Undergraduate Admission Procedures for Freshman (Regular Decision)

Step 1: Application

Submit the attached undergraduate admission application form with the $50 application fee to the Office of Undergraduate Admission. Please make all checks (which must be in U.S. dollars drawn on U.S. banks) and money orders payable to Maryland Institute College of Art. Be sure to complete the required essay and activities list. If you wish to apply for merit-based scholarships complete and return the competitive scholarships application form with your application for admission.

Step 2: Transcripts

A high school diploma or equivalent is required for admission to MICA's undergraduate degree program. Request that an official record of grades be sent to the Office of Undergraduate Admission from your secondary school. If you received high school equivalency, request that your GED scores be sent to the Office of Undergraduate Admission from your State Board of Education.

Step 3: Letters of Recommendation

The recommendations of teachers (both art and academic), college placement advisors, or guidance counselors are important to your application. Ask such individuals to send letters of reference to the Office of Undergraduate Admission within two weeks of the date you mail your application.

Step 4: Test Scores

Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT) and/or American College Test (ACT) results are required for all first-time freshmen. The ACT Writing Test is recommended, but not required. Test scores are evaluated in relation to other academic materials and the portfolio review. (MICA CEEB Code—for SAT—is #5399; ACT Code #1710)

Step 5: Essay

Choose one of the topics listed on the application form, write an essay, and attach it to your application.

Step 6: Activities & Interests

Compile a list of activities, interests, and honors as explained on the application form, and attach it to your application.

Step 7: Portfolio of Artwork

The portfolio should be a collection of recent artwork that represents your artistic interests and demonstrates your technical skills and ability. You should include examples of artwork that are a product of art instruction as well as work that reflects your individual ideas and directions. The composition of the portfolio should be balanced to emphasize your strengths: for example, it could focus on a medium such as painting or photography, or a subject such as portraiture or social commentary while still representing the full range of your experience. It is strongly suggested that drawings from observation (rather than from imagination or copied from photographs) also be included.

Submit in the same package as all other admission materials a portfolio of 15-20 pieces of artwork. The portfolio may be submitted in the form of 35 mm slides, photographs, 1/2" VHS tape (in NTSC format), or digital media such as a Zip disk or CD/DVD; however, MICA prefers that portfolios be submitted on CD/DVD in the most appropriate format/s, as described below under "Formats for Digital Portfolios." Oversized work or large-format digitally based works are best presented as color photographs or laser prints. Portfolios submitted as part of the admission and competitive scholarship application process become a permanent part of the admission file and are not returned. Do not mail original artwork or your only copies of artwork documentation, such as slides or CD/DVD s.

If you would like a one-on-one review of your original portfolio by an MICA admission representative, you may bring it to a National Portfolio Day,* when a MICA representative visits your school, or when you schedule an interview and portfolio review as part of your visit to MICA.

*Portfolio Days are hosted by MICA and other members of the National Portfolio Day Association. For information regarding dates, times, and locations, watch for posters sent to every high school art department during September, or visit the NPDA Web site at www.npda.org. You can also call MICA's Office of Undergraduate Admission for information about National Portfolio Days.

Please note : Freshman applicants who receive an "acceptable" review of an original portfolio by a MICA admission representative do not need to submit another portfolio with application materials unless they are applying for competitive scholarships. Those applying for competitive scholarships must submit a portfolio in CD, DVD, or slide format, as described above, with application materials.

Formats for Digital Portfolios :

  • Still imagery (painting, sculpture, photography, digitally created art) Submit all images on a CD/DVD as a simple, non-timed Powerpoint presentation; also include all of the work in the Powerpoint in a separate folder, as jpegs saved at 72 dpi resolution and at a size of 600 pixels in the longest direction. Remember to include an accompanying inventory/contact sheet showing thumbnails of all work on the CD/DVD with captions as described under "Labeling Your Portfolio" below.
  • Time-based work (video, animation) or time-based documentation (installations, performances or interactive media): Submit as QuickTime movie(s). It is helpful to include a selected short excerpt or edited segment (2 minutes) to precede each longer piece. Remember to include an inventory sheet describing the work submitted digitally, with a contact sheet of representative still image/s for reference.
  • Web-based work : You may submit Web-based work on CD/DVD with each pertinent file (with start page clearly marked) in a separate folder, or you may provide the URL of your active Web site(s). Remember to include an inventory sheet describing the work submitted digitally, with a contact sheet of representative screen shots for reference.

Labeling Your Portfolio:

Please make certain that your name is clearly labeled on every individual item in your portfolio—each slide, photograph, CD/DVD, and inventory/contact sheet. In addition:

  • Each slide must be labeled with your name, title of work, medium, dimensions, and date completed.
  • A separate inventory /contact sheet must accompany your portfolio. When work is submitted on CD/DVD, this inventory should be in the form of a contact sheet of thumbnails of all images included on the CD/DVD. You may include the MS Word file on your CD/DVD, but you should also include a hard-copy printout of the inventory/contact sheets. The inventory must be labeled with your name and a description of each work submitted including: title, medium, dimensions, and date completed.

Step 8: Campus Visit

As an applicant you are encouraged to visit the College. Student-guided tours of the classrooms, studios, and residential housing, and discussions about portfolio preparation, programs of study, student life, and financial assistance will be provided. To schedule an appointment, please call the Office of Undergraduate Admission at 410.225.2222. The office is open Monday through Friday, 9 am to 4:30 pm. For information on campus tours and Open House programs, please learn more about visiting MICA.

Admission Dates and Deadlines

Fall Enrollment

  • February 15 Application deadline to be considered for priority admission and competitive scholarships
  • March 3 Admission application deadline for all other freshmen (applications received after March 1 will be considered if space is available)
  • March 1–15 Admission notification mailed to February 15 applicants
  • March 14 Scholarship Entry Forms due
  • April 4 Admission notification mailed to March 1 applicants
  • April 9-11 Notification of scholarship recipients
  • May 1 Candidate Reply Date: tuition and housing deposits due

Spring Enrollment

  • November 30 Admission and financial aid application deadline—all materials in the packet must be received simultaneously for application to be considered (applications received after December 1 will be considered if space is available)
  • December 20 Admission notifications mailed
  • January 5 Candidate Reply Date: tuition and housing deposits due

Financial Aid Dates and Deadlines

Required documents:

  1. MICA Financial Aid Application
  2. Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
  3. Parent and student federal tax returns and W-2 statements

Fall Enrollment

  • March 1 Application deadline for priority funding consideration (applications received after March 1 will be processed until funds are exhausted)
  • April 9 Financial aid award notifications mailed to freshman applicants
  • April 18-30 Financial aid award notifications mailed to transfer applicants

Spring Enrollment

  • November 30 Application deadline for priority funding consideration (applications received after December 1 will be processed until funds are exhausted)
  • December 20 Financial aid award notifications mailed