About us

SAE is the world’s leading educator in creative media industries. Established in 1976 as the world's first combined practical and theoretical school of audio engineering, we now span the globe with 53 campuses in 27 countries, and have expanded our range of courses to include certificates, diplomas, and degrees in:

• Animation
• Audio
• Design
• Film
• Games
• Web & Mobile

At SAE we pride ourselves on delivering exceptional programmes in world-class facilities. We ensure our students receive an outstanding education, internationally recognised qualifications, and industry-relevant skills.

SAE was established by Tom Misner in 1976 in Sydney, converting a small advertising studio into a classroom. Over the next six years, campuses in Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth were established. In the mid-1980s, SAE began opening colleges outside of Australia, including locations in London, Munich, Frankfurt, Vienna, Berlin, Auckland, and Glasgow. In the 1990s, SAE opened a European head office in Amsterdam, and locations were opened in Paris, Hamburg, Zürich, Hobart, Cologne, Stockholm, and Milan.

SAE also began expanding into Asia in the 1990s, opening locations in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. In the late 1990s, SAE formed the SAE Entertainment Company and launched full university degree programs with the co-operation of Southern Cross University and Middlesex University. In 1999, SAE began opening facilities in the United States, and over the following decade opened locations in Nashville, Miami, San Francisco, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Chicago. In 2000, SAE began licensing franchise schools in India, opening four that year. In the 2000s, locations were opened in Liverpool, Madrid, Brussels, Bangkok, Leipzig, Barcelona, Dubai, Amman, Cape Town, Istanbul, and Serbia. Licence agreements were signed for new schools in Qatar, Bogotá Colombia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. In the 2000s SAE also acquired QANTM, an Australian production, media and training company, and relocated its head office to Littlemore Park, Oxford and its headquarters to Byron Bay, Australia.