Maryland Institute College of Art
Baltimore, Maryland · Private Nonprofit · 76.8% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 29/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) sits in the Below Benchmark tier with an overall ROI score of 29. Published tuition is $56,800, and even after institutional aid the net price still averages $42,729 per year, putting the four-year sticker around $170,916. Graduates leave with median federal debt of $26,500 and ten-year median earnings of just $45,212, producing a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.877 and a payback period of 30.4 years. The earnings premium over a high-school graduate is essentially flat at 6 percent. What keeps the score from collapsing is that MICA is genuinely good at the parts of college it controls directly: completion rate is strong at 72.2 percent and the seven-year repayment rate is 84.2 percent, suggesting alumni are servicing their loans even when their incomes are modest. The Pell rate is low at 23.1 percent, indicating a relatively affluent student body that can absorb the financial hit. For students fully committed to a working career in fine art, design, or film, MICA still offers a focused community and credible alumni network. The price tag, however, makes it a luxury choice rather than a value play.
How Maryland Institute College of Art scores under our methodology
These are the College Scorecard measures that pull this school's CampusROI score down. They describe the published figures, not the quality of the education, and they are our reading of the data. Check them against your own aid offer and intended major.
- ROI Score29/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period30.4 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Maryland Institute College of Art
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $56,800/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $56,800/yr |
| Average net price | $42,729/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $170,916 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $45,212 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $30,200 |
| Median debt at graduation | $26,500 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $281 |
| Estimated payback period | 30.4 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 72.2% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,189 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: $56,800/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $42,729/year, or roughly $170,916 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of $32,389/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $50,918/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $26,500, which works out to about $281 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($30,200) and comes to 0.88, under 1.0, meaning median debt is less than a full year of those earnings.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $32,389 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $35,223 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $45,071 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $45,906 |
| $110,001+ | $50,918 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 face a net price of $32,389 per year, or roughly $129,556 over four years. MICA does provide meaningful institutional grants here, but the figure still exceeds what Pell, state grants, and federal subsidized loans can cover, meaning low-income students typically take Parent PLUS or private loans on top of federal Direct loans. Ten-year median earnings are $45,212; compare them with that debt load.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Households earning $48,001 to $75,000 pay roughly $45,071 net, near full sticker. Middle-income families get the worst of both worlds: too high to qualify for need-based aid in volume, too low to absorb $180,000-plus of net cost without significant borrowing. The $35,223 figure at the $30,001-$48,000 bracket is meaningfully lower, but the jump to $45,071 by the next bracket is steep.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Households above $110,000 pay $50,918 net per year, close to sticker. This is roughly $203,000 over four years, financed primarily out of family resources. For families who view the investment as artistic patronage rather than financial ROI, MICA's reputation in arts circles may justify the spend. Pure ROI math does not.
Earnings by Major
Top 3 most popular majors at Maryland Institute College of Art with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Fine and Studio Arts | $34,283 | F |
| Design and Applied Arts | $45,436 | D |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | $43,227 | F |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Fine and Studio Arts
Fine and Studio Arts is MICA's flagship program with 118 graduates per cohort. The earnings reality is sobering: one-year median earnings of $21,138 and four-year of $34,283, against median debt of $27,000, producing a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.277 and an F ROI grade. Career paths span gallery work, studio practice, illustration, and arts education, but few of these yield reliable middle-class wages early. Students should treat this as a craft investment funded by family resources, not borrowed money.
Design and Applied Arts
Design and Applied Arts produces 113 graduates and is MICA's strongest financial outcome at 0.991 debt-to-earnings (still a D grade). One-year earnings of $27,246 climb to $45,436 by year four, suggesting the design pathway into UX, graphic, and industrial design eventually pays. The $27,000 median debt is reasonable in isolation but heavy relative to early-career wages. Students who hustle into agency or in-house corporate design roles can recover; those staying freelance struggle.
Film/Video and Photographic Arts
Film/Video and Photographic Arts is small at 7 graduates and shows the worst ratios on campus: one-year earnings of $17,500 against $27,000 debt yields a 1.543 ratio and F grade. Four-year earnings recover to $43,227, but the early-career gap is severe. Outcomes here depend almost entirely on networking into commercial production work, advertising, or staff editorial roles. The MICA brand opens some doors, but the financial cushion to chase those doors comes from family, not the degree.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 75.9% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 79.9% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 79.2% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 84.2% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Maryland Institute College of Art’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Median Earnings, 10 Years After Entry (as reported)
Earnings reflect borrowers measured 10 years after entry and publish on an irregular cadence with a multi-year reporting lag, so this series shows only the years the Department of Education reported - the data is never interpolated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 76.8% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 508-635 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 570-670 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 25-33 |
| Enrollment | 1,189 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 23.1% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $9,574 |
MICA admits 76.8 percent of applicants, which sounds open but reflects substantial self-selection: only students with strong portfolios bother applying. The middle 50 percent SAT range runs roughly 1078 to 1305 and ACT 25 to 33, indicating academically prepared cohorts. Portfolio review carries more weight than test scores, and the 72.2 percent completion rate confirms admitted students generally finish what they start.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland Institute College of Art (this school) | 29 | $42,729 | $45,212 |
| College for Creative Studies | 30 | $34,617 | $44,860 |
| School of Visual Arts | 30 | $57,914 | $46,459 |
| Massachusetts College of Art and Design | 29 | $24,100 | $43,582 |
| California College of the Arts | 27 | $53,909 | $49,414 |
| Ringling College of Art and Design | 27 | $57,742 | $43,325 |
Who Thrives Here
MICA fits students who already know they want to be working artists, illustrators, designers, or filmmakers and who can fund the $171,000 sticker without borrowing heavily. Enrollment is small at 1,189, the Pell rate of 23.1 percent skews affluent, and the high completion rate signals a self-selecting, mission-driven cohort. This is a vocational arts education, not a general bachelor's degree.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Maryland Institute College of Art scores 29/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $42,729 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $45,212 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 30.4 years. In our view that makes the financial case a hard one to make on the numbers alone, but those numbers are averages: your major, your aid package and what you want from a degree all change the picture, so run your own numbers before you commit.
What it has going for it: its 72.2% graduation rate. What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.88 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a long payback period.
Median debt of $26,500 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $30,200 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.88. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. Your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
Maryland Institute College of Art: Common Questions
Is Maryland Institute College of Art worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Maryland Institute College of Art scores 29/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $42,729 a year after aid against $45,212 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 30.4 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Maryland Institute College of Art cost after financial aid?
The average net price - the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, supplies and average living costs) minus grants and scholarships, for full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid - is about $42,729 a year, or roughly $170,916 over four years. Because it counts living costs, it can run above tuition alone. That is the number to plan around. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do Maryland Institute College of Art graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $45,212 ten years after enrolling, roughly $3,412 a year more than the median high-school graduate ($41,800, per NCES, 2022). That earnings gap is what has to cover the cost of the degree.
How long does it take to pay off Maryland Institute College of Art?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at about 30.4 years for Maryland Institute College of Art. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Maryland Institute College of Art graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $26,500, against average earnings of $30,200 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.88. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. How much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at Maryland Institute College of Art?
The six-year graduation rate is 72.2%, at or above the 64% national average for four-year schools (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our ROI score, since a degree you don't finish rarely pays back.
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Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.