at Solent prepared them for their future.
Read more storiesFacilities
Our industry-standard facilities include traditional light-boxes, special effects workshops and green screen rooms. Students are also given free access to Microsoft Office and a full suite of Autodesk software. Animation students also have free access to Adobe Creative Cloud, which includes the full suite of Adobe professional software, including Photoshop, Illustrator, XD, Premier Pro, and more.
Our vibrant campus brings state-of-the-art facilities to enhance your learning and elevate your student experience. Our award-winning teaching building, The Spark is centred around students and offers a stimulating study environment with flexible learning spaces. Away from studying, why not try out the gyms, fitness studios and sports halls in our £28 million Sports Complex, or watch a blockbuster film at our student-run cinema with Dolby Atmos audio.
International opportunities
Broaden your horizons by adding an international dimension to your CV – essential to achieving success in today’s fast-changing, global environment.
Studying, working or volunteering in another country could be the experience of a lifetime. Enhance your degree by developing important global skills such as knowledge of other countries, language skills, intercultural awareness, adaptability and confidence.
For more information, please email international.mobility@solent.ac.uk.
What you'll study
Core modules
Let's Animate!
This module gives you the core skills needed to bring characters to life on screen. You’ll focus on classical animation techniques and learn how to develop strong timing that works for an audience. By using drawn animation, you’ll get to explore pacing, posing, and character intent more deeply, with the goal of creating convincing movement that shows weight, momentum, and personality.
Bring it to Life
Throughout this module, you’ll have the chance to explore different animation software and expand your knowledge of the animation pipeline by helping you develop an understanding of industry expectations, how to work efficiently, and develop a range of transferable skills that will support your future studies.
Animated Interactions
This module is designed to help you develop the skills needed to bring characters to life in a way that feels natural and engaging for an audience. You’ll explore techniques such as using dope sheets to plan timing. You’ll also look at body language and the basics of performance, and you’ll see how valuable video reference can be in shaping convincing animation.
Mini Moments
This modules aims to develop your ability to create compelling animated performances that combine dialogue, sound, and visual storytelling. You will learn how to synchronise mouth shapes to audio through lip-sync techniques, and how recorded dialogue, Foley, and sound effects influence timing, pacing, and character intent.
Core modules
Concept to Creation
Concept to Creation introduces you to the core principles of concept design specifically for 2D animation. You will explore how to interpret ideas and transform them into compelling visual concepts that support animated storytelling. By the end, you will have a solid foundation in designing purposeful, visually engaging concepts that can be confidently taken from initial idea to final animated production
Industry Survival Kit
Through a series of masterclasses, you will gain insight into working as a freelance animator, submitting work to festivals, and pursuing studio-based roles. Sessions will guide you in developing your own branding, building an online presence, preparing quotes and budgets, and understanding the range of career pathways available. By the end of this module, you will be equipped to market your skills confidently and make informed decisions about your next steps in the professional world.
Doodle to Deadline
This module aims to strengthen your practical animation abilities by challenging you to produce a short with a fast turnaround. You will focus on applying your technical and creative skills to bring a brief to life, working through the animation pipeline from planning and layout to clean-up, colour, and final compositing. The module emphasises animation performance, visual clarity, timing, staging, and workflow efficiency.
Pitch it!
In this module, you’ll learn how to develop, shape, and present an animation idea in a professional pitch format. You’ll research visual style, character design, narrative direction, and production planning to build a fully considered concept. You will examine how industry pitches are structured and analyse successful examples to understand how ideas are communicated clearly and convincingly.
Core modules
Showtime!
This module guides you through the stages of producing a short animated film using industry-style development and refinement processes. You will begin by finalising your animatic, ensuring strong clarity of story, pacing, and shot flow. As you move into production, you will explore layout, animation blocking, performance refinement, clean-up, colour, compositing, and sound design. Weekly rushes sessions will allow you to present your work-in-progress and receive feedback from staff and peers, encouraging continuous improvement and professional critique skills.
The Motion Manual
In this module, you will focus on the complete pre-production workflow needed to prepare an animated short for production. You will investigate the purpose and structure of production bibles used in the animation industry and apply these standards to your own project. Alongside developing all the visual and written materials for your own production bible, you will also create a fully timed, edited animatic that communicates the pacing, staging, camera choices, and overall narrative flow of your film.
The Big Project
This module aims to prepare you to pitch a fully researched and professionally justified concept for your Final Major Project. You will develop a comprehensive pitch document that communicates the purpose, value, and creative direction of your proposed three-minute animated short. A major emphasis of this module is explaining why your film should exist, identifying your target audience, and demonstrating how the project supports your intended place in the animation industry.
Finale
This module aims to support you in completing a fully realised three-minute animated film that demonstrates your accumulated skills, artistic identity, and professional readiness. Because every student’s film is unique, the module encourages you to take ownership of your creative direction, solve production challenges, and apply efficient time-management strategies to ensure your project reaches completion. By the end, you will have produced a final animated film that demonstrates professional-level craft, clarity of intention, and readiness for industry entry or festival submission.
Any questions?
Contact international admissions
Email: Call:Block teaching at Solent
You will learn by:
You may be assessed by a combination of:
- Portfolios
- Visual journals
- Showreels
As part of this course, you will study one module at a time, giving you the chance to build a deeper understanding and see the results of your hard work more quickly. With regular assessments and feedback, rather than exams all at once, you’ll also benefit from improved focus, and a more manageable workload.
Learn more about block teaching
Study support
The student achievement team are on hand to help you succeed during your studies at Solent. They aim to contact you at key times during your time here with personalised information, advice and guidance, by email or phone.
The disability advice team provides information, advice and guidance for disabled students.
All students can access Succeed@Solent, Solent's online guide to getting better grades. It offers extensive, practical information and advice on topics such as academic writing, research and presentations.
Why choose a career in animation?
The creative industries generate £108 billion a year and employ over 2.3 million people across the UK. And the sector has grown at more than 1.5 times the rate of the wider economy over the past decade.(Government Policy paperCreative industries sector vision: a joint plan to drive growth, build talent and develop skillsUpdated 20 June 2023).
There are new tax changes for 2024, expected to be worth £5 million each year to business alongside the Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit, which was uplifted at budget from 33.33% to 39%. This also follows the Creative Industries Sector Vision published last month, which set an ambition to grow the creative industries by an extra £50 billion by 2030. (Animation magazine 2023).
You could earn:
Animator
Typical salary: £20,000 to £30,000
Entry salaries are in the region of £12,000 to £15,000. Salaries in computer game animation start higher at £18,000, rising quickly with experience. Experienced animators can earn around £23,000 to £26,000. Salaries for animators with at least ten years' experience are around £36,000+.
Concept artist
Typical salary: £25,000 - £40,000
Starting salaries for entry-level or junior concept artist positions are in the region of £17,000 to £20,000. Experienced concept artists can earn between £25,000 and £40,000. Senior concept artists can earn around £55,000 and £75,000. Freelance rates for concept artists are around £14 per hour on average.
The stated salaries are published on prospects.ac.uk.
Graduate stories
Hear from Solent alumni about where their careers have taken them and how studying at Solent prepared them for their future.
Read more stories“I think this instilled in us a certain work ethic that would help prepare us for a tough industry.”
Solent Careers
The Solent Careers team is committed to getting students into great careers.
While you are studying, the team can help you with finding work experience or placements, link you with a mentor, check your CV, or offer one-to-one guidance.
We also have graduate job opportunities just for Solent graduates.
6th
UK uni for sustained employment
Longitudinal Educational Outcomes, 2022
Certificate in Practical Artificial Intelligence
Every student at Solent University will also have the option to study an additional Certificate in Practical Artificial Intelligence qualification alongside their course. Free of charge, the course ensures you'll be prepared for a fantastic and varied career after graduation.
Further study
Thinking about studying further than an undergraduate degree? Alumni can get 20% off their postgraduate study.
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MA Fine Art
Develop and refine your practice to professional standards and extend your experience and skills in a creative environment that encourages exploration and experimentation.
Find out more
MA Visual Communication
Do you have an eye for design? Would you like to help influence the future of visual communications? Our MA Visual Communication degree is ideal for creatives keen to refine their practice, working as part of an interdisciplinary group of students.
Find out moreTuition fees
The tuition fees for the 2026/27 academic year are:
- UK, ROI, EU (settled status) and Channel Island full-time fees: £9,790 per year
- International full-time fees: £19,081 per year
For further information, please visit our tuition fees page.
Extra course costs
While most course costs are covered by your tuition fees, some essential resources and optional extras may need to be paid for separately. For advice on budgeting and managing your money, please contact student.funding@solent.ac.uk.
Bursaries, scholarships and financial support
Solent University offers a range of bursaries and scholarships that provide financial assistance or waive fees for tuition or accommodation. Each bursary or scholarship has specific eligibility criteria. Check out our bursaries and scholarships pages to find out more.
Cost of living support
At Solent, we understand that the cost of living crisis may be of some concern. To help, we've put together some detailed information to show what support is available and how to make your money go further.
Graduation costs
There is no charge to attend graduation, but you will be required to pay for the rental of your academic gown (approximately £45 per graduate, depending on your award). You may also wish to purchase official photography packages, which range in price from £15 to £200+. Graduation is not compulsory, so if you prefer to have your award sent to you, there is no cost. Extra guest tickets will go on sale after results publication and will be sold on a first-come-first-served basis. The cost per ticket is currently £20. Please note, we do not guarantee there will be any extra tickets available to purchase.
Any questions?
Contact international admissions
Email: Call:Entry requirements
Please select an option below:
Key entry requirements
104-120 UCAS tariff points
- A minimum of two completed A-levels (including an Art and Design subject), a BTEC Extended Diploma at DMM or BTEC Diploma at D*D in an Art and Design subject, T-Level Merit or a combination of qualifications which comply with the minimum entry requirements of 104 UCAS points.
- Direct entry into year two or three may be considered for this course.
- UK applicants are required to attend a portfolio viewing.
- Applicants over the age of 21 may be considered based on relevant experience, without having the required tariff points.
- For further information about UK qualifications, please contact admissions.
Key entry requirements
As a general guide, we look for qualifications that are equivalent to the British high school A-levels.
Applicants from outside the UK will be required to submit an electronic portfolio for consideration.
If you are applying from outside the UK, find information about entry requirements, visas and agents for your country here.
For further information about EU qualifications, please see our course entry requirements document.
For international students who do not meet the direct entry requirements for this undergraduate degree, our trusted partner, QA Higher Education offers the following pathway programme designed to develop your academic and English language skills:
- International Foundation Year - for progression to the first year of an undergraduate degree
Key entry requirements
As a general guide, we look for qualifications that are equivalent to the British high school A-levels.
Applicants from outside the UK will be required to submit an electronic portfolio for consideration.
If you are applying from outside the UK, find information about entry requirements, visas and agents for your country here.
For further information about UK, EU and international qualifications, please see our course entry requirements document.
For international students who do not meet the direct entry requirements for this undergraduate degree, our trusted partner, QA Higher Education offers the following pathway programme designed to develop your academic and English language skills:
- International Foundation Year - for progression to the first year of an undergraduate degree
Note to all international students requiring a visa
All international applicants need to be aware that the English language requirements to attend Solent University, and the English language requirements to obtain a visa from the Home Office, may be different. This means that if you meet the Solent University language requirement to gain a place on the course, you may still have to meet additional requirements to be granted with a visa by the Home Office.
We strongly advise all applicants to visit the Home Office website which outlines all the requirements for a successful visa application.
How to apply
Full-time
Any student applying for the first year of a full-time/sandwich undergraduate course must apply through UCAS (University and Colleges Admissions Service). This includes mature, overseas and EU students.
Nearly all schools and colleges offer their students the facility of applying electronically through the UCAS website using 'Apply'; it may also be used by those applying independently in the UK and overseas. This facility and all course information can be found on the UCAS website: www.ucas.com.
Your application should reach UCAS by 14 January if you hope to enter a course the following autumn. Early application is advised for the most popular subject areas. Late applications may be made until the end of June. The UCAS Code for the University is S30, code name SOLNT.
Find out what happens after you apply
Contextual offers
Solent endeavours to offer learning opportunities to students from all backgrounds. When we receive and review an application, we take into consideration the context and personal circumstances of applicants when making a decision, which means our advertised entry tariff could be reduced.
Find out more about Solent's contextual offers
Alternative entry options
Top-up route:
We welcome applications from students currently studying a Foundation Degree, DipHE, HNC, HND or modules of an undergraduate degree course at another university, who wish to enter directly into Years 2 or 3 of one of our undergraduate degree courses. Please contact our admissions team for more information: contact us
Language requirements
Applicants who do not have English as their first language will be required to demonstrate an approved level of proficiency in the use of the English language. The agreed minimum requirements for this course are:
- IELTS minimum 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each individual component.
- Duolingo English Language Test - 115 overall with minimum of 95 in each component or equivalent.
TOEFL IBT tests taken prior to 21 January 2026
- Minimum overall score of 80 with a minimum of 20 in each individual component.
TOEFL IBT tests taken from 21 January 2026
- Minimum overall score of 4.5 with a minimum of 4 in each individual component.
Qualifications are checked before enrolment, and international students must bring their original certificates or certified copies when coming to study at the University.
Pre-Sessional English programme
The University also offers a pre-sessional English programme for international students who wish to improve their level of English before starting a degree course.
UCAS points: 104-120
Any questions?
Contact international admissions
Email: Call:Make your application
- 3 years
- 4 years with foundation year
