Major Changes in 2025 SOTA DSA Selection Process
The Singapore School of the Arts (SOTA) has officially released its admissions guide for 2025. We noticed that this year’s selection process for the Visual Arts talent area has undergone significant changes compared to previous years. These changes are mainly reflected in the following aspects:
- Removal of the Art Task
Unlike in previous years, applicants this year are no longer required to complete an art task as part of the initial screening process. This means students do not need to submit a specific themed artwork during the application stage. - Introduction of a Mass Shortlisting Activity
All applicants are required to attend a mass shortlisting activity on May 17, 2025. This replaces the previous method of assessing students based on their submitted art tasks in the first round of selection. The new approach focuses on evaluating students’ abilities through live assessments. - Reduction in Portfolio Requirements
The number of artworks required in the portfolio has been reduced from 10 to 5 this year. This adjustment may aim to ease the burden on students while emphasizing quality over quantity. - Emphasis on Originality
For the first time, the admissions guide explicitly states that students should avoid submitting artworks that have been guided or edited by teachers or mentors. This highlights SOTA’s focus on assessing students’ genuine creative abilities.
From these changes, we can infer SOTA’s intention: to evaluate students’ true skills through live assessments and minimise issues like plagiarism or external help. These adjustments not only enhance fairness in the selection process but also better reflect applicants’ authentic artistic potential.
In fact, this shift in assessment methods has been evident for some time. For example, in past years, SOTA’s Primary 6 Art Competition was judged based on submitted artworks, but this year’s competition required participants to create their pieces on-site. This trend shows that SOTA is increasingly prioritizing students’ real-time creative performance over pre-prepared works.
We encourage all students with a passion for art and aspirations of joining SOTA to continue working hard and refining their artistic talents.
For more information on the 2025 admission process, click here.