Aardman/RCA Animation (Professional Residency) MFA

The Aardman RCA Animation MFA is a new programme, with its first intake in September 2027.

The 5 terms Aardman RCA Animation (Professional Residency) MFA programme is designed to develop your authorial voice across any technique, medium or genre. It combines the RCA’s 40 years of experience teaching, researching and making animation wwith the expertise of award-winning animation studio Aardman, and Aardman Academy, their world-class training facility.

You will work on your own animated project and have access to studio space, technical facilities, mentorship and support at both the RCA and Aardman. Our professional studio culture nurtures a spirit of curiosity, experimentation and ethical enquiry, encouraging you to disrupt and re-invent. As part of a global cohort of animators, you will demonstrate the inventive originality and research-grounded rigour that the RCA is known for.

Develop your directorial and artistic voice through an animation project in any medium, with mentorship from professional animators at the RCA and Aardman.

Become a creative leader, confident in the wider animation community both academically and professionally.
The proposed programme is an RCA degree that integrates industry engagement through the College's partnership with Aardman, including professional studio experience and mentoring from industry practitioners. Academic delivery, assessment and award remain the responsibility of the Royal College of Art.

Please upload up to three moving image projects:

These must include animation but may also include other media and material forms where relevant, such as illustration, sculpture, installation etc.

• We would like you to submit complete films rather than clips where possible, up to a maximum of 10 minutes in total for all three projects.
• If you include a showreel or group work, please indicate this clearly in on screen captions.
• Please avoid using portfolio templates; we want to see how you curate your works imaginatively and clearly.
• To support each of the three projects, you may add (up to three in total) additional items to show the project’s research and development.
• Show us your conceptual research process and practices, and demonstrate a clear relation between imagination, contextual critical engagement and making.
• Each of these three additional items should be uploaded and not exceed a maximum of five PDF pages with images, descriptive captions and concise written comments.

It is important that you ensure all project materials and films are uploaded. Please do not include external links as we will only view what has been uploaded and will not refer to external sites.

Personal statement:

• What applicants need to include in their portfolio.
• Please provide a 300-word written personal statement that addresses the following points:
• Introduce yourself, your interests and your motivations for applying to this MFA.
• Briefly summarise any educational background, professional experience to date that will support your application.
• Tell us what you want to do in the future, and how you hope the MFA will enable you to achieve those ambitions.

Video requirements:

You should upload a (maximum 2 minute) video of yourself taking to camera.

NB: Selected candidates will be invited for a short online interview:

• We want to know why you are applying to the Animation (Professional Residency) MFA and what you want to achieve both during your studies and beyond.
• Please tell us about your artistic, social, political, and/or contextual interests, and how you hope to expand these during your time at the RCA.