After becoming familiar with the various conservatories and the skills characteristic of those conservatories at one of OCSA’s Preview Days, prospective students are invited to fill out an application and participate in a placement activity to identify the appropriate placement in the conservatory to which they seek admission. OCSA shall admit all applicants on a space-available basis to the appropriate level of the conservatory of choice. Should the number of applicants exceed space available, a lottery will be conducted to determine which students are admitted.

Applications for the 2020-2021 school year will be available online mid-October 2019. An applicant’s placement activity will be scheduled in the order that applications are received, so please consider applying as soon as you are able. Placement activities are held in January and February.

The deadline to apply for the 2020-2021 school year is January 3, 2020.

Should the number of applicants exceed space available, a lottery will be held to determine enrollment by conservatory. Our placement activities are designed to ensure that every applicant is placed appropriately in this lottery. The lottery will occur during the first week of March, and applicants will be notified of their enrollment status via their applicant portal in mid-March. Email notification will be sent to the primary email address used to set up the applicant portal. Please use a parent or guardian email address when setting up your applicant portal.

New applicants will need to create a new applicant portal in OCSA’s Admissions System. An individual parent or guardian email address will be necessary for each applicant portal. Applicants who have previously submitted an application will have access to their previously created applicant portal. When creating a new applicant portal, please be sure to enter the student applicant’s first and last name, not the parent or guardian’s. When entering the email address, however, please use a parent or guardian email address, as all communication from the Admissions Department, including placement activity schedule information, will deliver to the email address you provide.

Applicant status information can be viewed in your applicant portal. If additional information is needed, you will be contacted via email. The email address used to set up your applicant portal is the primary email and will be used for all communication from the Admissions Department. Please use a parent or guardian email address when setting up your applicant portal.

When the placement activity is scheduled, a confirmation email containing the date, time, and location of the placement activity will be sent to the primary email address used to set up the applicant portal. A reminder email will be sent a few days before the scheduled placement activity. The applicant’s portal will also show the placement activity date. Please use a parent or guardian email address when setting up your applicant portal.

Placement activities may only be rescheduled due to a serious emergency. Placement activity dates are limited. All placement activities take place in January and February. Applications are processed in the order received. Submitting your application early will provide you the opportunity to receive your date far in advance.

Yes. A new application and placement activity are required. 

Yes. A new application and placement activity are required.

No. As long as the student wishes to remain in their current conservatory, a new placement activity is not necessary.

Yes. Current OCSA students are welcome to apply for a conservatory transfer, once a year. Current students wishing to apply to a new conservatory must submit a complete conservatory transfer application and participate in a new placement activity.

OCSA will not request a prospective student to submit any student records including transcripts, birth certificates, individualized education plans, or 504 plans prior to enrollment at OCSA. For placement activities, depending on the conservatory for which you are applying, a prospective student may submit an art portfolio or YouTube link(s), along with the application submission. Please carefully review the placement activity guidelines for the conservatory for which you are applying.

All students who have a passion and/or interest in the arts are encouraged to apply. If a student or their guardian requires translation in order to best understand OCSA’s admission processes, please contact admissions@ocsarts.net or call 714.560.0900 Ext. 5510 to receive support. Applicants who have received or are currently receiving special services are encouraged to request any necessary accommodations to support them during the admissions process. Students and families who require technology assistance in order to complete their application or first round placement activity are welcome to use one of the school’s open computer labs during any Preview Day. If a student or their parent or guardian does not have an email address, OCSA invites the student or their parent or guardian to call 714.560.0900 Ext. 5510 to obtain information about registering for a Preview Day.

As part of the application processing, all submitted documents must be verified as correct. Checklist items, such as submitted artwork and YouTube videos, will initially show as “Not Received” highlighted with a red X.  Once the application is processed, these checklist items will show as “Received” highlighted with a green checkmark. If additional applicant information is needed, the Admissions Department will contact you via email. The email address used to create your applicant portal will be used for all communication. Please use a parent or guardian email address.

Students may apply for up to two conservatories. If it is determined through their two placement activities that they could be appropriately placed in either program, they will be placed in the lottery for their first choice conservatory. Students who apply for more than one conservatory are not placed in the lottery twice.

Yes. All applicants who wish to be considered for admission to both Orange County School of the Arts and California School of the Arts must submit an individual application for each school. It is necessary for applicants to participate in individual placement activities for each school and conservatory for which they are applying. If the applicant is offered enrollment at multiple schools, the applicant will select the campus of their choice for enrollment.

OCSA currently receives more than 2,000 applications annually. The school is forecasting enrollment space for approximately 550 new students for the 2020-2021 school year.

Depending on available classroom space, students can be offered enrollment mid-year. Mid-year offers of enrollment may be extended to applicants currently on the OCSA waitlist.

Preview Days are held on the school’s campus three times each year. Prospective students and families will receive an overview of the academic and arts programs, and will have the opportunity to meet with conservatory directors and take a self-guided campus tour. Private tours are not available.

No. OCSA is a closed campus and non-OCSA students may not visit classes at any time during the academic or conservatory day.

No. OCSA does not condition its admissions on performance ability. OCSA is committed to serving all students who have demonstrated a passion and/or interest in the arts. Prospective students are encouraged to attend a Preview Day to familiarize themselves with the various conservatories and the skills characteristic of those conservatories.

OCSA provides a rigorous college-preparatory academic program. The school’s faculty and staff are committed to supporting the educational needs of each and every student. Students are expected to make a commitment to their academics as well as their conservatory classes. OCSA does not limit admission or enrollment for academically low-achieving pupils. OCSA adheres to the California State Mandated Requirements for High School Graduation. Students must complete the minimum requirements for graduation by the end of their senior year.

OCSA is a tuition-free, donation-dependent, public charter school. No student is offered or denied enrollment based upon financial capacity. Each school year, funds must be raised to support the operation costs of the different arts conservatories, and the school relies on parents and the community-at-large to help reach fundraising goals. OCSA does not require parents or guardians to make financial contributions of any kind.

All admissions-related deadlines and events appear on the OCSA website.