grade C+
Overall Grade
4 Year
BALTIMORE, MD
Rating 3.49 out of 5 553 reviews

Maryland Institute College of Art Reviews

553 reviews

I have learned some invaluable skills related to my practice and had the pleasure of interacting with others with great insights about art. This school is best for those looking for instruction on their art's clarity and design, rather than step-by-step instruction on how to be an artist.

I love that people are so kind, welcoming and understanding. I love that I get to grow and to direct the areas for my growth depending on my interests and curiosity. I love how open minded it is. I love how much fun I'm having learning.

MICA is a great casual art school, the critiques are usually kind, but I have seen many artists experience exponential growth at MICA.

Review Maryland Institute College of Art

This school provided me everything I needed in College. I may not have appreciated it before but now I realize the school gave me a chance to enhance, grow as a person.

Professors and Classes are extremely helpful and give a good amount of classes. There are also a lot of chances to participate in events and get any help needed in offices around campus. The student body is extremely supportive and helpful. I would love to see more options in classes each semester, as sometimes it is hard to get the classes I want during sign ups.

Lots of mechanical issues when it comes to elevators and vending machines, the college just doesn't seem "put together" for its cost. Professors are nice and knowledgeable for the most part

This is my second year and I’m honestly starting to regret coming here. The school is struggling financially which can sometimes be worrisome with all of the layoffs and changes they’re making. They’re not transparent.
The students many seem decent at first but when you start classes suddenly most MICA students seems to have a hive mind of sorts which makes it hard to disagree -even just slightly. The “diversity” isn’t really diverse here in any shape way or form. Students can be really rude- they think that liberal art school means it’s free for all- any rules that are in place are often ignored. Anything that the school is able to get- is instantly graffitied and you’d think it’d be decent because MICAs an art school but that’s not the case. We spend hours in critique just for people to either sit and not speak or reiterate the same points. Off campus things do sometimes feel depressing- vacant houses, people asking for money, trash piling up.

I started attending MICA in January 2023, so far my experience has been very smooth and all of the staff is very helpful.

It’s very expensive but the teachers that I had make up for it. The student life is pretty chill, I feel like most of my classmates are very supportive

Horrible experience. I don't know if you want to pay them 40+K a year for a bad portfolio and none caring faculties the moment you graduated they cut you off, and deleted your student email. They did reactivate for my email for me like only 24 hours and I can't get any access any more after so my works are all lost.
This school makes me HATE graphic design. I was using student loans to pay them tuitions even Parent Plus loan now me and my mother have to bear huge debts with me not able to find a single decent job after graduating from this school. The senior year was completely useless, the faculty had low quality teaching skills and did not helped me developed a useful portfolio. People that's self taught can be easily better than me that's been trained THREE YEARS in this school , and i had to pay rent 800+ to 1100+ every month to stay in this dangerous city BALTIMORE. My car window was broken for once, and it was towed 2-3 times for stupid reasons.
CURRUPTED, and FAKE

extreme dissatisfaction. This school is corrupt and in administrative chaos.
The school lacks integrity and transparency and pays little attention to the needs and interests of the students. the school concerned with their own interests and power and use the school's resources for their own personal gain. no basic support and protection. lack of basic respect and cooperation between the student and some staff and professors. Students who are physically and mentally weaker feel very fearful and uncomfortable. This hostile learning environment makes it impossible for students to focus on their studies and can also cause long-term psychological trauma. This school is a Ponzi scheme. no real commitment or action to improve the school but instead uses deception and false promises to attract students and parents, especially international students. no adequate resources and support, no good learning and living environment.

My experience at Mica was okay for my freshman year. Great housing arrangements. Then my sophomore thur my senior year were terrible. I lived off campus to save money on tuition in what I thought was a safe neighborhood but I was wrong I was attacked 3 times in 2 years and robbed. Also the school was hit by a stray bullet. I had to take a mental break for a semester to get myself back together. I returned and then the Covid pandemic happened it was horrific. Classes moved to online classes which were horrible we spent most of the time talking about stuff that was not pertaining to the course. Needless to say we didn’t get any break on the tuition during the pandemic. When we returned to in person classes my senior year the degree I was studying for did not offer a class I needed. So I would have to go to a different college to take that class. Well I didn’t have the money for the course and my financial aid ran out cause it was over 4 years. I just feel I was robbed of my education.

The environment is very creative and exciting. All the professors and students are engaging and motivate you. The work load is really insane. The down side is tuition fee keeps increasing while the facility seems to be reducing in quality

So far, I've really loved being a MICA student. I'm apart of their emerging major called Ecosystem, Sustainability and Justice. I'm finding that between academics and student life (I am an RA) I have been able to find a good group to be around and great professors and mentors. My favorite thing about MICA's education is the ability to be interdisciplinary with your work, which I haven't seen at many other art schools. My program ESJ specifically, having 14 open studio credits has done me wonders. Even though MICA is going through a lot of changes within 2023 and the years to come, I still believe that I made the right choice coming to this school. I will also say, having apartment style dorms has made me feel comfortable and like I have a safe space (which is big considering that I have anxiety). I know a lot of people are uncomfortable with Baltimore, but with the area that MICA is in and with the habits you pick up in living in any large city, I rarely feel unsafe.

The administration is lacking, but many of the professors make up for it. Many classes are phenomenal, but tuition is expensive and there is no fair pay for adjunct faculty.

I wish there was more funding for art supplies and that so many teachers were not laid off during the pandemic, especially since the president Sammy Hoi's yearly income is over $620,000

Overall, while I don’t completely regret coming to MICA, there is a lot that could be better. If I could go back and skip the first year experience I would. Many said to skip the first year and transfer later, but decided not to, and unfortunately I feel as though that was a mistake. The first year experience program, in order for it to actually be helpful, needs a lot of work in my opinion, and speaking with some of my professors they agree, as well. Looking back on the semester, while I learned some things, I honestly feel like I just wasted a lot of money, because this school isn’t cheap.
Getting in touch with health services is always a hassle, and the elevators are constantly in and out of order. The shuttles can take anywhere for 5-40 minutes if they ever do show up, and there aren’t really many options for on campus dining, so its a good idea to be prepared to cook.
While there isn’t a lot on campus, there are some nice places that are walking distance 10-30 min away.

Review Maryland Institute College of Art

A diverse and overall friendly environment to be in! Staff and peers are friendly and really try to help you out. Students are being challenged with their work and are given many opportunities to get real work and real life experiences and just generally opportunities for new experiences.

I have not attended MICA long as I'm excepted to enter my second semester this fall, however I overall enjoyed my first semester here despite the challenges I have faced. I entered the year about a few months when everything is starting to go back to normal after Covid 19 putting many colleges into lockdown. I wanted to wait until my school allowed students stay on campus again before entering the semester and I'm glad I did. I am a transfer student so I did not know anyone, but MICA is very welcoming to transfer students so I never felt like I did not belong and there are plenty of other transfer students for me to befriend. The professors know what they teaching and most of them taught in a way so that every student understood what the lesson and assignment was. Besides wanting more time to work on homework and other minimal complaints I am really enjoying my time there.

MICA is a great art school!! Most majors & professors focus on collaboration rather than competition. Like most art schools, MICA is not very diverse, however, they have many opportunities and grants for BIPOC students. The school is also very generous with scholarships! All you have to do is ask for more! The only downside is that the administration sucks and they don’t do any outreach or collaboration in Baltimore. Many of the students are scared of leaving the MICA campus, however Baltimore is a wonderful and diverse city with great public transportation!

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