Animation Schools in Italy

Eurydice describes three tertiary segments: universities, AFAM (higher education in art, music and dance) and ITS Academies. Both universities and AFAM offer the three Bologna cycles with few exceptions.

At first level, the university laurea and the AFAM diploma accademico di primo livello each last three years and 180 ECTS, and both require a thesis. The AFAM first-level award is the diploma accademico di primo livello. AFAM institutions offer specialisations in visual arts (the Eurydice list includes painting, sculpture, decoration, set design, photography, multimedia, new technologies for the arts, and film and TV set design), drama, dance, music and design. Final marks on both routes use a 110-point scale with 66 as the minimum to graduate, with honours possible. Universities count credits as CFU and AFAM institutions as CFA, and both are described the same way: one credit corresponds to 25 hours of study and one full-time year to 60 credits.

Eurydice lists 25 state academies of fine arts (Accademie di belle arti) and five state Istituti superiori per le industrie artistiche (ISIA), which offer training in the design field, graphic design in particular. It also lists officially recognised non-state fine arts academies and other institutions authorised to release recognised qualifications. An animation course at an academy is therefore an AFAM diploma, not a university laurea, and the two should be compared on level, ECTS and awarding body, not on title alone.

The Eurydice pages used here do not set a language rule for degree programs, so the language of instruction and any Italian or English certificate needed come from the institution's call for admission (bando). Check the course page and the annual regulations for the year you plan to apply.

Entry requires an upper secondary diploma or a recognized foreign equivalent. For AFAM first-level courses Eurydice says the didactic regulations define how initial preparation is verified, and does not describe one national entrance exam; some institutions may admit students with strong skills and aptitudes without the diploma, though the diploma is needed for the final qualification.

University courses may have limited places and entrance tests, with dates set annually by the Ministry, and universities may also require initial preparation, with each university's regulations setting the knowledge required and how it is tested. Each academy publishes its own admission calls with dates, so applications are made to the individual institution. Deadlines belong to an intake, so read the current call.

The sources reviewed do not describe a single national application platform for AFAM courses or the situation of foreign applicants beyond recognition of foreign qualifications, which the institution decides for enrolment purposes; read the call (bando) of the academy for the procedure, including any separate route for applicants who need a visa.

Because AFAM institutions verify preparation through their own regulations, a portfolio, drawing test or interview may be part of the entrance procedure, but the format differs between academies. This directory does not assume a national portfolio standard.

For each course, note whether the call asks for a portfolio of work, a practical test, a motivational interview or all three, and whether foreign applicants follow a different procedure. Read the original call; do not infer from another academy.

Eurydice explains that each university board sets its own contribution, varying by institution type, location, field and family income, subject to a legal minimum enrolment fee (200 euro in 2021/22) and a cap on total contributions. Students with an ISEE (family-income indicator) below 20,000 euro were fully exempt in 2021/22 and the average fee paid was 1,650 euro, according to the same page, which gives no newer figures. Italian and non-Italian students pay the same amounts.

Fees for AFAM courses are generally set by each institution under its own financial autonomy, according to Eurydice. Students with insufficient credits or who are out of course pay higher fees, and fee differentiation applies by field of study and cycle. Income-based regional scholarships are described as ranging from 2,482 to 6,158 euro, with 4,326 the most common amount, and recipients are exempt from fees; the page does not date those figures. Private institutions set their own fees. Amounts are euro per academic year and exclude living and materials costs.

The Ministry of University and Research (MUR) authorizes new university courses after an opinion from ANVUR, the national quality assurance agency, which runs initial and periodic course accreditation. The AFAM sector, Eurydice says, does not yet have a fully developed quality assurance system; one is under development.

Private AFAM institutes can issue qualifications equivalent to state ones only if MUR authorizes them, and that authorization must be renewed periodically. Non-state universities are likewise recognized by MUR with ANVUR input.

Eurydice states that a list of all institutions is available on the MUR website, and that recognised non-state institutions are authorised by MUR to release certifications that comply with minimum national standards, upon a positive ANVUR assessment. For AFAM, officially recognised private institutes are authorised to issue qualifications equivalent to state ones, and the authorisation must be periodically renewed after verification of criteria such as quality of teaching, financial sustainability and premises. Their fields include fine arts, design, fashion and music. Before enrolling in a private academy, confirm MUR authorization for the specific course and the qualification it awards.

University qualifications are described in the Italian qualifications framework for higher education (Quadro dei Titoli Italiani, QTI), which lists each cycle's qualifications with ECTS credits and learning outcomes, and which Eurydice says also describes AFAM qualifications; the QTI is available in Italian and English.

Italy's public rules apply nationally, but fees and calls come from each institution. Programs are listed by city and institution, with the region as a location label. Confirm the campus city on the course page.