Arena Animation Chowringhee is a private creative-media training centre in Kolkata, West Bengal. It was established in 1997 and operates as a franchise centre of Arena Animation, the animation and VFX training brand launched by Aptech Limited in 1996. The centre trains students in animation, visual effects, gaming, graphic design and UI/UX design, and awards its own certificates rather than university degrees.
Arena Animation Chowringhee is a private training centre, so it does not appear in NIRF or in the other major Indian ranking frameworks that cover degree-awarding institutions.
The centre runs out of a 5,000 sq ft facility spread over two floors at 60 Chowringhee Road, Exide House, next to Rabindra Sadan Metro Station. It is the oldest and the largest Arena Animation centre in the eastern region and houses a green-screen VFX studio along with an AR-VR experience zone.
- Arena Animation Chowringhee offers career programmes across five course families:
- Animation - Arena Animation Specialist Program in Trinity (AVG), Advanced Program in Animation with Unreal Engine, Advanced Digital Graphics and Animation on Maya and Blender
- VFX - Advanced Program in Visual Effects, Advanced Program in VFX Film Making, Advanced Program in VFX Compositing and Editing
- Gaming - Master in Game Art, Design and Development with AR-VR and XR
- Design - Next-Gen Graphic Design and Visual Design, Next-Gen Visual Design and Motion Graphics, Advanced Program in UI UX Design, Next-Gen Web Design and Development
- Short-term - Master in Gen AI, Master in Maya, Master in Blender, Master in Unreal Cinematics, Advanced Program in 2D Animation
- Course fees run from INR 16,000 for the short Gen AI module to INR 3.70 Lakhs for the 36-month Trinity (AVG) programme.
- Eligibility for every career course is 10+2 in any stream. Undergraduates, graduates and working professionals are also admitted.
- The centre reports 4,800+ placed students since inception, with recruiters including Electronic Arts, Green Gold and Lakshya - A Keywords Studio.
Arena Animation Chowringhee Admission Dates 2026
Admissions for the 2026-27 session are rolling. No national or state entrance exam gates any programme at the centre, so there is no single application deadline to track.
The table below covers the session-level admission events aspirants need to act on.
| Event | Status / Timeline |
|---|---|
| Application Window | |
| Application Mode | Online enquiry form or walk-in at the centre |
| Entrance Exam | Not applicable |
| Counselling Session | Scheduled on request with a career advisor |
| Batch Start | New batches begin through the year |
| Fee Payment | Lump sum or instalments at the time of enrolment |
Because batches are timetabled in fixed two-hour slots, the slot chosen at admission is locked for the length of the course. The slots on offer are listed below.
| Batch Slot | Timing |
|---|---|
| Slot 1 | 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM |
| Slot 2 | 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM |
| Slot 3 | 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM |
| Slot 4 | 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM |
| Slot 5 | 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM |
Students who want to finish faster can take extra class hours and compress the course duration. Batch timings are otherwise not changed once allotted.
Arena Animation Chowringhee Courses and Fees
Arena Animation Chowringhee runs more than 20 certificate programmes across animation, VFX, gaming, design and web development. Total fees range from INR 16,600 to INR 3.67 Lakhs depending on duration and specialisation.
The table below lists the main career programmes with duration and total fees. The detailed table of Arena Animation Courses and Fees is given below:
| Course | Total Fees |
|---|---|
| Certification | INR 50,000 - INR 1 Lakh |
| Diploma | INR 16,600 - 1.81 Lakhs |
| PG Diploma in Digital Content Management | INR 1.83 Lakhs |
| Advanced Certificate | INR 89,200 - 2.68 Lakhs |
| Advance Post Graduate Diploma in 2d Animation | INR 85,480 |
| Professional Program in Visual Effects | INR 2.8 Lakhs |
| Advanced Diploma in Animation Film Design | INR 3.67 Lakhs |
Two programmes sit outside this fee table. The Master in Game Art, Design and Development with AR-VR and XR runs for 34 to 36 months and covers Unity, Unreal Engine, Maya and Substance Painter. The Digital Content Creation programme runs for 14 to 15 months and bundles visual design and branding, motion graphics with AI-enhanced workflows, and UI/UX design. Fees for both are quoted at the counselling stage.
Short modules are the cheapest entry point. Master in Maya and Advanced Program in 2D Animation run for 8 months each, Master in Blender and (UN)REAL Game Development for 6 months, and Digital Sculpting with ZBrush for 1.5 months.
Arena Animation Chowringhee Admission Process
Admission is direct and merit-free. There is no entrance exam, no cutoff and no percentage bar beyond passing 10+2, so the selection stage is really a course-fit conversation rather than a screening.
The cohort is mixed by design. School leavers sit alongside undergraduates, working professionals and career-changers, and the centre confirms that candidates aged 40 and above are admitted to animation and VFX courses.
Animation, VFX and Gaming Programmes
These are the flagship long-duration programmes at the centre, running from 17 months to 36 months.
- Eligibility: pass in 10+2 from any stream
- Undergraduates, graduates and working professionals are also eligible
- No entrance exam and no portfolio requirement at entry
- Drawing skill is not a prerequisite, as design fundamentals are taught from scratch
The selection stages run as follows.
- Enquiry through the online form or a walk-in at the centre
- Counselling session with a career advisor who maps background and interest to a programme
- Submission of the filled prospectus form with educational details
- Document verification - self-attested copies of qualifications, address proof and two photographs
- Fee payment in lump sum or instalments
- Batch slot allotment and admission confirmation
Design, Web and Short-Term Programmes
Graphic design, UI/UX, web development, Gen AI and the software-specific master modules follow the same single-window process. Eligibility stays at 10+2 in any stream, and candidates already working in print, marketing or IT roles are admitted directly into the relevant module without repeating foundation content.
Students without a personal computer are given free practice lab access at the centre, which matters for the software-heavy modules.
Arena Animation Chowringhee Scholarships and Fee Support
The centre does not run a permanent, published scholarship scheme. Fee relief comes through periodic milestone offers on career courses and through instalment and loan routes that cut the upfront outgo.
The support options currently available are listed below.
| Support Option | Eligibility | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Milestone Scholarship Offer | New admissions to career courses, limited seats, announced for defined windows | Fee concession on the quoted course fee |
| Direct Instalment Plan | All enrolled students | Fee split into instalments paid to the centre with no interest and no processing fee |
| Zero-Interest Credit Card EMI | Holders of most major credit cards | 3, 6 or 12-month EMI at zero interest |
| West Bengal Student Credit Card Scheme | West Bengal domicile students up to 40 years of age | Collateral-free loan up to INR 10 Lakhs at 4 percent simple interest, repayable over 15 years |
Fees are accepted in cash, by cheque, through UPI and by credit or debit card. Aspirants should confirm the live milestone offer at the counselling stage, since these windows are short and seat-capped.
Arena Animation Chowringhee Campus and Infrastructure
The centre occupies 5,000 sq ft over two floors at 60 Chowringhee Road, inside Exide House, a two-minute walk from Rabindra Sadan Metro Station. The location is the main practical advantage for students commuting from across Kolkata on the Blue Line.
Teaching runs out of six named labs called Fire, Earth, Soul, Moon, Sky and Maya. Beyond the labs, the facility has a green-screen VFX studio with an HD camera setup, an AR-VR experience zone with gaming consoles, and a library stocked with Indian and international reference material.
The academic team runs to 20+ staff, including a centre director, an academic head, specialist mentors for 2D animation, 3D, VFX, web design and graphic design, and a dedicated placement head. Students consistently point to mentor access and small working batches as the strength here, while the trade-off is that this is a training centre and not a residential campus. There is no hostel, no sports infrastructure and no student housing support.
On certification, the centre is ISO 9001:2000 certified and was the first Certiport-authorised centre in the region for Adobe and Autodesk examinations. Students can sit for the Adobe Certified Associate and Autodesk Certified Professional credentials alongside their Arena certificate. The centre won the Centre of Excellence Award 2026 among Arena Animation centres in India, along with a World Creative Excellence League award and four prizes at the GO 48 International Challenge in the same year.
Arena Animation Chowringhee FAQs
Ques. Does Arena Animation Chowringhee give a degree?
Ans. No. The centre awards certificate and advanced programme certificates, not university degrees. Students can additionally sit for Adobe Certified Associate and Autodesk Certified Professional examinations, as the centre is a Certiport-authorised test centre.
Ques. Is there an entrance exam for Arena Animation Chowringhee admission?
Ans. No. Admission is direct. A pass in 10+2 from any stream is the only academic requirement, and the seat is confirmed after a counselling session, document submission and fee payment.
Ques. What salary do freshers get after an Arena Animation Chowringhee course?
Ans. The centre places students in the INR 12,000 to INR 30,000 per month range at entry level. Portfolio quality is the main driver of where a student lands inside that band, which is why portfolio work is compulsory in the final phase of every career programme.
Ques. Which companies recruit from Arena Animation Chowringhee?
Ans. Recruiters confirmed by the centre include Electronic Arts and Lakshya - A Keywords Studio in gaming, Green Gold in broadcast animation, and Indus Net Technologies in digital and web services. Placement is offered as assistance and is not a guaranteed job.
Ques. Can I pay the Arena Animation Chowringhee fees in instalments?
Ans. Yes. Fees can be split into instalments paid directly to the centre with no added interest and no processing fee. Zero-interest EMI over 3, 6 or 12 months is available on most major credit cards, and West Bengal domicile students can apply under the West Bengal Student Credit Card Scheme for a collateral-free loan up to INR 10 Lakhs at 4 percent simple interest.
Ques. Can I join Arena Animation Chowringhee without drawing skills or a computer at home?
Ans. Yes. Design fundamentals, sketching and storyboarding are taught from scratch, so prior drawing skill is not required. Students who do not own a computer are given free practice lab access at the centre.
Ques. What are the batch timings at Arena Animation Chowringhee?
Ans. Classes run in five two-hour slots on alternate days, from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM, 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM, 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM, 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM and 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. The slot allotted at admission stays fixed for the course, though students can take extra hours to finish faster.
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