Animation Schools in Ireland

The NFQ has ten levels. Eurydice's table lists an advanced or higher certificate at Level 6, an ordinary bachelor's degree at Level 7, an honours bachelor's degree at Level 8, a master's degree or postgraduate diploma at Level 9 and a doctorate at Level 10. Levels 7 and 8 both sit at EQF level 6, so the Level 7 and Level 8 labels are the way to tell a three-year ordinary degree from an honours degree.

Animation courses appear at both degree levels. IADT's Animation (CAO code DL832) is an honours degree at Level 8 over four years. MTU Kerry's BA in Animation, Visual Effects and Motion Design (MT711) is a Level 7 award over three years, and Griffith College's BA (Hons) in Animation is a Level 8 award validated by QQI over three years; the course page says it is taught in partnership with Pulse College, and the same page also refers to a Level 6 degree in animation, so confirm which award a given page describes. The titles, lengths and levels differ, so compare the award and level, not just the word Animation.

A course title containing VFX or motion design is a different scope from a general animation degree, so read the module list on the official course page.

Eurydice also records that the framework replaced older award structures: the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (2001) has been subsumed into QQI, and the Irish Register of Qualifications is where an award's NFQ level is confirmed. A qualification obtained outside Ireland is assessed by NARIC Ireland, according to QQI.

The courses reviewed here publish their pages in English. Griffith College's page does not state the language of instruction in so many words, but it sets English tests for non-native speakers, for example IELTS 6.0 with no component below 5.5.

The MTU Kerry entry rules accept either English or Irish at Leaving Certificate level. That is an entry-subject rule, not a statement that teaching is bilingual.

Education in Ireland states that each institution sets its own entry requirements based on exam results and English language proficiency. Confirm the accepted tests and scores on the official course page for the year you are applying.

Undergraduate entry for Irish and EU applicants usually runs through the CAO. Eurydice describes up to ten choices on the higher certificate/ordinary degree list and up to ten on the honours list, in order of preference, and notes that the participating institutions keep the function of making admission decisions; private colleges that joined the CAO system charge fees and student grants are not available. The CAO's published 2026 cycle used a normal closing date of 1 February 2026 at 17:00, a discounted-fee deadline of 20 January 2026 (fee given as 35 euro), a late-application window from 5 March to 1 May 2026 and a free change-of-mind window from 5 May to 1 July 2026. The CAO site says the 2027 application form opens on 5 November at 12:00. The CAO timetable also notes that tests and interviews form part of the entry requirements for certain courses, and the 2026 CAO handbook note on "restricted" courses says they normally require additional assessment such as a portfolio, with the course having to be on the choices list by the 1 February closing date or added before 1 March.

Non-EU routes can differ. MTU Kerry's page, for example, gives non-EU applicants a separate route with a 31 May deadline, and Griffith College recruits through its own online application and an assessed interview. Dates belong to an intake year, so check the CAO timetable and the course page before applying.

Portfolio rules are course-specific and sometimes feed directly into the CAO score.

• IADT (DL832): a portfolio is required, and an offer rests on a combination of CAO points and portfolio assessment points.
• MTU Kerry (MT711): a digital portfolio of 10 to 15 pieces, each file under 5 MB, sent by email with your name and CAO number. It can earn up to 600 points added to your CAO points, the final receipt date is 1 March, and MT711 must be among your CAO choices.
• Griffith College: the course page lists an assessed interview with the course director rather than a portfolio as the entry step; it mentions portfolio development as a first-year module.

Submission formats, file limits and assessment criteria are set by each institution. Use the official course page, not a general checklist, for the current requirements.

Ireland separates fee categories by residency and by institution type.

• State-funded institutions: Eurydice reports that undergraduate tuition fees were abolished in 1996, with a student services charge of 3,000 euro per year set by the Department (the page was updated in November 2023 and relies on older figures, so treat the amount as a reference, not a current price).
• Non-EU/EEA students: not eligible for grants and generally pay a full economic fee set by the college. Eurydice cites a range of 4,000 to 52,000 euro depending on college and discipline, quoting Education in Ireland (page last updated November 2023).
• Private colleges: fees are set by the provider and the State does not fund them. Griffith College's course page lists EUR 9,850 for full-time Irish/EU citizens living in Ireland (the page does not state the intake year in the passage reviewed), plus a 250 euro academic administration fee each year and a QQI award fee in the final year; it refers other residency categories to separate fee sections.

Amounts are in euro. They are annual fees for a specific intake, not total programme costs; equipment, software and living costs are separate.

QQI is the state agency responsible for quality assurance of higher education and training leading to NFQ awards. It manages the framework and validates programmes. Private and independent providers that want to offer NFQ awards must have their programmes validated by QQI, and some of them hold QQI awards.

All qualifications included on the NFQ are listed in the Irish Register of Qualifications (irq.ie). That is the place to check that a title carries an NFQ level. Find out which body validates and awards the degree on the course page.

Eurydice lists the development of a Code of Practice and an International Education Mark for institutions enrolling international learners among QQI's functions; check the QQI site for the current status of the Mark before relying on it.

Public providers differ from private ones. Eurydice describes how institutes of technology, after QQI agrees their quality assurance procedures, validate their own programmes and make their own awards under delegated authority, with most delegated to Level 9 and about half to Level 10, and lists five technological universities established since 2018, including Munster Technological University (established 1 January 2021, campuses in Cork and Kerry). Private providers offering NFQ awards must have programmes validated by QQI. The course page shows which of these applies.

Ireland is a single national system and fees, the CAO and the NFQ apply nationally. The relevant geography for this directory is the campus location rather than a state or province.

Courses reviewed here sit in Dún Laoghaire (IADT), Dublin (Griffith College) and Kerry (MTU). Technological universities and institutes may have several campuses, so confirm which campus delivers the course before comparing travel and accommodation.