Get a head start on everything.
FYE: Fast Forward is a four-week residential program for incoming MICA students. Earn 3 credits, build your community, and start the fall already knowing the city and each other.
Registration deadline: June 8, 2026
FYE: Fast Forward
FYE: Fast Forward
4
4 weeks
on campus in Baltimore
on campus in Baltimore
3
3 FYE credits
earned before fall
earned before fall
7/19
Move in July 19 —
program runs July 20–August 16
program runs July 20–August 16
FYE: Fast Forward gives you the chance to begin your MICA education before the fall semester starts. You'll complete one required First Year Experience course, meet students from across every major, and settle into Baltimore — your campus, your city — before the larger class arrives. It's college, a month early. With a smaller group, more access to your instructor, and a full calendar of experiences built around becoming a MICA student.
A head start on your first year.
Get ahead academically
Complete one of your required FYE courses before fall begins. That means one fewer required course on your fall schedule, and room to add an additional studio elective in your first semester. Or just consider it extra space with a 12 credit fall semester.
Choose your classes on your terms
Elective registration for fall is first-come, first-served. Students who complete Fast Forward register with one FYE core course already earned, giving advising more flexibility to build your ideal schedule.
Meet your people early
All students live in the same residence halls for the full four weeks. You'll build friendships before the rest of the incoming class arrives. Commuter students are welcome to join in FYE Fast Forward for a four week on-campus experience before the regular semester begins.
Learn the city
Baltimore is your campus. By the time fall starts, you'll have eaten in Federal Hill and Little Italy, visited the American Visionary Art Museum, hiked and tubed on the Gunpowder River, and explored neighborhoods most students don't discover until sophomore year.
Build foundational skills
Daily workshops on budgeting, time management, wellness, and navigating a new city. Practical, honest, and designed for artists and designers starting something new.
Smaller classes. More access.
MICA's faculty-to-student ratio is already low. Fast Forward sections cap at 16 students.
One course. Three options.
You rank your preferences — advising places you.
You'll complete one required FYE studio or academic course during Fast Forward. When you submit your interest form, you'll rank all three options in order of preference. Advising will place you based on your ranking and available space.
FF 160 // Drawing Fundamentals
Explore drawing as a tool for observation, expression, and design — from traditional mark-making and perspective to mixed media, digital drawing, and conceptual inquiry. A foundation course that every MICA student takes, experienced in a small cohort with intensive studio time. Taking this course in FYE Fast Forward allows you to enroll in advanced drawing coursework in your first year at MICA.
FF 140 // New Media 4D
Develop digital fluency across data literacy, lens-based media, and time-based production — mapping, video, animation, audio, and motion graphics. Learn to create multimedia art and design work for digital and physical outputs with a critical, ethical framework. Taking this course in FYE Fast Forward prepares you to enroll in advanced design or media arts coursework in your first year at MICA.
HMST 101 // Ways of Writing
An introduction to college-level reading and writing organized around critical thinking, genre, and attribution. Students read across forms — scholarship, fiction, journalism, memoir — and develop their own writing through exploration, revision, and feedback. Taking this course in FYE Fast Forward allows you to enroll in 200 level Humanities and Sciences coursework in your first year at MICA.
A full four weeks. Every day counts.
The program is structured around four components that run concurrently throughout all four weeks.
Monday – Friday, 10am – 4pm
Morning and afternoon sessions with your instructor and a class of 16. 135 hours of instruction across the four weeks, with independent studio time on Sundays.
Daily workshops, 4–5pm
Afternoon sessions focused on the practical realities of starting college: budgeting for art supplies and managing your finances, navigating Baltimore transit and city life, building relationships with mentors and faculty, managing studio deadlines alongside academic work, and taking care of yourself. These aren't orientation sessions. They're tools.
5–8pm
Twice-weekly Dinner & Dialogue sessions — facilitated evening meals in the dining hall with structured conversation. Optional evening activities throughout the week: craft nights, movie nights, games, and social time in the residence hall.
Baltimore Roots & Nature + Resilience
Two alternating weekend tracks over four weeks:
- Baltimore Roots — Urban garden tour, guided mural walk, dinner in Little Italy, visit to the American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM), lunch in Federal Hill.
- Nature & Resilience — Hiking and tubing at Gunpowder Falls State Park, plein air studio session at Carrie Murray Nature Center.
Sundays include dedicated studio time and relaxed group outings to Hampden, Canton, and Mount Washington.
What FYE: Fast Forward costs
Payment in full, or a payment plan, must be in place by June 19, 2026.
A payment plan option is available. Contact studentaccounts@mica.edu for details.
Important note: FYE: Fast Forward is self-funded. Institutional financial aid is not available for this program.
Base Cost: $3,900.00
What's included: One 3 credit course, class supplies, weekday activities, various weekend excursions, and apartment style living with shared room, full kitchen, and bathroom PLUS base level meal plan!
Meal Plan Options:
| Meal Plan | Base Cost | Total Program Cost |
| $1,120 7 days/3x (28 days) | $3900 | $4520 |
| $700 7 days/2x (28 days) | $3900 | $4100 |
| $800 5 days/3x (20 days) | $3900 | $4200 |
| $500 5days/2x (20 days) - BASE MEAL PLAN | $3900 | $3900 |
What's included: Tuition, room, base meal plan, laundry access, and all organized weekend and evening program activities.
What's not included: Meals outside the dining hall, personal art supplies, local transportation, and personal expenses. Plan for these as you would for any month of college.
Completing one of these courses this summer enables additional scheduling freedom in your first year: you could take a reduced fall semester course load or take an additional elective in your first year. It also creates opportunities for you to more quickly engage with advanced degree requirements.
- Completing FF 160 Drawing Fundamentals enables students to enroll in advanced drawing coursework in their first year. Advanced Drawing courses are required for the Illustration, General Fine Arts, Printmaking, Painting, and BFA/MAT programs, so this is a way to get a jump start on the completion of degree requirements towards those majors.
- Completing FF 140 New Media is an opportunity for students to develop their visual literacy skills and new media fluencies, better preparing them to undertake advanced coursework in Animation, Graphic Design, Creative Media Production, Design and Innovation, Film and Video, Photography, or the Interactive Arts.
- Completing HMST 101 Ways of Writing provides an opportunity for students to take 200-level Humanities and Sciences courses in their first year. This is a jump start on academic graduation requirements; it is also an opportunity to take more specified coursework, per student interest, in Anthropology, Philosophy, Literature, History, or the Sciences.
Even if you plan to be a commuter while at MICA, consider joining FYE Fast Forward for four weeks of on-campus living and learning. FYE Fast Forward is a great opportunity to meet new friends and get to know the MICA campus ahead of the fall start. Students who will be fall semester commuters can move out on August 16, 2026.
June 8 Final date to Register for FYE Fast Forward
June 12 Confirmation from Advising about FYE Fast Forward course
June 29 Health forms are due
July 19 Move in
July 20 Classes begin
August 14 Classes end
August 16 FYE Fast Forward programming ends
August 18 MICA First Year Student Orientation begins
FYE Fast Forward is an OPTIONAL program.
All FYE Fast Forward courses are core courses in the First Year Experience program at MICA. As with any course at MICA, FYE Fast Forward courses require specific enrollment in order to run. MICA retains the right to place student in any of the three courses offered and/or cancel a course if enrollment is not met.
If enrollment is met for the program, MICA will notify all registered students by June 12, 2026 and the registered students will be charged the FYE Fast Forward fees associated with the base cost of the program and their meal plan selection. Payment in full or a payment plan is due by June 19, 2026.
Move In and Residence Life Policy: All students must have submitted their medical forms by June 29th in order to be eligible to move in on-time for FYE Fast Forward. There are no dorm room or roommate switches available during FYE Fast Forward. Review Residence Life policies here
Refund policy: No refunds will be available after bills are issued on June 12. 2026 except for the fees associated with the meal plan if the request is made prior to the start of the program on July 19, 2026. Any requests for exceptions to this policy must be directed to studentsaccounts@mica.edu.
Course Withdrawal policy: Once classes begin, students may withdraw from a FYE Fast Forward course at any time; however, the student will be required to move out of the residence hall within 48 hours of withdrawing from the course and may not stay on campus until Orientation move-in begins on August 18, 2026. Any requests for exceptions to this policy must be directed to the Office of the Provost at MICA.
Ready to fast forward?
- Complete the FYE: Fast Forward Registration form by June 8, 2026. Rank your course preferences.
- Advising will place you based on availability and interest by June 12, 2026. Student Accounts will issue a bill to your student account on that same date.
- Complete payment in full or set up a payment plan by June 19, 2026.
- Submit required health documentation by June 29, 2026.
- Move in on July 19th and start class on July 20th.
Questions: Contact the Academic Advising team at academicadvising@mica.edu
FYE: Fast Forward is a program of MICA's First Year Experience. Participation does not affect a student's fall enrollment status or financial aid eligibility for the fall semester.