Courses for High School Leavers | CG Spectrum Institute

Tim Huntsman, Game Design mentor, plays through a student's platformer level in a live crit and suggests the puzzles it needs.

Who reviews the work

Some of the 60+ mentors teaching our degrees and diplomas.

Portrait of Daniel Hourigan

Daniel Hourigan

John Wick: Chapter 3

Method Studios · DNEG

Mentor, Bachelor of Animation and VFX

Portrait of Firas Hosn

Firas Hosn

Assassin's Creed 3

Ubisoft · Sledgehammer Games

Mentor, Bachelor of Game Development

Portrait of Humza Khan

Humza Khan

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell

Raven Software · Wargaming

Mentor, Bachelor of Digital Art

Portrait of Anna Pagliara

Anna Pagliara

Mulligan

DogHead Animation · Lighthouse Studios

Mentor, Bachelor of Digital Art

Portrait of Carlos Rosas

Carlos Rosas

How to Train Your Dragon

DreamWorks Animation · Weta Digital

Mentor, Bachelor of Animation and VFX

Portrait of Fiona Wong

Fiona Wong

Thor: Love and Thunder

Framestore · DNEG

Mentor, Bachelor of Animation and VFX

Portrait of Rudy Massar

Rudy Massar

The Mandalorian

Framestore · MPC

Mentor, Bachelor of Animation and VFX

Portrait of Amita Sahgal

Amita Sahgal

Ted

Iloura · Dr D Studios

Mentor, Bachelor of Animation and VFX

Portrait of Rodrigo Costa

Rodrigo Costa

Arcane

Fortiche · Polyarc

Mentor, Bachelor of Animation and VFX

Portrait of Bobby Rice

Bobby Rice

Red Dead Redemption II

Ready at Dawn · Activision

Mentor, Bachelor of Animation and VFX

Getting in

No ATAR needed: how getting in works

Apply by 9 December for an early offer: a conditional offer that arrives before results day. From 10 December, you apply directly.

Three steps from your first call to day one.

01

Speak to a course advisor

15 minutes, parents welcome. Your advisor checks which program fits and starts your application with you. There's no minimum final grade. Digital Art majors add a portfolio of their own work.

02

Get a conditional offer

Admissions reviews your application and sends you a conditional offer. Your place is held while you wait for results.

03

Confirm and start

Send your final results, accept your place and choose how you'll pay. Orientation week starts 25 January and classes start 1 February.

Entry requirements

Study so far: completed high school, or equivalent.
Age: at least 17 when you start. You can apply before you turn 17.
Portfolio: Digital Art majors (2D Animation, Concept Art, Digital Illustration) submit a portfolio of original work. The other programs don't ask for one.
English: from a non-English-speaking background? IELTS Academic 6.0 overall with 5.5 in each band, or equivalent.

Key dates: apply by 9 December for an offer before results day · scholarships close 18 December · apply by 22 January to start with orientation week · orientation week starts 25 January · classes start 1 February

Scholarships Available

Open to Australian citizens and permanent residents starting a Bachelor. Applications close Friday 18 December, 6pm AEDT.

FEE-HELP is available to eligible students, with flexible payment options too. Eligibility applies; your course advisor can take you through it.

Girls Who Build scholarship

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GIRLS WHO BUILD

For female-identifying students ready to enter the technical side of creativity, including games, VFX, 3D, animation, programming, and digital production. Includes additional development coaching with a female-identifying professional working in the industry.

GIRLS WHO BUILD

For female-identifying students ready to enter the technical side of creativity, including games, VFX, 3D, animation, programming, and digital production. Includes additional development coaching with a female-identifying professional working in the industry.

Beyond The City scholarship

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BEYOND THE CITY

For students outside metropolitan areas who want access to serious creative industry mentoring without needing to relocate to a major city.

BEYOND THE CITY

For students outside metropolitan areas who want access to serious creative industry mentoring without needing to relocate to a major city.

Game Creator scholarship

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GAME CREATOR

For students who want to build games, not just play them. Open to students interested in game art, game design, game programming, or interactive worlds.

GAME CREATOR

For students who want to build games, not just play them. Open to students interested in game art, game design, game programming, or interactive worlds.

2D Animation scholarship

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2D ANIMATION

For students who love to draw, animate, design characters, tell stories visually, or want to build a career in Australia's growing 2D animation industry.

2D ANIMATION

For students who love to draw, animate, design characters, tell stories visually, or want to build a career in Australia's growing 2D animation industry.

For parents and carers

The facts you'll want before you say yes

Accredited

CG Spectrum Institute is a registered higher education provider (TEQSA Provider Number PRV12023). The Bachelor and Diploma programs are accredited.

2 years

A Bachelor is two years (AQF level 7). A Diploma is two trimesters (AQF level 5).

FEE-HELP

FEE-HELP for eligible students, plus flexible payment options. Your advisor will go through costs and eligibility on the call.

Honest about jobs

Studios hire on the strength of a portfolio, and junior roles are competitive. We don't promise a job. The program is built around getting your portfolio to the standard studios look for.

A typical week

Bachelor and Diploma, full time, around 40 hours a week. Part time is around 20: 3 hours of live classes, 1.5 of critiques, 13.5 of project work and 2 self-paced.

7 hrs

Live classes with a mentor

1.5 hrs

Live critiques of your work

29.5 hrs

Project and lab work

2 hrs

Self-paced material

Questions parents ask

Where and how do they study?

Online, in small groups. Students study from home.

What if they change their mind?

The census date is the last day to withdraw from a subject without paying for it. For February, that's 23 February 2027.

They're under 18. What do we need to do?

Applicants under 18 need a parent or guardian's consent to enroll. Your advisor will take you through it on the call.

Got a VTAC offer?

Book 15 minutes with an advisor. We'll walk through how our dates line up with VTAC offer rounds, what a typical week looks like, and how paying works for each option.