How to Apply

Applying to study as an exchange student is easy!  First, you will need the approval and nomination of your home school.  This can be done by simply asking an official from your international or domestic student exchange office to send a formal Notification of Nomination to Mike Rini, Associate Director, Exchange Services - mrini@mica.edu.  *Important Note:  your exchange adviser must submit their nomination no later than 30 days prior to the exchange student application deadline.  Examples:

• *Fall semester exchange application due:  April 1.  30 days prior to this deadline date, your exchange adviser must nominate you no later than March 1
• *Spring semester exchange application due:  October 1.  30 days prior to this deadline date, your exchange adviser must nominate you no later than September 1.

Once you have been approved by your home institution to apply for exchange at MICA, please complete the online application no later than the stated deadlines below to avoid delays in processing.  Once again, nominations by your home school adviser must be received no more than 30 prior to the actual exchange student application deadline.

To prepare for the online application, you will be asked for the following information - do not prepare this information to send by mail - everything will be done through the Exchange Student Online Application Portal:

• 1-page Statement of Interest

• Official or certified university transcript showing all current and prior courses and grades

• Portfolio of artwork:  10 PDF images of representative artwork 

• [International students only]  Official financial documents, such as original bank statements, indicating sufficient funds of at least $10,200 USD to live in Baltimore, Maryland (please see the Exchange Student application for further details).  

• Copy of the biographical page of your passport:  the passport pages that include your photo and biographical information.  Please check your passport now to ensure that it is current.

• [International students only] Proof of English language proficiency:  In accordance with new J-1 student visa requirements, prospective exchange students need to demonstrate English language proficiency, if their native language is not English.  MICA requires a score result on The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) of at least 550 PBT (paper-based test), or equivalent 213 CBT (computer-based test), or 80 IBT (internet-based test).  MICA also accepts a band score of at least 6.5 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

Semester Exchange Application Deadlines

• Fall semester (study period:  August to December): Exchange Application DUE:  April 1

• Spring semester (study period: January to May): Exchange application DUE: October 1

Application Decision

When the Office of International Education receives your completed application for exchange, shortly after our exchange application deadline, we will send all materials to the faculty chairperson of the department in your major field of study (for example, Painting, Video, Graphic Design, etc.).  The department faculty chairperson will review your application and will make the final decision regarding your acceptance for exchange at MICA.  

Once the faculty department chairperson reaches a decision on your application, the Office of International Education will contact you and your home institution's exchange department with the results of the decision.  

Exchange Student Confirmation / Acceptance of Offer

If your application for exchange is approved, and you are extended an offer from the Office of International Programs, to accept the offer, you must email your decision to mrini@mica.edu by the respective deadlines below.  

In the subject line of your email, please indicate:  "Exchange Offer Accepted", or "Exchange Offer Declined".  If you decline your acceptance offer, kindly indicate your reasons for declining the offer in your email.  

Email Confirmation Due Dates:

• Spring Semester (study period:  January to May):  DECISION DUE:  November 1

• Fall Semester (study period:  August to December):  DECISION DUE:  May 15

*Please note that if you withdraw after these deadlines, you may be responsible for any fees incurred by MICA on your behalf.

Once you submit your final decision to the Office of International Programs, you will need to plan and prepare for the successful application of a J1 student visa if you are an international student.  In order to understand what is expected of students wishing to study in The United States, here is a preview of the J1 application requirements.  

While there are some documents that the MICA Office of International Education will need to supply you with before you can apply, there are others that you should anticipate having at the time you apply for the visa.