MICA College vs California College of the Arts

Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and California College of the Arts (CCA) stand out as two prominent institutions offering specialized art education. While both share a commitment to fostering creativity and artistic expression, they differ in several key aspects. MICA, located in Baltimore, Maryland, boasts a higher acceptance rate (78%) compared to CCA's selective admissions (48%). CCA, situated in San Francisco and Oakland, California, offers a broader range of undergraduate majors, including Architecture and Design, while MICA focuses primarily on Fine Arts and Design. CCA's student body is more diverse, with a higher percentage of international students and a more balanced gender ratio. In terms of career outcomes, CCA graduates enjoy a slightly higher graduation rate (88%) than MICA graduates (86%). Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more distinctions between these esteemed art colleges and make an informed decision that aligns with your artistic aspirations and academic goals.

	California College of the Arts	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	82.0%	86.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	77.6%	85.7%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70	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	2,847	3,066
Total number of admissions given out	2,210	2,629
Admitted students who chose to enroll	209	311
Yield rate	9.5%	11.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$73,634	$65,940
Average net price	$40,231	$28,569
Tuition	$51,792	$50,160
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $13,467 Meal plan: $5,650	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)	84.0% Average amount $28,928	100.0% Average amount $27,261
Students receiving federal student loan	23.0% Average amount $5,627	42.0% Average amount $5,435
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $27,943	5.0% Average amount $18,522

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,249 Men 36.3% Women 63.7%	1,540 Men 24.4% Women 75.6%
Graduate students	381 Men 29.9% Women 70.1%	607 Men 27.8% Women 72.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	67.6%
International students	40.3%	20.7%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	761	997
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	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 Communications Technology Architecture Multidisciplinary Studies 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	65.4%	74.0%
Dropout rate	34.2%	25.3%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Arts, Entertainment,and Media Management (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,106 Year 2: $77,536 Year 3: $105,977 Architecture (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,344 Year 2: $50,231 Year 3: $66,934 Architecture (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,396 Year 2: $56,776 Year 3: $61,388 Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,949 Year 2: $39,860 Year 3: $49,787 Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $31,472 Year 2: $34,467 Year 3: $38,025 Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,206 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $37,442 Graphic Communications (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $16,698 Year 2: $30,409 Year 3: $23,743 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,560 Year 2: $15,552 Year 3: $19,229 Design and Applied Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $92,520 Year 2: $86,129 Year 3: N/A Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $123,170 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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