How to apply to art and design at MICA: a First Year Experience foundation year before choosing a major and a 10–15-piece portfolio with no prompts, plus portfolio requirements and timelines for students in China, Canada and transfer applicants

The Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), in Baltimore, Maryland, is an art and design college. Most undergraduate degrees are Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degrees, with a few Bachelor of Design (BDes) degrees such as Interior Design. This guide summarizes the official requirements for students at high schools in China (including A-Level, IB and AP students), students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver) and transfer students.

1. A foundation year first, then a major

• Every undergraduate starts with the First Year Experience (FYE), a foundation-level exploratory art and design program (the transfer guide lists first-year courses such as drawing fundamentals, color, fabrication, new media and two studio electives), and then chooses a major; a minor can be added. The pages we read do not say exactly when the major is declared or whether majors have caps or thresholds; ask admissions.
• Majors (undergraduate programs page): Animation; Creative Media Production; Design and Innovation; Ecosystems, Sustainability & Justice; Fiber, Fashion, and Textile; Film & Video; Game Design; General Fine Arts; Graphic Design; History of Art, Design, and Visual Culture; Illustration; Interactive Arts; Interdisciplinary Sculpture; Interior Design (BDes); Painting; Photography; Printmaking; the Studio and Humanities and Sciences dual major; and the online User Experience (UX) Design BDes.
• Co-majors: Architectural Design (paired with the Design and Innovation BFA), Bio Design, Film & Video, Game Design, Graphic Design, Product Design and Sound Art.
• There is also an Art Education 4+1 (BFA plus MAT). The transfer guide says the BFA requires 120–126 credits.

2. Portfolio requirements

• Size: 10–15 pieces. There are no prompts and no home exam.
• Content: recent work that represents your artistic interests and technical ability and reflects the full range of your ideas, interests, experience and abilities so far. Pick your strongest and most interesting pieces that hang together visually and thematically, and remove older or unfinished work. The committee looks at how you express ideas visually and evaluates your prior training and technical skill. MICA notes that a well-curated portfolio can improve both your chances of admission and your merit scholarship.
• Documentation and upload: photograph 2D and 3D work in focus, well lit and against a neutral background; document installation, performance or time-based work in its intended context. Image, sound and video files are all accepted; do not put titles or text on the images, since there are fields for that. After you submit the application, you receive instructions to upload the portfolio in the Applicant Portal.
• Preparation tips (portfolio page): start before senior year if possible; consider high school art classes, summer pre-college programs, AP or IB art and art history, outside art classes or weekend portfolio classes.
• Reviews: book an in-person or virtual portfolio review with an admission counselor (international counselors hold weekly one-on-one slots) or attend a National Portfolio Day.

3. How to apply, dates and materials

• Application: the Common App or MICA’s own application (MyMICA); MICA weights both equally. The Common App fee is USD 60 (request a waiver in the Common App profile section), and the tuition page also lists a USD 60 undergraduate application fee.
• Key dates (described as preferred filing dates): spring 2027, first-year and transfer, November 16, 2026; fall 2027, first-year February 1, 2027 and transfer March 15, 2027.
• Transcripts: all secondary school transcripts, sent through the Common App, Parchment, mail or email to records@mica.edu; unofficial transcripts are accepted. Transcripts from abroad must be translated into English by an approved translator; WES is recommended but not required.
• Recommendations: optional, though MICA says letters from teachers, counselors or others who can speak to your art and academics are important.
• Tests: SAT and ACT are optional.
• Essay: the transfer guide lists an essay for transfer applicants; the first-year steps do not list one separately, so follow the application.
• Admitted students pay a USD 450 admission deposit (applied to tuition); new students also pay a one-time USD 225 orientation fee and a USD 150 refundable deposit.

4. English requirements

• Minimums: the undergraduate admission page lists TOEFL 4 (72 for tests before January 21, 2026), IELTS 6.0, PTE 58 or Duolingo 105; the international FAQ lists TOEFL 75, IELTS 6.0 and Duolingo 105. The TOEFL figures differ, so confirm with admissions.
• Waivers: SAT English section 470 or ACT English 18 or higher, or official transcripts showing at least two full years of academic success at a high school or college where English is the language of instruction.
• Scores must accompany the application; applications without them are not reviewed. The FAQ says that if your score is just below the minimum and the rest of the application is acceptable, the application is held as incomplete with an extended deadline so you can retest, and MICA may also offer an oral interview with ELL specialists or admission staff or ask for other materials.

5. Students at high schools in China

• Have Chinese transcripts translated into English by an approved translator; WES evaluation is recommended but not required.
• Whether or how the Gaokao is used is not published; ask an international admission counselor. The international admission page offers the brochure in Mandarin.
• Whether A-Level, IB or AP results earn credit is not stated on the undergraduate pages we read.
• Visa documents: complete the Immigration Information Form; F-1 students also submit an Affidavit of Support or Certificate of Finance and a notarized bank statement covering at least one year. These can be sent after admission. The FAQ says the forms do not affect admission or scholarship competitiveness, but recommends sending at least the Immigration Information Form with the application because it can help determine eligibility for some international and general merit scholarships.

6. Students at Canadian high schools

• Anyone who is not a US citizen or permanent resident is an international applicant, but not all must submit the same forms; check MICA’s International Form Chart for your status.
• English waivers follow the two-years-in-English-medium-school rule; there is no separate rule for Canada or Quebec, so confirm with admissions.
• Grade requirements for BC curriculum students are not published; ask an international admission counselor.

7. Transfer students

• Who is a transfer: a high school graduate who has completed 12 to 60 credits at a regionally accredited two- or four-year college. Entry is possible in fall or spring.
• Materials: the application, an essay, transcripts from every college (no high school transcript needed), and a portfolio; recommendations are not required but can help, and a résumé is suggested if you are not currently enrolled.
• Portfolio: also 10–15 pieces with no prompts; class assignments and independent work are welcome, but choose finished pieces (not sketches or studies) from the last two years that represent your college-level work. It is used to award studio transfer credit and set your class standing; department faculty also review portfolios for students transferring sophomore (200-level) or junior (300-level) studio courses. MICA expects transfer applicants to have had formal art instruction.
• Credit: up to 60 credits may transfer, and only courses with a C or better are considered; liberal arts courses are matched on content. Quarter hours convert to about two thirds as many semester hours. A transfer credit evaluation comes with the acceptance letter.
• MICA awards more than USD 2 million each year in renewable merit scholarships and need-based grants to transfer students.

8. Costs and scholarships

• 2026-27 tuition: USD 58,310 a year full time (USD 29,155 per semester for 12–19.5 credits). The student life fee is USD 1,375 a year and the technology fee USD 810; health insurance is about USD 3,500 and can be waived with proof of coverage.
• Housing and food: an on-campus double is USD 6,500 per semester and a single USD 7,225; first- and second-year residents need at least the 150 meal plan (USD 2,150 per semester).
• Cost of attendance (undergraduate COA page): about USD 86,436 a year on campus and USD 88,864 off campus.
• Merit scholarships: first-year and transfer applicants are considered automatically when they apply, based on both artistic and academic performance; no separate application. MICA notes that most students still have a reduced bill each semester.
• Need-based aid: US students file the FAFSA; international students seeking need-based aid file the CSS Profile.

Checklist

Students at high schools in China:

• Prepare 10–15 recent pieces and upload them in the Applicant Portal after you apply
• Prepare TOEFL 4 (72 for older tests), IELTS 6.0, PTE 58 or Duolingo 105
• Apply through the Common App or MyMICA by February 1, 2027 with translated transcripts
• File the CSS Profile if you need aid; send financial documents after admission for the I-20
• Ask an international counselor whether the Gaokao is considered

Students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver):

• Check the International Form Chart for your required forms
• Ask admissions about the English waiver and how BC grades are reviewed

Transfer students:

• Prepare a portfolio of finished college-level work and an essay
• Apply by March 15 for fall or November 16 for spring
• Request a preliminary transfer credit evaluation

Sources: Maryland Institute College of Art, Undergraduate admission; Portfolio preparation; International admission; International student FAQs; Planning your transfer; Undergraduate majors and minors; First Year Experience; 2026-27 undergraduate tuition and fees; Undergraduate cost of attendance; Scholarships and grants. Dates are for fall 2027 entry and costs are 2026-27 figures; check MICA’s website for the latest.