SOTA

DSA-Secondary (Junior Colleges)

Applicants are encouraged to choose schools wisely based on their aspirations, aptitudes, strengths, and interests, bearing in mind SOTA’s IB requirements, and the programmes available to develop the area of talent.

Following eligibility confirmation, applicants can select either the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) or the International Baccalaureate Career-Related Programme (IBCP).

 

We regret that applications for enrolment in 2025 have closed.

2024 Preparation Notes and Checklist

All Applicants

  • At least 16 years old (born in 2008)
  • Secondary 4 Express students studying in a local MOE mainstream secondary school and will be taking the Singapore-Cambridge GCE ‘O’ Level examinations in 2024, or
  • Secondary 5 Normal Academic students studying in a local MOE mainstream secondary school and will be taking the Singapore-Cambridge GCE ‘O’ Level examinations in 2024
  • Students who are enrolled in their current school via the 6-year IP programme are not eligible to apply

 

Determine which IB track you would like to apply for:

  • International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP).
  • International Baccalaureate Career-Related Programme (IBCP). 

 

Learn more about the IBDP and IBCP here.

Note: You may apply for up to TWO (2) art forms only and up to ONE (1) IB track only.

  • Application opens on 1 April, 9:00 am and closes on 10 May, 5:00 pm (SGT).
  • Sign up for a TA Portal Account from 1 April, 9:00 am. 
    Application is now closed.
  • If you have an existing account/have applied in previous TA, we will need to archive your current account before you can submit a new application. Please email sa@sota.edu.sg with the email address used to create the current account to proceed with the archival.
  • Ensure that the email used to create the account belongs to the parent/guardian of the applicant as email notifications will be sent to the email address used to create the account.
  • Download the TA Portal Guide to guide you with navigating the portal.
  • Log In to the TA Portal to submit your application.
  • The application form will automatically close at 5:00 pm (SGT). Applicants who are in the midst of completing the form will not be able to proceed to submit their application when this happens. No extension of the deadline will be granted.

Applying to two art forms

  • 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 to 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 one art form, or have submitted an application for the first art form.
  • You will not be able to cancel/withdraw your application once you have confirmed your selections in the portal.

Important Note

  • It takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour to complete the entire application for ONE (1) art form, provided that the portfolio submission and all supporting documents have been prepared in advance.
  • Submit your application early, as the TA portal may experience slower connectivity due to high traffic towards the close of the application period.
  • Incomplete applications will be disqualified. Appeals for late submissions and applications will not be considered.

Log in to the TA Portal on 31 May from 6:00 pm onwards to check your Shortlisting Outcome.

Shortlisted applicants only

  • Download your TA Schedule to find out your allocated audition days/dates and to check for more information about your TA.
  • Check the Announcement page for any new updates.

All TA activities will take place at SOTA

 

Attend all scheduled TA activities comprising:

  • Individual audition/portfolio presentation and interview
  • Group activities
  • Panel Interview
  • Online questionnaires
 

Note

  1. Shortlisted for 1 artform: attend 2 days of TA
  2. Shortlisted for 2 artforms: attend 3 days of TA

You are advised not to make travel plans during this period, as no auditions will be conducted outside of the scheduled dates.

 

IMPORTANT:
Shortlisted applicants must attend and complete all scheduled TA activities. Incomplete attendance will result in disqualification.

  • Log in to the TA Portal from 6:00 pm onwards to check your final TA Outcome (Confirmed Offer or Unsuccessful).
  • Read the posted announcement for more information.

Confirmed Offer Candidates

Submit your Acceptance Form to the school.

Confirmed Candidates

Complete your admission registration online.

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 will not provide any feedback on the application and/or outcome.

SOTA conducts ONE (1) Admission Exercise a year through the Talent Academy (TA). Please refer to the DSA-JC How To Apply tab for more information on the application process and the timeline to take note of.

Parents and pupils are encouraged to choose schools wisely based on the pupil’s aptitudes and strengths, bearing in mind SOTA’s academic and non-academic requirements, and the programmes available to develop the area of talent.

All shortlisted DSA-JC applicants must complete all TA activities within the stipulated time. TA activities will include the following:

  • Individual audition/portfolio presentation and interview
  • Group activities
  • Panel interview
  • Online questionnaires
There is no TA Registration Fee applicable.
No, there isn’t. For Sec 4 Express and Sec 5 Normal Academic pupils studying in a local MOE mainstream secondary school and taking the GCE ‘O’ Level examinations in 2024, application to SOTA is only available through the DSA-JC exercise. No application is available post-‘O’ Levels.
 

Applicants must meet the following:

  • At least 16 years old (born in 2008), and
  • Secondary 4 Express pupils studying in a local MOE mainstream secondary school and will be taking the Singapore-Cambridge GCE ‘O’ Level examinations in 2024, or
  • Secondary 5 Normal Academic pupils studying in a local MOE mainstream secondary school and will be taking the Singapore-Cambridge GCE ‘O’ Level examinations in 2024
  • Students who are enrolled in their current school via the 6-years IP programme are not eligible to apply
The application is open to Singaporeans, Singapore Permanent-Residents, and Foreigners who meet the eligibility criteria stated in the first question of this section.
  • You are not eligible to apply via the DSA-JC exercise as you will not be taking the local GCE ‘O’ Levels examinations.
  • If you are born in 2008 (16 years old) and will be completing Grade 10 by December 2024, you may apply via the Non-DSA category. Learn more about the Non-DSA Application Process.
As you will be required to take a Group 6 subject at Higher Level, having a degree of prior knowledge and skills in the art form will better support your learning. Please refer to the Preparation Notes and Checklist for the details.

The art forms available for admission to Year 5 are:

IBDP track

  • Dance
  • Literary Arts (currently offered at Standard Level only)
  • Film
  • Music (Performance)
  • Theatre
  • Visual Arts


IBCP track

  • Dance
  • Music (Performance) or Music (Composition)
  • Theatre
  • Visual Arts


Applicants may apply to up to TWO (2) art forms only. Applicants may apply for ONE (1) IB track only.

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

Applicants may apply for up to TWO (2) art forms only.
No. Applicants may only apply to ONE (1) IB track only.
  • 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.
  • You will not be able 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 towards the close of the application period.
  • Incomplete applications will be disqualified. Appeals for late submissions will not be considered.
  • Please refer to the DSA-JC How To Apply tab for more information on application process and the timeline to take note of.

We regret that we are unable to provide in-person support. Please email us at sa@sota.edu.sg for technical support and we will do our best to assist you.

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)

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
    • Group activities
    • A panel interview
    • Online questionnaires

  • If you are shortlisted for 2 art forms you will need to complete the following:
    • Two art forms auditions or presentations and interviews
    • Group activities
    • A panel interview (same interview for both shortlisted artforms, only required to take this ONCE)
    • Online questionnaires (same questionnaires for both shortlisted artforms, only required to take this ONCE)

  • 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-JC 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 final TA outcome. Please refer to the DSA-JC How To Apply tab for more information on application process and the timeline to take note of.
  • You must exercise your option and submit the acceptance form to SOTA during the Acceptance Stage
  • Qualify for the Junior College Stream based on your ‘O’ Level examinations results
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. Admission to the school is highly competitive, as such the School evaluates every candidate very carefully based on a rigorous assessment of all shortlisted candidates 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. We are only able to offer candidates who have performed consistently well across the assessed areas. The school would have thoroughly considered each candidate’s TA assessment and therefore, the decision is final.

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