Columbia College Chicago Named One of the Top Visual Effects Schools in the Midwest

2023 VFX Rankings
“Animation Career Review” ranks Columbia second in the Midwest and 23rd nationally on their annual list of top visual effects schools and colleges.

The Animation Career Review has announced its second annual visual effects (VFX) school rankings, with Columbia College Chicago placing second in the Midwest and 23rd nationally.  

In preparing for this year's rankings, the site considered 134 schools with VFX programs from across the US. The criteria used in determining the rankings include academic reputation, employment data, admission selectivity, and value as it relates to tuition and indebtedness.  

The VFX program at Columbia introduces students to the principles and practices of VFX in cinema and games. The college’s courses in VFX, done in interdisciplinary cooperation between the Cinema and Television Arts and Interactive Arts and Media departments, guide aspiring practitioners and technical artists through the ever-changing landscape of pre- and post-production visual effects, cinematics, motion graphics, and other pathways and pipelines. The upcoming Virtual Production minor will allow students from multiple disciplines to explore production techniques at the very leading edge of the media production landscape. 

Animation Career Review’s regional and national rankings began in 2012 as a response to aspiring animators and game designers wanting to know the best schools in the United States.