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Memphis, Tennessee

MCA Admission Requirements

Chances of getting into Memphis College of Art

Acceptance Rate

Acceptance Rate
54%
Admission Difficulty for Memphis College of Art
Measure Difficulty
Admission StandardsChallenging
Applicant CompetitionAverage

How hard is it to get into MCA and can I get accepted? The school has a 54% acceptance rate ranking it #17 in Tennessee for lowest rate of acceptance. Last year, 154 out of 285 applicants were admitted making MCA a more competitive school to get into with a good chance of acceptance for qualifying applicants.  Academically, it has challenging requirements for admission test scores, generally admitting students who score in the top 56 percent. Memphis College of Art typically accepts and attracts "B" average high school students. Only 31% of those admitted chose to enroll in the school.

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Find out which students are getting accepted at MCA, which are not, and how your GPA, SAT, or ACT scores compare.

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MCA SAT Scores

SAT Requirements & Average SAT Score

SAT Range
Not Reported
Applicants Submitting SAT
-
SAT Scores for Memphis College of Art
SAT Test 25th Percentile Score
SAT Reading 25th N/A
SAT Math 25th N/A
SAT Composite 25th N/A
SAT Scores for Memphis College of Art
SAT Test 25th Percentile Score
SAT Reading 75th N/A
SAT Math 75th N/A
SAT Composite 75th N/A
Average SAT Score N/A
Data Sources, IPEDS for Fall 2017 starting class

MCA ACT Scores

ACT Requirements & Average ACT Score

ACT Range
19-26 
Applicants Submitting ACT
100%
ACT Scores for Memphis College of Art
ACT Test 25th Percentile Score
ACT Reading 25th 17
ACT Math 25th 16
ACT Composite 25th 19
ACT Scores for Memphis College of Art
ACT Test 75th Percentile Score
ACT Reading 75th 27
ACT Math 75th 23
ACT Composite 75th 26
Average ACT Score 22

ACT Scores needed to get accepted

What are the ACT requirements for prospective students to get into MCA?

Admission data indicates that MCA regularly accepts students with ACT's of 19 and above. Successful applicants typically send ACT scores in the top 56 percent nationally. We estimate the school accepting minimum ACT composite scores around 16 in some instances. Prospective students submitting an ACT composite of 22 or higher should be in the upper half of applicants - and students with a 26 and above have very competitive chances. The school ranks #22 in Tennessee for highest average ACT composite score. Scoring well on the ACT is very important as 100 percent of applicants submit ACT scores to Memphis College of Art.

Data Sources, IPEDS for Fall 2017 starting class

Estimated Chance of Acceptance by ACT Score

Memphis College of Art admission chances by ACT score
ACT Score Competitiveness Admission Chances
26 and Above Good >68%
22 to 26 Avg + 54%-68%
19 to 22 Avg - 43%-54%
16 to 19 Reach 32%-43%
Less than 16 Low <32%
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Estimated GPA Requirements & Average GPA

Avg. High School GPA
3.16
Typical High School Grades
B

You will need about average high school grades to get into Memphis College of Art. The average high school GPA of the admitted freshman class at Memphis College of Art was 3.16 on the 4.0 scale indicating that primarily B students are accepted and ultimately attend. The school ranks #31 in Tennessee for highest average GPA. If your high school GPA meets these requirements, there is a good chance you will be accepted as MCA accepts 54% of students who apply.

 What do these ratings mean?

High School GPA's for admitted Memphis College of Art students
High School GPA Freshmen Within Range Admission Chances
3.75+ 22% Good
3.50 to 3.75 13% Good
3.25 to 3.50 29% Avg +
3.00 to 3.25 16% Avg -
2.75 to 3.00 17% Reach
2.50 to 2.75 3% Reach
2.25 to 2.50 N/A% Low
2.00 to 2.25 N/A% Low
Data Sources, Wintergreen Orchard House

Admission Statistics

Memphis College of Art admission statistics
Women Men Total
Applied 184 101 285
Accepted 107 47 154
Acceptance Rate 58% 47% 54%
Enrolled 27 20 47
Percent of Admitted Who Enrolled (Admission Yield) 25% 43% 31%

Fall 2020 Application Deadline

Applications are Due
Aug 3, 2020
Days left to Apply
320

Applicants have 320 days left until the Fall 2020 term applications are due on Aug 3, 2020.

Seniors, these are the SAT and ACT test dates you can still sit for a test and send your results to MCA before the Aug 3 application deadline.

SAT Test Date Scores Available
Oct 5 Oct 18
Nov 2 Nov 15
Dec 7 Dec 20
Mar 14 Mar 27
May 2 May 15
Jun 6 Jul 15
ACT Test Date Scores Available
Oct 26 Nov 14
Dec 14 Dec 24
Feb 8 Feb 19
Apr 4 Apr 14
Jun 13 Jun 23
Jul 18 Jul 28

Admission Requirements

What are the requirements for admission to Memphis College of Art and what considerations affect admission decisions?

Memphis College of Art Admission Requirements
Test Scores Required
High School GPA Required
High School Class Rank Neither required nor recommended
Completion of College Preparatory Program Recommended
Recommendations Recommended
Demonstration of Competencies Required

Credits Accepted

High School Credits Accepted at Memphis College of Art
AP Credit Yes
Dual Credit Yes
Credit for Life Experiences Yes

Primary data source, U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=220808 IPEDS survey data for Memphis College of Art.