How is my portfolio reviewed?

Transfer portfolios are reviewed on an individual basis, in the context of your specific educational background and experience, and in relation to the program of study you wish to pursue. 

What should I include in my portfolio?

Students transferring to MICA are expected to have had formal art instruction prior to application and will be able to demonstrate ability in the fundamentals of drawing, design, and color. In your transfer portfolio, submit 15 to 30 images of your strongest, fully-realized work made in the last two years. For example, you can submit fine art work, work toward your intended major or a combination of both. 

How will my portfolio impact my admission to MICA?

Your portfolio is one-half of your admission rank and will help determine your standing as a freshman, sophomore, or junior-level transfer student. 

How can my portfolio help me gain credit for coursework?

Your portfolio supports your college transcript. To receive credit for coursework equivalent to MICA's First Year Experience, we will evaluate your portfolio alongside your earned credits. Your portfolio should include examples of post-secondary work completed in drawing, color theory, 2D design, 3D design and 4D design. Please note that many students transferring to MICA have not yet completed the full equivalent of our First Year Experience and are therefore placed in a combination of first-year and second-year courses.

To receive credit for coursework equivalent to MICA's sophomore-level courses, your portfolio should include examples of artwork completed in the equivalent courses, including work that demonstrates any specialization in your intended major. In assembling your portfolio, review the description of MICA courses similar to those you have completed. For example, a course titled "Typography I" is required of MICA sophomores in graphic design. If you have completed a similar course be sure to include work that demonstrates your mastery of the subject.

How can I make sure my portfolio is assessed in the best light?

To ensure the most accurate assessment of your artwork in relation to your experience, we suggest that you include the following with your portfolio:

• The title and description of each artwork
• The size, medium(s), and date the work was completed
• The course name and number in which the work was produced
• Please indicate if the work was completed on your own time, beyond your class syllabus

How should I document my work? 

• Because you will be uploading images of your artwork to your slideroom portfolio, make sure your images are good quality. Your images should be focused, lighted evenly, squared-off and color-balanced. Flat work should be cropped to the edges of the image itself (no frames or matting). 3D work should not have distracting backgrounds.   

• If you are submitting time-based media work, please edit down to the best few minutes of the piece.

• Please visit Slideroom’s Media Requirements page for the file formats optimized for browser-based viewing.

• Note: because your work will be viewed on-screen, images should be screen-resolution (72 dpi) and no bigger than 600 pixels in either direction.

Should I place my images in a specific order? 

The admission committee will look at the work in your portfolio in the order that you create in slideroom. We recommend that you group similar images of work together. For example if you have portraits and still lifes, you’ll want to group the portrait images together and the still life images together.