In this page, you will find instructions to complete each registration item, as well as who to contact if you have questions.
MFA Financial Responsibility Agreement
The MFA Financial Responsibility Agreement contains the 2025–2026 tuition information, fee schedule, and refund policies. It can be found in the applicant portal under the Application Checklist.
You must sign and complete the agreement by May 9.
Questions? Contact Ally Anderson, Student Accounts Specialist at 207.699.5020 or billing@meca.edu.
Immunization Form
- MMR 1 and 2
You must have two shots to be considered fully vaccinated against Measles, Mumps and Rubella. - Tetanus
You must have a Tdap or a Td booster shot administered within the past 10 years to be considered fully vaccinated against Tetanus.
You may have your doctor fill out our immunization form or they may fax the records to the Admissions Office at 207.772.5069. Please make sure it is filled out completely or it will not be accepted.
Immunization records are due by June 12. You will not be able to begin classes without proof of immunization.
Download the immunization form here
Questions? Contact Joel Tsui, Graduate Admissions Coordinator at 207.420.0022 or joel.tsui-staff@meca.edu
Emergency Contact & Graduate Housing
If you are not seeking graduate housing:
After submitting the $300 Enrollment Fee, please complete the Emergency Contact and Housing Form in the applicant portal. You will only be asked to complete the Emergency Contact portion of the form.
If you are seeking graduate housing:
After submitting the $300 Enrollment Fee, please complete the Emergency Contact and Housing Form in the applicant portal. You will be prompted to pay the $200 Housing Fee and Deposit upon submission. The $200 fee includes a $100 one-time non-refundable housing placement fee and a $100 refundable housing security deposit.
Housing requests are considered on a first-come, first-served basis. Both the submitted form and the Housing Fee are required to hold your place.
Questions? Contact Mel Adams, Dean of Student Life, at 207.699.5035 or studentlife@meca.edu
Signed Financial Aid Award Letter
You will receive an outline of your federal aid awards from the Financial Aid Office. Please carefully review your award letter — you may accept all, part, or none of the federally-awarded grant and loan money. Once you have decided, please sign and return the form to the Financial Aid office.
Please note: if you have been selected for verification, don't worry! It's completely normal and part of a random selection process that every school has.
Questions? Contact Carri Frechette or Will O’Shea at 207.699.5074 or finaid@meca.edu
Tuition Payment
Approximately 30 days before the billing due date, the Student Accounts Office will mail a bill for Summer 2025 tuition, fees, and any related room and board costs, minus any financial aid, scholarships, grants, or other aid you may qualify for or have obtained. Payment is due in full by May 9. Students enrolling after May 1 may receive an updated payment due date and may be subject to an earnest deposit on tuition.
If you'd like to discuss payment plans, contact the Student Accounts Office to see which options may work best for you.
Questions? Contact Alexandra Anderson, Student Accounts Specialist, at 207.699.5020 or billing@meca.edu
Tuition Payment Plan (optional)
If you would like to pay your tuition using a payment plan, you can sign up for a monthly plan per semester. For more information, visit the Tuition Payment page on our website.
Costs to Participate:
- $60 non-refundable enrollment fee per semester
- $30 non-refundable returned payment fee, if a payment is returned
Questions? Contact Alexandra Anderson, Student Accounts Specialist, at 207.699.5020 or billing@meca.edu
Health Insurance (or waiver)
All enrolled students are required to have health insurance that is valid in Maine. Students without health insurance will be billed and provided coverage under MECA&D’s insurance.
If you are already covered by outside health insurance, you can opt out of the health insurance charge — it will be waived on your student account. Information about opting out will come with the billing statement and you will be able to visit crossagency.com/meca beginning in June to opt out.
Questions? Contact Alexandra Anderson, Student Accounts Specialist, at 207.699.5020 or billing@meca.edu
Official College Transcripts
Applicants who are currently completing coursework in the Spring 2025 semester, or have submitted unofficial transcripts during the admission process must submit final college transcripts with final grades and, if completing undergraduate studies, a graduation date before entering the MFA program in Summer 2025.
Please submit an official copy to the Admissions Office as soon as they are available — these can be either a physical copy with a seal or delivered electronically to graduateadmissions@meca.edu through an official transcript service like Common App, Parchment, or National Student Clearinghouse.
Physical copies can be mailed to:
Maine College of Art & Design
Attn: MFA Admissions
522 Congress Street
Portland, ME 04101
Questions? Contact Joel Tsui, Graduate Admissions Coordinator at 207.420.0022 or joel.tsui-staff@meca.edu
Setting up your MECA&D email account
Beginning in June, we'll send you an email to set up your official Maine College of Art & Design email address. The Registrar will send an email to the address we have on file that outlines how to set up your MyMECA&D account. This creates your meca.edu email address and a personalized web portal where you can view your class schedule, see your grades, get information about billing, and access your financial aid information.
Please make a habit of using your College email, as all communications will move to your student email address with no exceptions.
Questions? Contact Nikki Rayburn, Assistant Registrar, at 207.699.5058 or registrar@meca.edu
Student Portal and Class Registrations
Our program has no electives and none of the courses can be opted out of. That means you do not need to take action to be signed up for classes. As soon as the Registrar office finalizes registration, you will be able to see your class schedule via the MyMECA&D Student Portal (not to be confused with the applicant portal).
Log in to your MyMECA&D account here.
Questions? Contact Nikki Rayburn, Assistant Registrar, at 207.699.5058 or registrar@meca.edu
Applying for Outside Scholarships
The Financial Aid Office compiles an extensive list of outside and independent scholarships for which students are often competitive. We highly recommend you take some time to apply for these scholarships that can reduce the cost of attendance.
In addition, students often say they have the most success with sources that offer local scholarships. These include, for example, family members' (immediate and extended) employers, civic organizations such as local chapters of Rotary clubs, and religious organizations such as Knights of Columbus. Be sure to check at your local high school, town hall, library, and Chamber of Commerce for more possible scholarship opportunities.
You can access the most recent scholarship list here.
Questions? Contact Carri Frechette or Will O'Shea at 207.699.5074 or finaid@meca.edu
Visa Requirements for International Students
Once you have submitted your enrollment fee and submitted your Declaration of Finances (DOF), Maine College of Art & Design will issue you an I-20 form, which you will use to apply for your Student Visa at a US consulate or embassy.
You will need to submit the following documents to the Office of Admissions in order to receive your I-20:
- Declaration of Finances (DOF) form
- Scanned copy of your passport in color
- Verification of Finances (VOF)
The United States Citizen and Immigration Service requires international applicants to submit a DOF to Maine College of Art & Design indicating that the applicant has financial resources adequate to provide for his or her expenses without resorting to unauthorized employment. The amount declared must reflect the total sum of tuition, fees and living expenses for one academic year of study and must be dated within one year of initial enrollment at the College.
Funds declared on the DOF must be supported by a VOF. This can be a bank statement either from your own bank, or your sponsor's bank (e.g. your parents or your partner). All documents must be in English, and the funds declared should be in US dollars or the equivalent under current exchange rates supplied by the bank. The VOF must be dated within a month of submission.
Please note that it can take up to six weeks for an I–20 form to be processed and delivered. We encourage you to submit this documentation as soon as possible.
Questions? Contact Emily Brighi, International Student Counselor, at 207.699.5028 or ebrighi@meca.edu
Related pages
Applicant Portal (external): You can submit your Financial Responsibility Agreement, Immunization Form, and Emergency Contact & Housing Form here.
MyMECA&D (external): You can make a payment and see your class schedule here.
Enrolled: Next Steps: You can see an overview of action items ahead of program orientation here.
Tuition & Fees: You can find the latest tuition rates, housing rates, and refund policy here.
Academic Calendar: You can find important dates during the academic year here.