Competitive Scholarship Application Procedures for First-Year International Students
Step 1: Application
First-year undergraduate students should check the box to compete for merit-based scholarships on the application for admission. Apply at the CommonApp. Please refer to the application procedures for international first-year students for more details.
Step 2: Portfolio of Artwork
The portfolio of artwork you prepare for your admission application also serves as your portfolio for the competitive scholarships for which you apply.
Creative Vision Award
All admitted first-year undergraduate students are automatically considered for the Creative Vision Award based on the overall strength of the application. This merit-based scholarship ranges from $5,000 to $17,500 annually and is renewable for up to four years (8 semester).
In addition, accepted students are automatically considered for another phase of merit scholarship awarding through MICA's Competitive Scholarship Program. This competition is juried by faculty members in February and recipients will be notified in mid March. (Most students receive additional scholarships in that competition ranging from $2,000 to $5,000 per year.)
Additional Scholarships:
Thalheimer Scholarship
Competitive scholarships based on portfolio are available and supplement the Creative Vision Award. These are competitive scholarships offered to a limited number of accepted students. These scholarships recognize students whose portfolios show the highest level of skill, artistic voice, and resolution.
C.V. Starr Scholarship for International Students
The Starr Foundation has generously provided scholarship support to MICA's international students for over a decade. This competition awards scholarships up to $40,000 allocated over four years, to entering international freshmen in recognition of outstanding artistic achievement. To be eligible, a candidate must be a citizen of a foreign country living abroad.
In addition to these select scholarships, international students are eligible to compete in the general undergraduate scholarship competition at the end of their first semester at MICA.