Next Steps for Enrolled Students: Fall 2021

The BFA Enrollment Agreement contains the 2021–2021 tuition information, fee schedule, and refund policies. All new students must sign the form and return to MECA&D via AdobeSign by August 1, 2021. 

If you are under 18 years of age at the time of signing, this form will be slightly different — please email Ally Anderson at alexandra.anderson@meca.edu for additional instructions. We will also mail a physical copy to all students who are under 18 as of June 1, 2021.

The BFA enrollment agreement can be signed and submitted here using AdobeSign. 
Questions? Contact Admissions at 207.699.5026 or admissions@meca.edu

According to Maine State Law, every post-secondary student born after 1956 must be immunized against the diseases of diphtheria, measles, mumps, rubella, and tetanus. You must submit proof of immunization before you can attend classes.

You may have your doctor fill out the form linked above or they may simply fax the records to the Admissions Office at 207.699.5080. Please make sure it is filled out completely or it will not be accepted.

Immunization records are due by August 1, 2021.

New for 2021: All MFA, MAT, Salt, and BFA students must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by August 1, 2021, in order to be enrolled at the Maine College of Art & Design. Individuals who have received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine created by Pfizer or Moderna or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are considered to be fully vaccinated after 14 days have passed since the final dose.

Proof of vaccination must be sent to admissions@meca.edu by August 1, 2021 at 5:00pm.

Medical exemptions considered with proper documentation; please reach out to studentlife@meca.edu by Friday, June 18, 2021, at 5:00pm.

Faculty and staff are also being required to be vaccinated which means we can all look forward to the safest MECA&D community possible for the 2021-2022 Academic Year! Email studentlife@meca.edu if you have any questions — we are eager to get everyone's documentation in without too many reminders!

Download the immunization form here
Questions? Contact Admissions at 207.699.5026 or admissions@meca.edu or Student Life at studentlife@meca.edu

On-campus housing is required for new first-time, first-year students. If you have not yet submitted the $200 housing fee & deposit, please submit this online as soon as possible. (The $200 housing deposit includes a $100 one-time non-refundable housing placement fee and a $100 refundable housing security deposit.) After you submit your housing fee, please fill out the housing application online and submit.

The priority deadline to submit your housing fee & deposit and application is May 1, 2021. Please note that both payment and the application are necessary to hold your place in on-campus housing. Housing applications are considered on a first-come, first-served basis, so we recommend submitting these as early as possible.

If you think you may qualify for a housing exemption and would like to request to live off-campus, please review the criteria here and fill out the housing exemption form instead of the housing application.

Submit your housing fee & deposit here
Submit your housing application here
If you qualify for an exemption, submit your exemption form here
Questions? Contact Jen Doebler or Dylan Brenner at 207.699.5035 or housing@meca.edu

Registration for classes is a two step process, as outlined below:

1. The registrar will send an email to your email address on file beginning in early June 2021, which will include instructions to set up your MECA&D email. Once you set this up and go into your MECA&D email you will find an email with instructions to set up your MyMECA&D account where you can obtain your class schedule, see your grades, get information about billing, and access your financial aid information.
2. The Registrar will be creating a schedule for you in late Spring which you will be able to view in your MyMECA&D account. First-year students starting in the fall semester are generally assigned most of their classes with the exception of a studio elective. For students transferring into MECA&D, the Registrar's Office will contact you by phone to create a schedule around the classes you transferred in from previous colleges.

View a visual tutorial for setting up your MyMECA&D account here
Log in to your MyMECA&D account here

Questions? Contact Anne Dennison, Registrar, at 207.699.5054 or adennison@meca.edu, or Julie Smith, Assistant Registrar, at 207.699.5057 or jsmith@meca.edu

You will receive an outline of your federal aid awards from the Financial Aid Office. Please carefully review your financial aid — you may accept all, part, or none of the federally-awarded grant and loan money. When you have decided, please sign the Financial Aid Agreement using the AdobeSign link.

Please note: if you have been selected for verification, don't worry! It's completely normal and part of a random selection process done by the Department of Education. If you need help navigating this, please contact the Financial Aid Office.

Questions? Contact Carri Frechette or Will O'Shea at 207.699.5074 or finaid@meca.edu

If you are accepting a Direct Loan as part of your financial aid package, you will need to sign a Direct Loan Master Promissory Note and complete Direct Loan Entrance Counseling, both are done online. All students receiving Direct Loans need to complete both steps.

You will need your driver’s license, FSA ID, and two references with their names and addresses.

In order to receive your Federal Direct Loan(s) funds please follow these steps:

Step 1: Sign a Direct Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN)

1. Go to www.studentaid.gov
2. Sign in at the box in the upper right hand corner with your FSA ID
3. Click on "Complete Master Promissory Note" in the middle of the page
4. Select Subsidized/Unsubsidized

Step 2: Complete Loan Entrance Counseling
Entrance counseling will help you understand your loan, types of loans and terms, options for finding free money, and borrowing limits. This step will take 20–30 minutes and must be completed in a single session. Other types of counseling are also available, including advice on managing finances, though these are not required.

1. Go to www.studentaid.gov
2. Sign in at the box in the upper right hand corner with your FSA ID
3. Click on "Complete Counseling"
4. Select "Entrance Counseling"

Questions? Contact Carri Frechette or Will O'Shea at 207.699.5074 or finaid@meca.edu

In order to help plan out your budget for the upcoming academic year, please fill out and return the 2021–2022 BFA Budget Sheet. This sheet, for new students, will let us know whether you would like to use a payment plan, loans, or other means of payment for your bill.

Please fill out and return the budget worksheet for new students by July 23, 2021.

Questions? Contact Tammy Jackson, Student Accounts Coordinator, at 207.699.5049 or billing@meca.edu

Beginning in June, students will be registering for fall classes with the Registrar's Office. Mid to late June, preliminary bills will be generated and the Student Accounts Office will mail a bill to the home address we have on file for tuition, fees, and any related room and board costs less any financial aid, scholarships, grants, or other aid you may qualify for or have obtained. Payment for the Fall 2021 semester is due in full by Friday, July 23, 2021. Students enrolling after that date will receive an updated payment due date and may be subject to an earnest deposit on tuition.

Please note that because you may not be assigned a housing placement until after the preliminary bill is issued, the line item for housing costs may be an estimate - this cost will either be completely accurate, or will only change slightly when the housing placements are finalized. Actual charges will be run on the first day of classes to pick up any changes made for registration or housing. All students are encouraged to review their actual bill for the semester to make sure their bill is accurate and paid in full.

If you'd like to discuss payment plans, read on below and/or contact the Student Accounts Office to see which options work best for you.

Questions? Contact Tammy Jackson, Student Accounts Coordinator, at 207.699.5049 or billing@meca.edu

If you would like to pay your tuition using a payment plan, you can sign up for a monthly tuition payment plan with Nelnet Campus Commerce. For more information on payment plans available through Nelnet Campus Commerce, visit mycollegepaymentplan.com/meca.

Questions? Contact Tammy Jackson, Student Accounts Coordinator, at 207.699.5049 or billing@meca.edu

All enrolled students are required to have health insurance. If you do not already have health insurance, you will be billed for MECA&D's insurance; the cost of the insurance for the 2021–2022 year is $2,725. The current insurance information can be viewed at crossagency.com/meca or on this downloadable health insurance PDF.

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; you will be able to visit crossagency.com/meca beginning in June to opt out.

Questions? Contact Tammy Jackson, Student Accounts Coordinator, at 207.699.5049 or billing@meca.edu

In order to disperse your federal financial aid, MECA&D needs proof of your high school graduation; both first-time freshmen and transfer students will need to submit these. Please have your guidance counselor send an official copy to the Admissions Office — these can be either a physical copy with a seal or delivered through an official transcript service such as Common App, Parchment, Naviance, or National Student ClearingHouse.

Any of the following will fulfill this requirement:
+ Final high school transcript with printed graduation date
+ Official copy of GED, HISET, or other high school equivalency test

Final transcripts are due by August 1, 2021.

Questions? Contact Admissions at 207.699.5026 or admissions@meca.edu

Applicants who are completing or have completed college coursework will need to submit a transcript containing final grades to the Admissions Office in order for the coursework to be considered for placement. This applies to both transfer students as well as high school students who may be taking college classes. Transcripts can be either an official physical copy with a seal or delivered through an official transcript service like Common App, Parchment, Naviance, or National Student Clearing House.

Applicants seeking Advanced Placement credits must submit official test scores to the Admissions Office, preferably no later than August 1, 2021. Maine College of Art & Design awards credit for test scores of 4 or above.

Questions? Contact Admissions at 207.699.5026 or admissions@meca.edu

The Financial Aid Office compiles an extensive list of outside and independent scholarships for which MECA&D 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 outside scholarship list here (last updated August 2021)
Questions? Contact Carri Frechette or Will O'Shea at 207.699.5074 or finaid@meca.edu

Once you have submitted your enrollment fee and submitted your DOF, MECA&D 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
• For your DOF to be processed we will need a scanned copy of your passport in color. You can send this with your completed DOF mail or send a digital copy.
• The United States Citizen and Immigration Service requires that international applicants submit to MECA&D a declaration of finances (DOF) 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 MECA&D.
• Verification of Finances (VOF)

All funds declared on the DOF must be substantiated by a verification of finances (VOF) from the student’s bank or sponsor’s bank. All documents must be in English and in U.S. dollars, or the bank must supply the current exchange rate. Official and original documentation must be provided. All supporting documentation must be dated within one year of initial enrollment at Maine College of Art & Design.

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