MICA College vs California Institute of the Arts

Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) stand out as two prominent institutions offering specialized art education. While both share a commitment to nurturing artistic talent, they present distinct characteristics that shape the student experience. MICA, located in the vibrant city of Baltimore, boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for aspiring artists. CalArts, nestled in the heart of Valencia, California, maintains a highly selective admissions process, resulting in a lower acceptance rate. Delve into the comparison table to explore further differences in acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Discover which institution aligns best with your artistic aspirations and academic goals.

	California Institute of the Arts	Maryland Institute College of Art
Overview
Location	Valencia, California	Baltimore, Maryland
Campus setting	Suburb: 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	94.0%	86.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	29.0%	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	2,364	3,066
Total number of admissions given out	685	2,629
Admitted students who chose to enroll	203	311
Yield rate	29.6%	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)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$79,792	$65,940
Average net price	$53,916	$28,569
Tuition	$52,850	$50,160
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,040 Meal plan: $5,095	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)	99.0% Average amount $18,119	100.0% Average amount $27,261
Students receiving federal student loan	26.0% Average amount $5,615	42.0% Average amount $5,435
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $12,000	5.0% Average amount $18,522

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	965 Men 41.6% Women 58.4%	1,540 Men 24.4% Women 75.6%
Graduate students	479 Men 37.2% Women 62.8%	607 Men 27.8% Women 72.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	67.6%
International students	29.0%	20.7%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	441	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 English Language and Literature Computer and Information Science Multidisciplinary Studies	Visual & Performing Arts Business Education Multidisciplinary Studies Architecture
Students to faculty ratio	7:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	71.9%	74.0%
Dropout rate	28.1%	25.3%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $24,469 Year 2: $32,563 Year 3: $36,735 Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $14,239 Year 2: $23,456 Year 3: $29,527 Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $29,030 Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,555 Year 2: $22,420 Year 3: $28,984 Music (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $17,629 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $28,791 Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,992 Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: $22,579 Music (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $15,918 Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: $21,662 Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $26,425 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $21,635 Dance (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,773 Year 2: $15,182 Year 3: N/A Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $49,840 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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MICA College vs California Institute of the Arts

California Institute of the Arts

Maryland Institute College of Art

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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