By now, we hope you have learned about the rigorous academic program, pre-professional arts conservatories, and unique school culture found only at Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA). You are ready to apply!

After becoming familiar with the school’s various conservatories through an OCSA Preview Day, prospective students are invited to fill out an application and participate in a Conservatory Placement Activity. A public, random drawing (“lottery”) will be conducted by conservatory, grade level, and when applicable, concentration, to determine which students are offered admission.

Before getting started, please make sure that you thoroughly understand the Admissions Guidelines and have gathered all of the necessary materials. You will complete your application online and should be prepared to upload all requested materials along with your application. 

Additional support is available for students, parents, or guardians who require translation in order to best understand our admissions processes, as well as for those who need technology assistance. Applicants who have received or are currently receiving special services are encouraged to request any accommodations needed to support them during the admissions process. 

If you have questions, please read our Admissions FAQ. You may also contact our Admissions Office at admissions@ocsarts.net or 714.560.0900 ext. 5510.

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Conservatory Placement Activities provide applicants with an opportunity to demonstrate their art form. All OCSA conservatories require participation in a Placement Activity. Upon completion of the Conservatory Placement Activity, applicants will receive a scored rubric with helpful feedback and a proficiency level from our conservatory staff.

Prospective students should carefully examine the specific Placement Activity Guidelines for each conservatory, as ALL aspects of the guidelines are required for an application to be considered complete. If submissions do not match the Placement Activity Guideline requirements, the final rubric score will be affected. When guidelines specify that materials are to be submitted digitally, those materials should be included when the application is submitted on or before January 15, 2026.  

For in-person Placement Activities, applicants will be scheduled into the first available Conservatory Placement Activity appointment by the Admissions Office. All in-person Placement Activities for the upcoming school year will be conducted in January and February 2026. Once a Placement Activity appointment is scheduled, changes can only be made due to applicant illness or in the case of emergencies.

Important Note: Applicants who are members of the Southern California School Band & Orchestra Association (SCSBOA) are strongly encouraged to submit their applications early. Only one OCSA Placement Activity date (February 7, 2026) does not conflict with the SCSBOA rehearsal schedule. Applying early increases the likelihood of being scheduled on this non-conflicting date.

Upon completion of the Conservatory Placement Activity, applicants will receive a scored rubric with helpful feedback and a proficiency level from our conservatory staff. 

Applicants may only enter the lottery for a conservatory in which they have completed a Conservatory Placement Activity and met the minimum proficiency level. The exception is the Arts & Enterprise Conservatory, which has no minimum proficiency requirement. As long as applicants complete the required Placement Activity, they may enter the lottery for this conservatory. To apply, Arts & Enterprise applicants must list the conservatory as either their first or second choice on the application.

Each applicant will be given two (2) entries for the admission lottery. The two (2) lottery entries may be placed into one (1) single conservatory admission lottery or can be distributed between two (2) conservatory admission lotteries.

Applicants will not be able to change their lottery conservatory selection(s) after submission (due on March 5, 2026). 

In accordance with OCSA’s Board-approved Public Random Lottery Preference Policy, when the number of applicants exceeds the available enrollment capacity, a public lottery will be conducted. The lottery process follows the admission preferences outlined in OCSA’s approved charter, as required by Education Code sections 47605(d)(2)(B)(iv) and 49011, and will determine admission for each conservatory.

For details on the order of admission preferences, please refer to the full policy. These preferences must not discourage or limit enrollment access for students with disabilities; English learners; academically low-achieving students; neglected or delinquent students; homeless students; or those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged.

Each applicant will be randomly assigned an Applicant Number at the time their application is submitted, which will be used as identification in the admission lottery, in order to protect the privacy of prospective students. Once all available spaces are filled for a particular conservatory, Applicant Numbers will continue to be drawn and placed on a waitlist in the order drawn. Mid-year offers of enrollment may be extended to waitlist applicants.