SOTA: School of the Arts Singapore

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SOTA: School of the Arts Singapore
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Date For What To Do
From 22 February 2019 All Applicants Check Your Eligibility Criteria:
  • At least 12 years old (born in 2007)
  • Grade 6 students studying in a local non-mainstream school and will be completing Grade 6 by December 2019, or
  • Grade 6 students studying overseas and will be completing Grade 6 by December 2019, or
  • Returning Singaporeans or Returning Singapore Permanent-Residents who will be completing Grade 6 by December 2019 and are returning to Singapore by December 2019. Interested applicants should only submit their applications if they are able to start school in January 2020
  • Read more about the criteria on admission, eligibility, and successful enrolment to SOTA on the DSA-Sec (Non-MOE) Criteria tab.
From 22 February 2019 All Applicants
  • Download the Preparation Notes and Checklist for the art form that you wish to apply to, and
  • Prepare your portfolio for submission
Click on the links below to download the Preparation Notes and Checklist for: Note: You may apply for up to TWO (2) art forms only
5 April to 17 May 2019 12:00 noon (SGT) All Applicants Apply Online
  • Application closes on 17 May 2019, 12:00 noon (SGT)
  • It takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour to complete the entire application for ONE (1) art form, provided that the supporting documents and portfolio submission have been prepared in advance
  • Submit your application 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
  • You are not required to apply via MOE’s DSA-Sec Portal
3 June 2019 6:00 pm (SGT) All Applicants Log in to the TA Portal to:
  • check the status of your Shortlisting Outcome
3 June to 14 June 2019 Shortlisted Applicants Log in to the TA Portal to:
  • upload your latest academic results
  • download the 3rd set piece for Music (Violin, Voice, and Piano applicants only)
  • the 3rd set piece is not applicable to:
    • Carnatic/Hindustani voice, Carnatic/Hindustani violin, Traditional Chinese voice from Music-Performing track, and
    • all Music-Creating track applicants
  • download the prescribed monologue (Theatre applicants only)
17 June 2019 6:00 pm (SGT) Shortlisted Applicants
  • Log in to the TA Portal and download your TA schedules
  • There are TWO compulsory schedules
  • Check your TA schedules to find out the allocated days/dates that you are required to attend
25 June 2019 Shortlisted Applicants
  • Make payment of S$30.00 for the Entrance Test Fee in person at SOTA during your registration
  • Modes of payment preferred are Nets or Credit Card (Visa or MasterCard)
25 June to 28 June 2019 Shortlisted Applicants Attend all scheduled TA activities comprising:
  • Individual auditions or portfolio presentations
  • Group sessions
  • Panel interviews
  • Online questionnaires
  • Entrance tests (English and Mathematics)
All TA activities will take place at SOTA.

You are advised to refrain from making travel plans during this period, as no auditions will be conducted outside of the scheduled dates. Shortlisted applicants must attend and complete all scheduled TA activities. Incomplete attendance will result in disqualification.
By 5 July 2019 Shortlisted Applicants Register at MOE Customer Service Centre to:
  • obtain a registration number (in the format of RGxxxxxxx); and
  • submit a copy to SOTA in person or via email at [email protected]
By 31 August 2019 Shortlisted Applicants Log in to the TA Portal and check the status of your final TA Outcome
(Confirmed Offer, Wait List or Unsuccessful)
19 October 2019 Confirmed Offers Applicants Attend SOTA’s Cohort and Parents' Engagement Programme
October 2019 Confirmed Offers Applicants Exercise your option and indicate SOTA during the DSA-Sec Exercise School Preference Submission
December 2019 (TBC) Applicants who are Successfully Enrolled to SOTA Attend SOTA's Reporting Day to complete your admission registration


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. The school maintains strict confidentiality on all information provided to us during the TA applications and TA auditions. Hence, we regret that we are not able to provide any feedback on the application and/or outcome.

TO THE TOP
Admission Exercise Eligibility Criteria Art Forms Offered Application. Process - Submission of Online Application. Application. Process - Shortlisting Phase Application. Process - TA Outcome

Admission Exercise

The TA is conducted in June. Application opens in April and closes in May. 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.
All shortlisted DSA-Sec (Non-MOE) applicants must attend the TA and participate in audition activities required of the art form. These may include group activities, completion of online questionnaires, presentation of the prepared pieces/ monologues/ art portfolio, and interviews with arts teachers. All TA activities will take place at SOTA. They are also required to attend an interview with a panel of teachers as well as take SOTA’s entrance tests comprise English and Mathematics. There is an Entrance Test Fee of S$30.00. Applicants are not required to take MOE’s SPERS test for admission to SOTA.
No, there isn’t. SOTA admits 100% of its Year 1 cohort through the DSA exercise. As such, there is no other admission exercise for Year 1 intake for Academic Year 2020 other than the DSA exercise.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must meet the following:
At least 12 years old (born in 2007), and Grade 6 pupil studying in a local non-mainstream school and will be completing Grade 6 by December 2019, or Grade 6 pupil studying overseas and will be completing Grade 6 by December 2019, or Returning Singaporeans or Returning Singapore Permanent-Residents who will be completing Grade 6 by December 2019 and are returning to Singapore by December 2019. Interested applicants should only submit their applications if they are able to start school in January 2020
To gain admission into SOTA via DSA-Sec (Non-MOE), shortlisted applicants must satisfy the following criteria:
Obtain a registration number (in the format of RGxxxxxxx) from the MOE Customer Service Centre by 5 July 2019 Receive a Confirmed Offer or Wait List (subject to available vacancies) for the final outcome of their Talent Academy application Exercise their option and indicate SOTA during School Preference Submission
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.
If you are born in 2007 (12 years old) and will be completing Grade 6 by December 2019, 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.

Art Forms Offered

The art forms available are Dance, Literary Arts, Music Performance or Creating/Composition, Theatre, and Visual Arts. Applicants may apply for up to TWO (2) art forms only.
No. You may only apply for ONE (1) instrument (including ‘voice’) and to ONE (1) Music track only. If you are shortlisted to attend the Talent Academy (TA), you may be offered to audition for either the Music Performance track or the Music Creating/Composition track, whichever that the Music faculty deems suitable upon assessing your portfolio submission during the Shortlisting Phase.
Learn more about the two tracks here.

Application Process - Submission of Online Application

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. 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 because of our unique admission requirements. Read the article here.
Download the TA Portal User Guide for a step-by-step guide on how to navigate and submit the application. For more information on TA application, please email the Office of Student Affairs at [email protected]. If you encounter technical difficulties, please email our technical support team 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 | Link 2) Compress / Resize pdf documents (Link 1) Merge individual pdf documents into 1 document (Link 1)
DSA-Sec (Non-MOE) applicants are required to take SOTA’s entrance tests comprising English and Mathematics. Applicants are not required to take the Ministry of Education (MOE)’s SPERS test for admission to SOTA.
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 are 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.
You must log in to the TA Portal to check the status of your shortlisting outcome and also download your TA schedules. 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.

Application Process - Shortlisting Phase

All applications are carefully reviewed and considered by the selection panel according to a vigorous 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.
TA registration fee is not applicable for DSA-Sec (Non-MOE) applicants. A S$30.00 entrance test fee is payable for shortlisted DSA-Sec (Non-MOE) applicants.
SOTA would have carefully considered each application, and as such, the decision is final.
Shortlisted candidates must attend all their scheduled activities. Absence during any part of the TA will disqualify the application. Hence, do ensure you have downloaded all your schedules. As the TA includes group activities, please note that there will not be any make-up auditions.

Application Process - TA Outcome

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 the application process and the timeline to take note of.
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 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. As a result of increased demand for limited places, admission to the school has been highly competitive. As such, we are only able to accept 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 must participate in the DSA School Preference Exercise in late October and early November (date TBC). Exercise your option and indicate SOTA during the School Preference Submission
 
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