MICA College vs Art Center College of Design

Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and Art Center College of Design (ACCD) stand out as prestigious institutions dedicated to nurturing artistic talent. While both share a commitment to excellence in art education, they offer distinct experiences. MICA boasts a higher acceptance rate, welcoming a more diverse student body, while ACCD maintains a highly selective admissions process, resulting in a smaller, tightly-knit community. MICA's curriculum emphasizes studio practice, preparing students for careers as practicing artists, while ACCD focuses on a multidisciplinary approach, integrating design, technology, and business principles. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details, including popular majors, graduation rates, and additional factors that will help you make an informed decision about your artistic journey.

	Art Center College of Design	Maryland Institute College of Art
Overview
Location	Pasadena, California	Baltimore, Maryland
Campus setting	City: Midsize	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	85.0%	86.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	75.6%	85.7%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50	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	982	3,066
Total number of admissions given out	742	2,629
Admitted students who chose to enroll	269	311
Yield rate	36.3%	11.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$72,066	$65,940
Average net price	$50,420	$28,569
Tuition	$47,334	$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)	64.0% Average amount $17,667	100.0% Average amount $27,261
Students receiving federal student loan	39.0% Average amount $5,367	42.0% Average amount $5,435
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $38,675	5.0% Average amount $18,522

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,028 Men 41.7% Women 58.3%	1,540 Men 24.4% Women 75.6%
Graduate students	291 Men 42.6% Women 57.4%	607 Men 27.8% Women 72.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	67.6%
International students	45.4%	20.7%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	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 Engineering Technologies Communications Technology Architecture Computer and Information Science	Visual & Performing Arts Business Education Multidisciplinary Studies Architecture
Students to faculty ratio	8:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	75.9%	74.0%
Dropout rate	9.8%	25.3%
Transferred out	8.6%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,017 Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: $57,513 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,536 Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: $27,282 Architectural Sciences and Technology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,380 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Graphic Communications (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,126 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: N/A Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,973 Year 2: $81,702 Year 3: N/A Engineering-Related Fields (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,061 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,685 Year 2: $20,824 Year 3: N/A Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $11,851 Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $17,249 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	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

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