Undergraduate Admission Procedures for Transfer Students

Each transfer student brings to the College a different level of artistic capability and academic achievement based on a variety of post-secondary educational experiences. Some students transfer to the College as freshmen, others as sophomores and juniors. A limited number of spaces is available each year within each department, and admission is competitive.

There are various reasons why students attend other colleges for one or two years before transferring to MICA. Some plan to gain additional experience before applying to MICA; some postpone their entry for financial reasons; and some need more time to define their commitment to the visual arts. For more information about transferring to MICA, please contact the Office of Undergraduate Admission at 410.225.2222.

Note: Transfer students should submit the materials requested in steps 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7 below at the same time. If all materials are not submitted simultaneously, the application may not be considered.

Step 1: Application

Submit the undergraduate admission application to the Office of Undergraduate Admission together with the non-refundable $50 application fee. 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 require financial aid, submit the Financial Aid Application. If you wish to apply for merit-based scholarships, also 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. Presentation of a satisfactory transcript from a collegiate institution accredited by an agency or association recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education is required to transfer credit. Request that an official transcript be sent to the Office of Undergraduate Admission from your high school and from all accredited post-secondary institutions attended. Note : Only courses carrying a grade of C or better will qualify for transfer credit. Up to 63 credits required for the BFA degree may be transferred from other accredited colleges. Exceptions will be made in certain cases. Liberal arts courses in which the course content parallels that of courses offered at MICA will be considered for transfer credit. Transfer of studio courses is determined by portfolio review and course equivalency. In some cases, the academic dean will consider waiving course requirements after an evaluation of art achievements gained outside formal school programs.

Step 3: Enrollment status report form

The Enrollment Status Report Form, detailing a list of courses in which you are currently enrolled, or plan to enroll, must accompany your application. It should include your name, college/university attending, semester/year, course titles, departments, course numbers, and course descriptions. The printable Enrollment Status Report Form is available online.

Step 4: Course Descriptions

Transfer applicants must submit course descriptions for all courses for which they are requesting transfer credit.

Step 5: Letters of Recommendation

If you feel that the recommendations of instructors, advisors, or employers 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 6: Test Scores

The College Entrance Examination Board Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT) and/or the American College Test (ACT) are not required for transfer admission.

Step 7: Portfolio of Artwork

Your portfolio is considered one of the most important requirements in the admission decision. Your artwork reflects your visual sensitivity, your intellectual curiosity and creativity, and your motivation and self-discipline. For transfer students, the portfolio is also used to evaluate your post-secondary art experiences in order to determine equivalency to MICA coursework.

Transfer students should prepare a portfolio of 15-35 pieces of artwork that demonstrates a knowledge of college-level coursework. The portfolio should include items that represent basic skills in drawing, painting, color, and design. If enough coursework has been completed, the portfolio should also reflect experience in a major field of study.

The portfolio allows the review committee to evaluate which studio courses will transfer to MICA and determines class standing in your departmental major. Therefore, your portfolio should represent as much work as possible from all studio courses taken while attending other post-secondary institutions.

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 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/DVDs. If you would like to receive feedback from a MICA admission representative on your original portfolio, you may bring it to a National Portfolio Day* or to a Transfer Review Day at 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 under-graduate Admission for information about National Portfolio Days.

Note: All transfer applicants, even those not applying for competitive scholarships, must submit a portfolio, in CD, DVD, or slide format, as described above, along with admission 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 a transfer applicant, you are encouraged to visit the campus. Transfer information sessions are specially designed to give you an opportunity to learn about the College—its programs, its students and faculty, its studios and equipment, and its student life. These sessions, which are scheduled monthly, include student-guided tours of the campus. Make an appointment for a transfer information session or a student-guided campus tour by calling the Office of Undergraduate Admission at 410.225.2222 Monday through Friday, 9 am to 4:30 pm.

Admission Dates and Deadlines

Fall Enrollment

  • March 3 Application deadline for transfer students wishing to be considered for priority admission and competitive scholarships; these applicants will be notified of admission decision on April 3
  • April 3 (then rolling) Application deadline for all other transfer students (applications received after April 1 will be considered if space is available); these applicants will be notified on April 30
  • Week of April 18 Notification of scholarship recipients
  • May 21 Candidate Reply Date: tuition and housing deposits due

Spring Enrollment

  • November 30 Application deadline (applications received after December 1 will be considered if space is available)
  • December 20 Admission notifications mailed
  • January 4 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 13 Financial aid award notifications mailed to freshman applicants
  • April 30 Financial aid award notifications mailed to transfer applicants

Spring Enrollment

  • December 7 Application deadline for priority funding consideration (applications received after December 1 will be processed until funds are exhausted)
  • December 15 Financial aid award notifications mailed