| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | February 12, 2027 (2027 cycle) |
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| Cost | Catalog terms: Free attendance; check separate expenses; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | $600 (2027 cycle) |
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| Financial aid | Unconfirmed — check official site | 2027 need-based scholar-fee waiver: $0–$600. Limited waivers may be requested by students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch who do not have a sponsor. (2027 cycle) |
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| Expenses and aid conditions | Unconfirmed — check official site | 2027 need-based scholar-fee waiver: $0–$600. Limited waivers may be requested by students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch who do not have a sponsor. (2027 cycle) |
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| Stipend or pay | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Eligibility | Unconfirmed — check official site | Grade 10; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Additional eligibility | Requirement: Previously published 2026 portfolio, school-grade and credit rules require confirmation for 2027; the current homepage identifies high-school artists.; Exclusion: Published 2026 condition, requiring confirmation for 2027: Students who previously attended MFAA may not reapply; Exclusion: Published 2026 condition, requiring confirmation for 2027: Incomplete files missing essay, evaluation, or portfolio or audition materials; Exclusion: Published 2026 condition, requiring confirmation for 2027: Applicants unable to complete the residential academy | Residency: Missouri resident attending high school in Missouri or homeschooled in Missouri; Requirement: Be a current tenth grader during nomination for summer participation as a rising junior; Requirement: Receive a nomination from a counselor, teacher, principal, or other school official, except eligible homeschool self/family nomination; Requirement: Fit within the school's MSA nomination allotment; Requirement: Provide three-semester unweighted GPA and an accepted standardized aptitude or IQ score; Requirement: Demonstrate leadership, creativity, intellectual curiosity, problem solving, initiative, and likely benefit; Requirement: Commit to the full three-week residential Academy without planned absence; Exclusion: Students and families may not self-nominate outside homeschool settings; Exclusion: Incomplete nominations are not considered; Exclusion: Parents and guardians cannot write recommendation letters; Exclusion: MSA provides neither grades nor academic credit; Exclusion: Nomination does not guarantee selection, course choice, roommate choice, fee waiver, college scholarship, or admission advantage |
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| Session dates or duration | Starts May 30, 2027; Ends June 12, 2027; 2 weeks (2027 cycle) | Starts June 13, 2027; Ends July 3, 2027; 3 weeks (2027 cycle) |
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| Format | In person | In person |
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| Housing and supervision | Residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site | Residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Location | Springfield | Columbia |
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| Selection and application | Selection: A panel of artists and arts educators adjudicates the complete application, essay, school evaluation, and discipline portfolio or audition. MFAA publishes no applicant count, cohort size, acceptance rate, or scoring weights on the official pages. Application materials: Published 2026 requirement, requiring confirmation for 2027: Approximately 500-word essay about how the arts affect the applicant and how MFAA interdisciplinary collaboration could support growth; Published 2026 requirement, requiring confirmation for 2027: Discipline-specific digital or physical portfolio for visual art or creative writing | Selection: School nomination allotments limit the pool, a statewide committee evaluates academic and qualitative criteria, and about 330 scholars are expected in 2027. MSA does not publish a current nomination count or acceptance rate. Application materials: Two PDF recommendation letters, at least one from a teacher and none from parents or guardians; Two named PDF essays of 300-350 words responding to the current character-identification and social-issue prompts |
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| Official sources | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-12Source 2 · checked 2026-08-22Source 3 · checked 2026-08-22 | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-12Source 2 · checked 2026-08-22Source 3 · checked 2026-08-22Source 4 · checked 2026-08-22Source 5 · checked 2026-08-20 |
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