MICA College vs American Conservatory Theater

Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and American Conservatory Theater (ACT) are two esteemed institutions offering distinct educational experiences in the arts. MICA, located in Baltimore, Maryland, is a private art and design college known for its rigorous fine arts programs, while ACT, based in San Francisco, California, is a renowned performing arts conservatory specializing in theater training. With acceptance rates of 58% and 28%, respectively, both schools are highly selective, attracting talented students from across the globe. MICA's student body is predominantly female (70%), while ACT's is more evenly balanced (53% female, 47% male). While MICA offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs in art and design, ACT focuses solely on theater arts, providing a comprehensive curriculum in acting, directing, and stage management. To help you make an informed decision about your artistic education, we've compiled a detailed comparison table highlighting key differences between these two prestigious institutions.

	American Conservatory Theater	Maryland Institute College of Art
Overview
Location	San Francisco, California	Baltimore, Maryland
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate		86.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	N/A	85.7%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $90 Graduate: $90	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $75
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants		3,066
Total number of admissions given out		2,629
Admitted students who chose to enroll		311
Yield rate		11.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$51,676	$65,940
Average net price		$28,569
Tuition	$30,235	$50,160
Room & board		Room/dormitory: $11,200 Meal plan: $3,570
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)		100.0% Average amount $27,261
Students receiving federal student loan		42.0% Average amount $5,435
Students taking out private loans		5.0% Average amount $18,522

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	11 Men 45.5% Women 54.5%	1,540 Men 24.4% Women 75.6%
Graduate students	13 Men 46.2% Women 53.8%	607 Men 27.8% Women 72.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	N/A	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	67.6%
International students	N/A	20.7%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	N/A	997
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Maryland New Jersey Virginia New York California

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts	Visual & Performing Arts Business Education Multidisciplinary Studies Architecture
Students to faculty ratio	6:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	N/A	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	100.0%	74.0%
Dropout rate	N/A	25.3%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $18,087 Year 3: $27,588	Design and Applied Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $43,714 Year 2: $67,240 Year 3: $78,199 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,514 Year 2: $50,782 Year 3: $52,113 Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,590 Year 2: $27,504 Year 3: $39,224 Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $34,442 Year 2: $21,964 Year 3: $33,773 Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,950 Year 2: $21,508 Year 3: $28,812 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,904 Year 2: $19,786 Year 3: $24,942 Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $33,381 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Arts, Entertainment,and Media Management (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: N/A

American Conservatory Theater

Maryland Institute College of Art

Overview

Location

San Francisco, California

Baltimore, Maryland

Campus setting

City: Large

College type

4 year

Control/business model

Private (Non Profit)

Calendar system

Semester

Degrees offered

Undergraduate and Graduate

Students retention rate

86.0%

Common app member

Yes

Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate

N/A

85.7%

Application fees

Undergraduate: $90

Graduate: $90

Undergraduate: $70

Graduate: $75

SAT range

N/A

ACT range

N/A

Students submitting SAT score

Students submitting ACT score

Total number of applicants

3,066

Total number of admissions given out

2,629

Admitted students who chose to enroll

311

Yield rate

11.8%

Test scores (SAT/ACT)

N/A

High school GPA

Not required

Required

Recommendation letters

Required

High school transcript

Not required

English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)

Not required

Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price

$51,676

$65,940

Average net price

$28,569

Tuition

$30,235

$50,160

Room & board

Room/dormitory: $11,200

Meal plan: $3,570

Available payment plans

Tuition payment plan

Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

100.0%

Average amount $27,261

Students receiving federal student loan

42.0%

Average amount $5,435

Students taking out private loans

5.0%

Average amount $18,522

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students

Men 45.5% Women 54.5%

1,540

Men 24.4% Women 75.6%

Graduate students

Men 46.2% Women 53.8%

607

Men 27.8% Women 72.2%

Racial/ethnic diversity

N/A

Moderate

Out-of-state students

N/A

67.6%

International students

N/A

20.7%

Campus local/setting

City: Large

Dormitory capacity

N/A

997

First year students are required to live on campus?

N/A

Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from

N/A

Maryland New Jersey Virginia New York California

Academics

Popular study areas

Visual & Performing Arts

Visual & Performing Arts
Business
Education
Multidisciplinary Studies
Architecture

Students to faculty ratio

6:1

10:1

Institutional accreditation

N/A

Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome

Graduation rate

100.0%

74.0%

Dropout rate

N/A

25.3%

Transferred out

N/A

Alumni salary by major (Top 10)

Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Master's Degrees)

Year 1: N/A
Year 2: $18,087
Year 3: $27,588

Design and Applied Arts (Master's Degrees)

Year 1: $43,714
Year 2: $67,240
Year 3: $78,199

Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees)

Year 1: $50,514
Year 2: $50,782
Year 3: $52,113

Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees)

Year 1: $30,590
Year 2: $27,504
Year 3: $39,224

Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees)

Year 1: $34,442
Year 2: $21,964
Year 3: $33,773

Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's Degrees)

Year 1: $27,950
Year 2: $21,508
Year 3: $28,812

Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees)

Year 1: $19,904
Year 2: $19,786
Year 3: $24,942

Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Master's Degrees)

Year 1: $33,381
Year 2: N/A
Year 3: N/A

Arts, Entertainment,and Media Management (Master's Degrees)

Year 1: N/A
Year 2: $38,289
Year 3: N/A

MICA College vs American Conservatory Theater

American Conservatory Theater

Maryland Institute College of Art

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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