New applicants will need to create a new applicant account in our Admissions System. An individual parent email address will be necessary for each applicant account.

Applicants who have previously submitted an application will have access to their previously created applicant account.

When creating a new account, please be sure to enter the student applicant’s first and last name, not the parent’s. When entering the email address, however, please use a parent email address, as all communication from the Admissions Department, including interview/audition placement activity schedule information, will deliver to the email address you provide.

Please fill out the student information section completely. Grade reports & current transcripts and the applicant’s birth certificate/passport should be included.

We ask for a copy of the student’s birth certificate or passport in order to confirm their legal name for entry into the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS). This is the database that California uses to track all student academic records.

Yes. Applicants who have received or are currently receiving special services must submit appropriate documentation during the enrollment process, after they have received their acceptance notification. All special services information is confidential and is not used as part of the interview/audition placement activity process.

OCSA provides a rigorous college-preparatory academic program. While the school’s faculty and staff are committed to supporting the educational needs of each and every student, the students themselves are expected to make a commitment to their academics as well as their conservatory classes.

In our experience, students who are not maintaining at least a 2.0 GPA in a traditional school setting will likely have trouble succeeding in our extended school day.

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

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

Please visit our Admissions Requirements webpage to get an idea of what is expected. The admissions process is competitive, and acceptance is primarily based upon the interview/audition placement activity results.

Yes. A new application and interview/audition placement activity are required.

No. As long as the student maintains good citizenship and is on track to graduate, they will not have to repeat the interview/audition placement activity process. 

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

No. It is not possible to reschedule interview/audition placement activity dates. Interview/audition placement activity space and dates are limited. All interview/audition 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 interview/audition placement activity date far in advance.

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

Interview/audition placement activities are held in January and February. Generally, all interview/audition placement activity space is filled by early January. Opportunities to attend an interview/audition placement activity in late spring or summer are rare and are only scheduled if there is a conservatory need.

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

Although we will continue to accept applications after January 3rd, interview/audition placement activities will only be scheduled if there is a conservatory need for additional applicants.

All applicants are required to submit a copy of an official birth certificate or valid passport (hospital and religious certificates do not meet this requirement).

Students applying to grades 7, 8 and 9 will submit their final 2018-2019 report card and all current 2019-2020 grades available at the time of submission.

Students applying to grades 10, 11 and 12 must submit completed high school transcripts, including current progress grades, along with their application submission.

Depending on the conservatory you are applying to, an art portfolio or YouTube link(s) may be required, along with the application submission. Please carefully review the interview/audition placement activity requirements for the conservatory you are applying to.

Incomplete applications will be returned and delayed in processing.

Yes. All applicants, including those who are currently attending home school or a school that does not have a traditional grading system, must submit the required grade reports/transcripts.

As part of the application processing, all submitted documents must be verified by the Admission Department. Once the application is processed and the documents are verified as correct, documents will be marked as “Received” highlighted with a green check mark. If additional applicant information is needed, the Admissions Department will contact you via email. Your application account’s primary email address will be used for all communication. Please use a parent’s email address.

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.

All of our admissions-related deadlines and events appear on our Master Calendar.

Yes. For the 2020-2021 school year, prospective students may apply to a maximum of two conservatories or programs. The appropriate conservatory form must be submitted with the application, including any required interview/audition placement activity materials. If the applicant is offered enrollment in multiple conservatories, the applicant must select one conservatory for enrollment.

We currently receive more than 2,000 applications annually, and we are projected to accept approximately 550 students for the 2020-2021 school year.

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

Yes. A new application is required. 

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

OCSA is a tuition-free, donation-dependent, public charter school. No student is admitted or denied based upon financial capacity.  Each school year, we must fundraise for the operation costs of the different arts conservatories, and we rely on parents and the community-at-large to help us reach our fundraising goals.