Montserrat College of Art

Private · MA

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationMA · Northeast

SettingSuburban

Undergrads226

Student:faculty8:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate45.5%

6-yr grad rate53.5%

Drop-out rate9.1%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$41k

Out-of-state tuition$41k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity30.5%

Gender diversity72.1%

International0%

Identity—

Overview

Montserrat College of Art is a small private art college in Beverly, Massachusetts, on the North Shore north of Boston, devoted entirely to visual art and design. It grants a professional BFA rather than a general liberal-arts degree, and its compact scale means every student moves through the same studio-centered culture regardless of major.

Academics

Illustration, painting, animation, photography, graphic design, and art education are among its recognized concentrations, with studio practice at the center of every year rather than an add-on to general-education coursework. Class sizes are small enough that critique — faculty and peers reviewing work in progress together — is the normal mode of instruction rather than lecture, and the curriculum builds toward a senior thesis exhibition that doubles as each student's professional portfolio launch.

Campus & student life

The campus is threaded directly into downtown Beverly rather than set apart on a traditional quad — studios, galleries, and classroom buildings occupy converted commercial spaces along the main street, and the college's public galleries double as exhibition space for student and visiting-artist work. Its coastal setting north of Boston gives students access to the city's design and gallery scene while keeping the college itself small and walkable. Student life centers on studio culture rather than large-scale traditions or athletics, which the college does not field competitively.

Getting in

Applicants submit a portfolio as the central piece of the application, and admissions weighs it more heavily than test scores or a conventional transcript — the college is looking for evidence of visual thinking and a developing personal style. Interviews or portfolio-day events are a normal part of the process for serious applicants.

After graduation

Alumni move into illustration, animation, design, photography, and fine-art practice, and the college's location gives graduates proximity to the Boston area's design studios, publishing houses, and gallery scene during and after their degree. The alumni network is tight and field-specific rather than broad, reflecting the college's small size and single-discipline focus.

montserrat.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate—

Enrolled mid-50%—

Test policynot reported

Rec letters1

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying