Maine College of Art & Design

• Location: Portland, USA,
• Founded in: 1882,
• Number of students: about 500,
• Language of instruction: English,
• Type of study: blended.

In the center of Portland, Maine's thriving Arts District and surrounded by stunning natural beauty, Maine College of Art & Design is a place where you can be authentically you. With about 500 students, we’re the right-sized school in the right-sized city for every student who wants to be seen—our scale lets us focus on you and your creative future.
Students have 24/7 studio access and state-of-the-art facilities, small classes with great connection to faculty, and career support through our unique Artists at Work program and team. At MECA&D you design your future and learn the most in-demand skills.
The undergraduate experience is a transformative journey of artistic and personal exploration, where you have the freedom to discover, experiment, and cultivate your skills. It is a dedicated period that empowers you to unearth your true potential and forge your own path. We are committed to providing you with unparalleled access to a wealth of tools and resources, ensuring that you can fully maximize this invaluable investment in yourself.

Maine College of Art & Design offers students participation in the Artist at Work center during and after their studies. It hosts internships, screenings of works and projects, professional exhibitions and many other events that can make aspiring artists famous.

Maine College of Art & Design has several residential complexes accommodating between 60 and 85 students.

• Monument Square is a 5-minute walk from the MECA &D showrooms and is home to about 60 graduate and undergraduate students occupying two- or four-bed apartments. Each apartment has a bathroom with a washer and dryer, a fully equipped kitchen with the necessary appliances, heating and air conditioning. The rooms in the apartments have the same set of furniture: a standard single bed, a chest of drawers, a desk and a chair, a wired Internet connection and WiFi.
• Oak Street Hall, one block from the showrooms, accommodates up to 90 students, most of whom have recently entered their freshman year. Residents are offered single, double and triple rooms with shared bathrooms, a living room with TV, a laundry room and parking. Each room is equipped with a wired internet connection and Wi-Fi. Oak Street provides its residents with access to the kitchens of another residence, Shepley Street, located nearby.
• Shepley Street is a residence with two- and four-bed apartments, accommodating up to 60 first-year students. Each apartment is equipped with individual rooms, a kitchen with appliances, a bathroom, a wired internet connection, and WiFi access. The common room on the ground floor offers students a play and relaxation area, an equipped kitchenette for cooking together and comfortable sofas with TV.
• Erland Apartments is a new residence that opened in 2023 two blocks from the academic campus. It is home to about 130 students occupying studios, two-, three- and four-bed apartments. Each apartment has bedrooms, a bathroom, a dressing room and a kitchen, all the necessary appliances, including a washing machine and dryer. The residential building has a fitness center and a common lounge.

Any of the residences has limited access, carried out by residents' key cards, there is video surveillance on the territory and in the buildings, and the reception staff is available around the clock.

Maine College of Art & Design offers its pupils a complete, balanced and healthy meal according to the plans. Plans include a certain number of meals and extra dollars to buy snacks and drinks in the cafeteria. If a student has allergies or special medical indications, the kitchen staff offers an alternative menu.

Meals are organized in the cafeteria at the exact time agreed with the schedule of most students. The cafés are available during all school days and close only during the holidays.

Every summer, the process of forming student clubs begins, which will operate throughout the academic year. Students can create a themed club or become a member of an existing one.

In previous years, the clubs' themes included:

• Debate
• Pokémon Go,
• Music
• Language learning,
• Downhill and cross-country skiing,
• Gender and Sexual Diversity,
• Character design,
• Experimental Cinema,
• Crochet and knitting,
• Horticulture
• Theatrical art.

Thematic clubs provide students with the opportunity not only to find like-minded people, but also to develop their interests and devote time to personal growth. Some of the communities regularly take part in college events: music and dance concerts, scientific seminars, charity events. Some of the activities are:

• Apple picking and cooking class,
• Board Games Night,
• Halloween Costume Contest,
• Stress Relief Workshop,
• Evening film screenings,
• Group Yoga & Meditation,
• Art workshops: modeling, carving figurines, painting techniques.

A variety of student life is brought by traveling to local attractions, natural beauties, and public places.

• Accreditations from the National Association of Colleges of Art and Design (NASAD), the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), and other government organizations,
• The student-to-teacher ratio in the classroom is 10:1,
• Full-time and part-time study options are available,
• Round-the-clock access to specialized studios in each direction,
• Portland is one of the top 10 cities for student life and fulfillment in the arts.

MECA&D is located in Portland, on the south coast of Maine. This city is a unique combination of culture, a student community of many foreign, local students from schools and universities, natural beauty and delicious food. Portland is surrounded by beaches, lakes, and forests, providing students with opportunities to enjoy nature and walk in their free time. Major cities, including Boston and New York, are easily accessible by car, commute, or bus.

Ranked as one of the nation's top 10 art cities and America's most liveable city, Portland is a creative hub on the Atlantic coast. On the first Friday of every month, more than 70 galleries and studios open their doors for the Art Walk, a visit to exhibition halls and collections updates.  

The college campus is a place where students can develop artistic skills with the help of state-of-the-art infrastructure and a variety of resources. Students have round-the-clock access to professional studios, small classes for seminars. The second site, which is owned by the Maine College of Art & Design, is a six-storey building near the port for art exhibitions. Throughout the year, it hosts screenings of students' projects and works, performances and lectures by invited art professionals. On the ground floor of the building, there is the "Artists at Work" space, which offers students internships, part-time jobs and the opportunity to show the world their skills.

In the port building there is a library, which regularly hosts student meetings, thematic seminars and master classes. The collection of books and journals reaches 44,000 volumes, and access to electronic databases is almost unlimited.

The academic year lasts from late August to mid-May and consists of two semesters: autumn and spring; Master's degree programs also provide educatioin in the summer months. Throughout the year, holidays are organized in honor of international and national holidays and days of rest - weekly Saturday and Sunday.

The list of additional costs includes:

• Accommodation & Meal Plan,
• One-time transcript fee,
• Entry fee,
• Payment for technologies and services,
• Renting a studio for individual work,
• Supplies
• Health insurance,
• Laboratory fees,
• Orientation fee for first-year students,
• Public transport
• Personal spending.

Application Deadlines:

• Spring Semester – November 15,
• The fall semester is May 1.

Applicants will have to go through several registration stages:

• Filling out the application form and submitting the documents,
• Payment of registration fees,
• Coming to campus for interviews and contracts, booking accommodation and attending orientation events,
• Making deposits,
• Start of the education.

The MECA&D alumni network includes thousands of successful professionals in the field of art: artists, designers, gallery founders. Every student educated at this college achieves success in their careers through well-honed skills and the support of the staff.

Applicants for undergraduate programs must provide:

• A 500-word personal statement describing your desire to study at MECA&D and study art,
• A portfolio of 12-20 works created in the last 18 months,
• Certificate of complete secondary education and transcript, official transcripts,
• One letter of recommendation from an art teacher,
• Test certificate confirming the level of English proficiency: TOEFL (from 550/79), PTE (from 53), IELTS (from 6.5) or equivalent,
• Personal documents: passport, health insurance, visa or residence permit, financial declaration.

100% of college students receive financial support. Each year, Maine College of Art & Design offers one renewable full-year scholarship to cover the first year of an undergraduate program, which is awarded on successful admissions.

External financial support is also available to students, for example:

• Pell Grants,
• Additional Opportunities Grant (FSEOG),
• Work-Study Program,
• Stafford Subsidized and Non-Subsidized Direct Loans,
• Parent Credits PLUS.

• Guardianship services during the studies
• Student supervision