14 Animation Summer Camps for High School Students
- Stephen Turban
- 2 hours ago
- 9 min read
If you are a high school student looking to explore animation, camps provide an environment to experiment with storytelling, motion, and digital tools while offering a glimpse of how animation is taught and practiced at the college level. Many are hosted by universities or led by industry professionals, adding a layer of credibility and exposure beyond typical extracurriculars. Compared to traditional summer programs, camps are shorter, which makes them easier to fit into your schedule while still allowing you to build practical skills and explore creative interests.
Why should I do an animation summer camp in high school?
Animation summer camps give you early access to technical skills and creative processes that are often introduced much later in formal education. You’ll learn how to develop ideas, translate them into visual sequences, and work with tools used in real production environments. Completing projects during the camp also gives you material for a portfolio, which is an important part of applying to art and design programs.
To help you navigate your options, we’ve put together a curated list of 14 animation summer camps for high school students.
If you’re looking for free virtual research opportunities, check out our blog here.
Location: London, New York, San Francisco, and Tokyo
Cost: Varies according to program. Financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: 2 weeks during the summer
Application Deadline: Multiple summer cohorts with rolling admissions
Eligibility: High school students aged 15-18
The Career Insights Program lets high school students explore careers in major global industry hubs. The Film & Animation track is designed to provide students with skills in 3D animation, storytelling, and film production under the guidance of leading academics and industry experts. Participants engage in project-based learning with established companies, attend interactive workshops, and visit offices, factories, and headquarters. The program also includes in-person weekly 1:1 career coaching sessions and sessions where you will receive personalized feedback on your resume and overall profile. You’ll also present your findings to industry experts at the end of the program. You can find more details about the application here!
Location: The College of New Jersey, Ewing, NJ
Cost: Residential Camp: $1,200 | Commuter Camp: $800
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 20 students
Dates: July 5 – 10
Application Deadline: June 1 or when the camp has reached capacity
Eligibility: Rising 9th graders – graduating high school seniors
TCNJ’s animation summer camp for high school students introduces you to the structure of 2D animation through a short-form studio experience focused on idea development and execution. Participants move from sketches and planning into the creation of a finished animated short, learning how movement, timing, and expression shape a scene. The format includes extended classroom and lab sessions, which allow you to spend sustained time refining your work. Faculty instruction is paired with a collaborative environment that supports experimentation and revision. The result is a practical overview of how a 2D animation project is built from concept to completion.
Location: Pleasantville, NY
Cost: $2,100
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 9 students
Dates: July 20 – 31
Application Deadline: Not specified; Typically February
Eligibility: Students in grades 10–12
This camp focuses on stop-motion animation and gives you access to professional production tools used in frame-by-frame work. Technical instruction covers areas such as composition, storyboarding, camera movement, timing, and sound, all within the context of short-form animated storytelling. You also get to test different materials and approaches, which helps you understand how the medium affects motion and visual texture. Screenings and analyses of existing shorts add a critical layer to the studio process. By the end of the camp, each participant develops an animated scene that reflects both technical practice and creative decision-making.
Location: Hartsdale, NY
Cost: Varies by camp
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Varies by camp
Dates: June – August
Application Deadline: Typically rolling
Eligibility: Students in grades 6–12
One River offers a broad menu of animation-related camp options, making it especially useful for students who want flexibility in subject and skill level. Depending on the course, you may work with Blender, Adobe Animate, rotoscoping techniques, character sculpting, or digital drawing workflows. This animation summer camp for high school students is modular, so you can choose a focused week in a single area or build a longer summer plan spanning multiple creative topics. Teen-focused advanced options create a more rigorous environment for students who want deeper practice alongside peers with similar interests. Rather than centering on a single animation format, these camps offer several entry points into digital art and motion-based design.
Location: Los Angeles, CA | Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Cost: $4,100
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Los Angeles: June 28 – July 18 | Harvard University: July 12 – August 1
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Teens ages 14-17
NYFA’s 3D Animation Camp is built around the full production pipeline, giving students experience with both creative planning and technical execution. The curriculum covers modeling, texturing, rigging, animation, writing, and storyboarding, so you can see how separate components come together in a finished sequence. Autodesk Maya serves as the primary production tool, providing a clear industry-standard foundation for the work. Instructor feedback remains central throughout the program, particularly as students begin assembling and refining their final project. You conclude the camp with a short animated film that reflects a comprehensive introduction to 3D production.
Location: North Hollywood, CA
Cost: $849 + $25 non-refundable fee
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 18 students
Dates: June 16 – 20
Application Deadline: Not specified; Early application recommended
Eligibility: Students entering or currently enrolled in high school (ages 14-18)
Gnomon’s summer camp approaches animation through the wider lens of entertainment design, visual effects, and digital production. You can select from focused course areas such as 3D character animation, digital sculpting, computer graphics, or worldbuilding for games, depending on your interests. Class sessions emphasize demonstrations, guided practice, and frequent small-group critique. Daily visits from professional artists add direct industry context and expose you to different creative paths within animation-related fields. The animation summer camp for high school students is especially strong if you want an early look at studio tools, workflows, and expectations in the entertainment industry.
Location: College Park, Orlando, FL
Cost: $500 per week + a one-time $25 admin/supply fee
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: One-week sessions between June 1 and August 7
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Students ages 8–17
Elite Animation Academy uses a one-subject-per-week format that lets you concentrate closely on a single area rather than splitting attention across multiple topics. Options span 2D character animation, storyboarding, traditional animation, character design, anime and manga, video editing, and 3D foundations, allowing for both breadth and specialization over the summer. The instruction is shaped by professional studio practice, with an emphasis on building technique through immersive, short-duration training. Because you can stack multiple weeks, the camp also works well for those who want to develop complementary skills over time.
Location: University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Winston-Salem, NC
Cost: Varies
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Session 1: June 21 – July 3 | Session 2: July 5 – 17
Application Deadline: April 15 or until seats are filled
Eligibility: Rising and current high school students
UNCSA’s intensive program introduces students to animation as a collaborative filmmaking discipline rather than only a drawing-based craft. You’ll work across areas such as visual storytelling, directing, storyboarding, cinematography, editing, sound design, and both hand-drawn and 3D animation. Workshops in screenwriting, acting, and character design broaden the experience and reinforce how different creative elements support finished animated work. The conservatory-style format includes critiques, screenings, and close faculty instruction throughout the session. Students interested in returning can also build on the introductory experience through advanced study in later sessions.
Location: Online and on-campus at the School of Visual Arts, New York, NY
Cost: Online: $2,800 | In-person: $3400
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 20 students per course
Dates: July 13 – 31
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions on a first-come, first-served basis
Eligibility: High school students
SVA’s Pre-College option allows students to study animation within a formal art school structure while taking a single focused course. Depending on the selection, students may work in animation, computer animation, or real-time animated film production using digital tools and studio-based processes. The coursework blends foundational animation principles with character development, editing, and sound, leading toward a finished short or visual project. Because the classes are taught by the same faculty who teach undergraduates, this animation summer camp for high school students carries a distinctly college-level tone. A final exhibition and screening give you a clear endpoint and a chance to present completed work.
Location: IU Bloomington campus, IN
Cost: Overnight option: $850 | Day-camp option: $500
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 13 – 17
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions on a first-come, first-served basis
Eligibility: High school students
IU Animation Academy is a short, focused introduction to digital animation for students interested in film, television, and game-related workflows. The program exposes participants to multiple animation styles and production methods over the course of a single week. You get to train using professional-level software and equipment, which helps ground the experience in real studio practice. The emphasis is on learning how to develop characters and environments for motion-based media, rather than on a single narrow technique.
Location: Virtual or School of Visual Arts NYC campus, NY
Cost: $2,900 online (3D Animation course) | $3,400 in-person Animation course (financial aid available)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 13 – 31
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions on a first-come, first-served basis
Eligibility: Domestic and international high school students ages 14-18
SVA’s animation summer camp for high school students places a stronger emphasis on computer animation, 3D modeling, and real-time production within a structured weekday schedule. You begin with drawing and motion exercises before shifting to character work, narrative development, and production pipeline application. The curriculum connects traditional art principles with digital tools, helping students understand animation as both a design and a process. Projects may include short films or character-based stills supported by editing and sound components.
Location: CalArts campus, Valencia, CA
Cost: CA State Residents: $5,174 | Out-of-State and International Students: $10,475
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 4–August 1
Application Deadline: February 28
Eligibility: Students from grades 8–12
CSSSA’s animation track is one of the more rigorous options on this list, with an intensive schedule that treats animation as a serious artistic discipline. You’ll work across traditional, cutout, stop-motion, and digital techniques while also studying storyboarding, life drawing, and animation history. Screenings, workshops, and guest artist interactions deepen the program beyond production alone and encourage students to think critically about the medium. Multiple projects are completed throughout the session, giving you repeated opportunities to test different forms and methods.
Location: CalArts campus, Valencia, CA
Cost: $5,400 | Housing: $1,765 (optional)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: May 31 – July 2
Application Deadline: International Student Application Deadline: March 3 | Application Deadline: April 27
Eligibility: High school seniors aged 18 and above
The Summer Animation Residency at CalArts is organized around three core areas: life drawing, design, and story. Rather than centering immediately on software-heavy production, the program builds animation thinking through observation, visual development, and narrative construction. You develop drawing work, explore design for film, and create storyboard-based ideas that they ultimately pitch in a studio-style format. The teaching approach is immersive and faculty-led, with outcomes that support future portfolio development. For older students seeking a foundation in the conceptual side of animation, this residency offers a more artistically driven structure.
Location: Sarasota, FL
Cost: $7,480 (Residential Program) | $5,345 (Commuter Program)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Limited seats
Dates: June 21 – July 18
Application Deadline: May 1 or till the seats are full
Eligibility: High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors
Ringling’s Pre-College experience places animation within a broader studio-intensive art school environment. You take multiple college-level courses, with options that include computer animation, traditional animation, motion graphics, film, game design, and related creative fields. Studio time, faculty instruction, and immersion classes work together to create a demanding schedule that reflects the pace of undergraduate art training. The emphasis of this animation summer camp for high school students is not only on skill growth but also on portfolio development and readiness for future admissions or scholarship applications.
One other option—the Lumiere Research Scholar Program
If you’re interested in pursuing independent research, consider applying to one of the Lumiere Research Scholar Programs, selective online high school programs for students founded with researchers at Harvard and Oxford. Last year, we had over 4,000 students apply for 500 spots in the program! You can find the application form here, check out students’ reviews of the program here and here.
Also check out the Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation, a non-profit research program for talented, low-income students. Last year, we had 150 students on full need-based financial aid!
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a graduate of Harvard College, where he earned an A.B. in Statistics. He founded Lumiere as a PhD student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.