Pre-College Summer Session Tuition & Scholarships

The Pre-College Summer Session replicates the type of coursework a first-year student would experience in an art and design school. The first week is equivalent to the first weeks of the college term: students learn skills, programs, and techniques. The last week is comparable to the final week of the college term: final projects are planned, critiqued, and completed. Students must choose one major when applying for the Pre-College Summer Session, but they are free to change within the first couple of days during the session.

Each student shares a furnished room with up to three roommates in one of MCAD’s on campus single-sex apartment buildings. Trained residential advisors live in the buildings and are available to assist students. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are provided through MCAD’s cafeteria, and special consideration is given to students with specific dietary needs. To explore on-campus living at MCAD, please visit mcad.edu/housing. Living on campus is integral to the Pre-College Summer Session and is required for this program. Students are supervised at all times and are not allowed off-campus on their own.

Renowned for its art, music, and theater scenes as well as its lakes, shopping, and food, Minneapolis is a unique place to work and play. In addition to campus life, Summer Session students experience the summer excitement and cultural opportunities of the Twin Cities with supervised, off-campus trips. These excursions have included visits to studios and sound stages for firsthand glimpses at the lives of local artists, Twin Cities cultural events, and fun study breaks.

Students learn what all good art students know: you must work at night to get the project done! Nighttime studios are fully staffed with teachers and provide some of the most intense and valuable working experiences. All of these options allow students to explore the variety of majors and areas of study that MCAD has to offer.