Applicants must meet the following:

• At least 12 years old (born in 2009), and
• Current level of study is Grade 6 and must complete by December 2021, and
• Studying in a local non-MOE mainstream school, or
• Returning Singaporeans or Returning Singapore Permanent-Residents

Interested applicants should only submit their applications if they are able to start school in January 2022.

The application is open to Singaporeans, Singapore Permanent-Residents, Returning Singaporeans, Returning Singapore Permanent-Residents, and Foreigners who meet the eligibility criteria stated in the first question of this section.

Please see the following:

• Home-schooled in Singapore and taking the PSLE in 2021: DSA-Secondary
• Home-schooled in Singapore and not taking the PSLE in 2021: DSA-Secondary (Non-MOE)
• Singaporean and Returning Singaporean who are home-schooled overseas: DSA-Sec (Non-MOE)

No. Applicants cannot be underage. Singapore’s minimum age requirement for entry to Year/Secondary 1 is that students turn 13 years old in 2022.

No. The entrance tests would consist Grade 6 topics, which you might not have covered yet. You would be at a disadvantage. You should apply for TA in 2022 for admission in AY2023 instead. Do note that you can only apply once.

Yes, you can apply for Year 1 for TA 2021 provided that you meet the age eligibility criteria (at least 12 years old).

Applicants aged 13 years and above and have completed Grade 7 may not apply for admission to Year 1 for TA 2021. You may only apply to the level that you will be starting or still studying in 2022, provided that you meet the age eligibility criteria for admission to the level you are seeking to apply to.

• If you are born in 2009 (12 years old) and will be completing Grade 6 by December 2021, you may apply via the DSA-Sec (Non-MOE) category. Learn more about the DSA-Sec (Non-MOE) Application Process, or
• If you are currently in Grade 7, 8 or 10, you may apply via the Non-DSA category. Find out if you are eligible to apply by checking the "Eligibility" section of the "Criteria" tab on the Non-DSA page.

No, you are not required to have any formal training or certification in order to apply. For Music pupils, it is important that you are able to sight-read and sight-sing.

To gain admission into SOTA via DSA-Sec (Non-MOE), shortlisted applicants must satisfy the following criteria:

1. Obtain a registration number (in the format of RGxxxxxxx) from the MOE Customer Service Centre. Please visit MOE’s website for more information.
2. Receive a Confirmed Offer for the final outcome of their Talent Academy application
3. Indicate SOTA during the Exercise School Preference Submission at MOE

The art forms available for admission to Year 1 are:

• Dance
• Literary Arts
• Music (Performing) or Music (Creating)
• Theatre
• Visual Arts

Applicants may apply to up to TWO (2) art forms only.

Applicants only need to submit ONE (1) application for BOTH art forms.

No. You may only apply for ONE (1) instrument (including ‘voice’) and to ONE (1) Music track only.

You may apply to ONE (1) track only. Based on the Music Faculty’s assessment of the portfolio submitted, you may be shortlisted to audition for the other track instead, if you are found to be more suitable for that.

Learn more about the two tracks here.

• Application is done online via the TA Portal. You will need to register for an account before you can log in to complete the application form.
• You must download the Preparation Notes and Checklist relevant to the art form that you are applying for to find out what you need to prepare for your portfolio submission, as well as the supporting documents required for submission.
• If you are applying to TWO (2) art forms, you only need to submit ONE (1) application. Choose the 2 art forms when prompted. You will not be able to go back and amend your choices once you have confirmed your selection(s).
• You will not be able to apply for a second art form if you have already chosen and confirmed an art form or have submitted an application for the first art form.
• The system will not allow you to cancel/withdraw your application once you have confirmed your selections.
• It takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour to complete the entire application for one art form, provided that the supporting documents and portfolio submission have been prepared in advance.
• Applicants are advised to submit their applications early, as the TA Portal may experience slower connectivity due to high traffic during the application period.
• Incomplete applications will be disqualified. Appeals for late submissions will not be considered.
• Please refer to the DSA-Sec (Non-MOE) How To Apply tab for more information on application process and the timeline to take note of.

No, you are not required to submit an application via MOE's DSA-Sec Portal. Students interested to apply to SOTA will continue to apply directly to SOTA via the TA Portal.

We regret that we are unable to provide in-person support due to the ongoing pandemic. Please email our technical support team at [email protected] or SOTA Admission at [email protected].

You may refer to the YouTube Help page for assistance.

You may refer to the Google Support page for assistance.

There are many free online websites you can use. Below are a few suggestions. Please note that SOTA is not affiliated to any of these sites. The links below will bring you to an external website not hosted by SOTA.

• Convert word document to PDF document (Link 1 or Link 2)
• Compress / Resize PDF documents (Link 1)
• Merge individual pdf documents into 1 document (Link 1)

No. All auditions, assessments, and interviews must be done during the TA dates indicated. All TA schedules will be arranged by SOTA and no change of dates is allowed. Please refer to the DSA-Sec (Non-MOE) How To Apply tab for more information on the application process and the timeline to take note of. We regret that due to the nature of the audition activities, no auditions will take place outside of the TA window.

Log in to the TA Portal and:

• check the status of your shortlisting outcome, and
• download your TA Schedule to find out the TA dates/days that you are allocated to. Do note that these may take place over multiple days.
• check the ‘announcement’ tab to learn more about your TA Schedule
• If you are shortlisted for 1 art form you will need to complete the following:
  • An art form audition or presentation and interview
  • A panel interview
  • An online questionnaire
  • English and Maths entrance tests
• If you are shortlisted for 2 art forms you will need to complete the following:
  • Two art form auditions or presentations and interviews
  • A panel interview (same interview for both shortlisted artforms, only required to take this ONCE)
  • An online questionnaire (same questionnaire for both shortlisted artforms, only required to take this ONCE)
  • English and Maths entrance tests
• Shortlisted applicants must complete all their scheduled activities within the stipulated time. Absence during any part of the TA will disqualify the application.

No. All TA schedules are arranged by SOTA and no change of dates is allowed. Please refer to the DSA-Sec (Non-MOE) How To Apply tab for more information on the application process and the timeline to take note of.

SOTA would have carefully considered each application, and as such, the decision is final.

All applications are carefully reviewed and considered by the selection panel according to a rigorous process. As such, the decision of the selection panel is final. The school reserves the right not to release the results and/or the reasons for non-selection of applicants. To ensure the continued rigour of the selection process, we regret that we are not able to provide any feedback.

You must log in to the TA Portal to check the status of your final TA outcome. Please refer to the DSA-Sec (Non-MOE) How To Apply tab for more information on application process and the timeline to take note of.

• You must participate in the DSA School Preference Exercise in late October (date TBC)
• Exercise your option and indicate SOTA during the School Preference Submission

Yes. Absence during any part of the TA will disqualify the application. Shortlisted candidates must attend and complete all their scheduled activities. There will not be any make-up auditions.

We understand your request for feedback in order to help you improve in your artistic journey. The school maintains strict confidentiality about the audition procedures and criteria for the Talent Academy, to ensure and maintain the authenticity of performances and portfolios at future auditions. As such, we regret that we are unable to share any feedback.

Regrettably, no. The school evaluates the candidate's artistic talent and potential based on the admission criteria and a rigorous assessment process during the Talent Academy (TA). Candidates are assessed via solo auditions or portfolio presentations depending on the art form, as well as group workshops, exercises and interviews. Admission to the school is highly competitive. As such, we are only able to offer candidates who have performed consistently well across the assessed areas. The school would have carefully reviewed each applicant’s TA assessment and therefore, the decision is final.

You may only re-apply for admission to Year 5 in the year that you are completing Grade 10. This is because you are required to submit a fresh portfolio of works completed in the last 3 consecutive years, and cannot include works submitted in your previous application.