Faculty of Interdisciplinary Practices

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

DIPLOMA IN ARTS MANAGEMENT

NAFA hopes to attract applicants with the potential to become excellent arts practitioners. Applicants are selected by merit, based on the following criteria:

Personal Statement Requirement
Educational Qualification
English Language Proficiency
Special Factor
Module Exemption

Selection is competitive and is subject to the availability of places. However, the Academy may give consideration to talented applicants who excel in Artistic Talent and Creativity, but have not fully met the education qualification stated.

Personal Statement Requirement

Personal Statement and optional Testimonial

You are required to submit a 500-word personal statement here. Submission of a Testimonial is optional.

Personal Statement
Your personal statement should articulate your interest for the arts and future career goals. Through your personal statement, you will be evaluated based on your:

Past experiences in artistic practice, arts management and/or attending arts events
Aspiration to work in the arts and cultural industries
Written communication skills

Testimonial (optional)
The testimonial should be written by an official (e.g. teacher, principal, advisor, etc.) of an educational institution you have attended. Through the testimonial, you will be evaluated based on your:

Personality traits
Participation in co-curricular activities
Leadership ability or potential

(Allowed document file type: .pdf. Maximum document file size: 10 MB)

The outcome of your application will be sent to you in 4 to 6 weeks after submission of all supporting documents and personal statement.

Educational Qualifications - Singapore

Minimum Educational Qualifications Required

Singapore-Cambridge GCE ‘O’ Level: Aggregate score of 25 points or better in 4 GCE ‘O’ Level subjects, excluding English.

Applicants who are active in their Secondary Schools’ Co-curricular Activities (CCA) may gain up to 2 CCA points. The CCA points can be used to improve their EQ aggregate score for admission consideration.

Types of bonus points	No. of bonus points awarded
Grades of A1–A2	2 points
Grades of B3–C6	1 point

Singapore Integrated Programme: Successful completion of Year 4 or higher.
School of The Arts (SOTA): Successful completion of Year 4 or higher.
Institute of Technical Education (ITE):
- Full-time Higher Nitec or Nitec
- Part-time ITE certificate, with a minimum GPA of ≥ 2.0 for Higher NITEC holders or ≥ 3.5 for NITEC holders

Educational Qualifications - International

Successful completion of at least 10 years of education.

Eligible international students will be able to use their mid-year examination results to apply for diploma programmes at NAFA. Applicants will be given conditional offer if they are successful in their portfolio interview/audition selection. Applicants are still required to submit their year-end examination results and meet the admission requirements of the respective programmes. Any applicant who does not meet the admission requirements will have his/her conditional offer revoked.

English Language Proficiency

The minimum English Language proficiency requirement:

Grade C6 at GCE ‘O’ Levels
TOEFL iBT 50
IELTS Academic Band 5
SAT score of 480 (Evidence-Based Reading and Writing component)
Duolingo score of 80
Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) score of 42
Qualifications equivalent to any of the above

Applicants with Higher NITEC or NITEC qualifications are deemed to have met the English Language proficiency requirement.

Special Factor

Recognition is accorded for prior achievements in areas relevant to intended studies.

Early Admissions Exercise

NAFA has the Early Admissions Exercise (EAE) that allows graduating O-Level students, final-year Nitec and Higher Nitec students from the Institute of Technical Education and graduating Integrated Programme (IP)/ International Baccaularette (IB) Year 4 students to apply and receive conditional admission prior to receiving their final grades.

The application will commence in June for the following year’s intake. Please check this page again in June.

Module Exemption

Applicants may receive module exemptions if they have taken and passed the same or similar modules in another institution. The granting of exemption and advanced standing may be subject to applicants passing a Portfolio Interview, Audition or Admission Test.

Applicants with the following qualifications are eligible to apply for module exemption:

Full-time NITEC or Higher NITEC
School of the Arts Singapore (SOTA) Year 4 or 5 or 6
GCE A-Level
International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma/IB Career-Related Certificate (IBCC)

Please refer to the module exemption here for details.

HOW TO APPLY

Apply online

Apply online here along with your application fees. Applications are open from October each year for the following year’s August intake.

For all programmes except Diploma in Arts Management ^, select either Portfolio Submission or Admission Test in the application portal.

Applicants may be asked to attend an interview in person or online.

Keep the Application Acknowledgement for your reference and submit the required documents

Send documents listed in the checklist to [email protected] for verification within five working days from the application date.

Make payment of the Application Fee (non-refundable) online

Make payment of the Application Fee (non-refundable) online at https://payment.nafa.edu.sg/Students.

Submit your Personal Statement

For Diploma in Arts Management: Submit a 500-word Personal Statement here. Submission of a Testimonial is optional. Selected applicants may be asked to attend an interview in person or online.

Application outcome

Receive the outcome of your application via email within 4 – 6 weeks after your Portfolio Submission/Interview/Audition or Admission Test.

Apply Now

FINANCIAL MATTERS

To know more about the details related to the diploma fees, please click the links below:

FAQ

How many intakes are there each year?

There is one intake commencing in August each year. Click here for the academic calendar.

When is the application period? How do I apply for admission?

Applications typically open in October for the following August intake.

International Applicants residing overseas are advised to contact NAFA’s authorised overseas education counsellors based in their home countries to submit applications from September for the August intake the following year. Click here for more information.

For more information about the application procedures and application deadline, click here.

What is the duration of a Diploma programme? Are there part-time Diploma programmes?

All NAFA Diploma programmes are 3-year, full-time programmes.

There are no part-time Diploma programmes available. If you are interested in part-time Certificate programmes, you may email Centre for Lifelong Education at [email protected] for more information.

When will the application results be released?

Application results will be sent via email within 4–6 weeks after Portfolio Submission / Admission Test / Audition / Interview.

Applicants may also check on the status of the application by logging into the application portal within 4-6 weeks after Portfolio Submission / Admission Test / Audition / Interview.

Some application outcomes may take longer than expected.

How much time does a NAFA student spend on campus?

A student typically has about 20 hours of lessons per week. A performing arts student is often expected to attend additional hours of rehearsals after lessons as well. Classes are usually scheduled between Mondays and Fridays, 9.00am to 6.00pm; evening or Saturday classes may occasionally be scheduled for some programmes.

Students may also have to remain on campus after classes for assignments, projects or rehearsals.

Are graduates of local Polytechnics or Universities eligible to apply?

Yes. However, as Tuition Grant would have been utilised for study at local Polytechnics or Universities, the programme fees at NAFA will not be subsidised by MOE and students will have to pay full fees.

The SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme enables Singaporeans 40 years and above to receive subsidies for another publicly-funded full-time diploma, and qualify for the Mid-Career Enhanced Subsidy (MCES). More information here: https://www.nafa.edu.sg/admissions/scholarships-and-financial-aid-schemes/government-financial-and-bursary-schemes/skillsfuture-level-up-programme

Am I eligible for the Tuition Grant, and what kind of criteria is needed?

Your eligibility for the Tuition Grant very much depends on your status. Please refer here for more information on your tuition grant eligibility. For further clarifications, please contact the Student Admissions Office.

Are scholarships and other financial aids available?

Yes, please click here for more information. For enquiries, please email Office of Student Care at [email protected] (Financial Aids & Awards Scheme).

What is the employment rate and average starting salary for NAFA graduates?

Please click here for the latest results from the Graduate Employment Survey.

I have applied for a programme in another institution and I am waiting for my application result. May I still enrol in NAFA?

You may still enrol in NAFA and pay the full tuition fees to reserve a place in the programme that you are accepted to. If you are successful in your application to the other institution, you may withdraw from NAFA. You will avoid the possibility of ending up with no programme to study, should your application to other institutions be unsuccessful.

Refer here for the refund policy.

I am offered a place of study in NAFA, but I am waiting for the result of my application to another institution. Can I not pay the full tuition fees on the due date but pay at a later date?

You are not allowed to pay at a later date as there are limited vacancies for all the programmes. Full payment of the tuition fees will guarantee you a place of study in NAFA.

I have enrolled with NAFA and I am now joining another institution. How can I withdraw from NAFA and will I be entitled to a refund?

You will have to submit a withdrawal letter to NAFA. Photocopies of documents submitted to NAFA during enrolment are not returnable.

As for the refund of fees, please refer to the refund policy.

My application to NAFA is not successful. Can I get a refund of my application fee?

No, application fee is non-refundable.

I need to apply to CMPB for my National Service deferment to pursue my study in NAFA. Where/when can I get the Deferment Letter?

The NS Deferment Letter will only be given to students who have made the minimum required payment of their tuition fees. Students may contact the Student Admissions Office at [email protected] to request for the NS Deferment Letter.

If you require the NS Deferment Letter after programme commencement, please contact the Office of Student Affairs at [email protected].

May I apply for a programme transfer?

Prior to programme commencement date:
New diploma students who wish to change their programme after accepting an offer in a programme are required to notify the Student Admissions Office and re-apply for admission to the new programme. Application fee may be payable.

After programme commencement date:
Eligible diploma students who wish to request for a programme transfer must be in their first year of candidature at the time of their programme transfer application. They are required to submit their application for programme transfer during the stipulated application period. The Associate Dean will determine if a test/audition/interview is necessary for any programme transfer application.

Programme transfers are not guaranteed as approvals are subject to the availability of vacancies, test/audition/interview outcome (if required), students’ NAFA assessment results and fulfilment of the programme requirements.

Diploma students from certain programmes are not eligible to apply for a programme transfer. Students from these programmes who wish to change their programme are required to withdraw from their current programme and re-apply for admission to the new programme. Please refer to the Student Handbook in the student portal or contact the Office of Student Affairs.

Is your diploma equivalent to those conferred by the polytechnics?

Yes. With effect from July 1999, NAFA was upgraded to tertiary level and conferred status on par with the polytechnics. For employment purposes, MOE treats the diplomas awarded by NAFA as equivalent to a non-technical diploma from the polytechnics.

May I defer my studies after programme commencement?

Application for deferment will only be considered for reasons due to extenuating circumstances such as prolonged health problems, National Service, etc. You will have to submit a completed ‘Request for Deferment’ form with relevant supporting documents to the Office of Student Affairs. As the application for deferment is subject to approval by the relevant Dean of Faculty, you must continue to attend classes until the outcome of your application is known.

What are your lecturers' qualifications?

Most of our lecturers have received training in Europe, the US and Asia. Collectively, they have qualifications and teaching experiences that span many decades and continents. Our website lists the qualifications and provides a short biography of all of our lecturers.

How are disputes and grievances resolved at NAFA?

Should the student be unable to resolve any dispute and/or grievance with their respective department, they may surface the issue to the Office of Student Affairs (for academic matters) or the Office of Student Care (for non-academic matters).

In the event that the student is not satisfied with the explanation or solution offered by the Office of Student Affairs or the Office of Student Care, the student may lodge an appeal to the Vice-President, Provost, or President of NAFA.

In the event the student is still not satisfied with the explanation or recommendation offered by NAFA, he/she may seek redress via SSG Mediation-Arbitration Scheme, Small Claims Tribunals or his/her own legal counsel.

How do I apply for the Student’s Pass?

For more details on Student’s Pass and living in Singapore, please refer to our website here.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT GUIDE

NAFA-appointed overseas education counsellors provide programme advice and application services to international students. Countries and regions with NAFA overseas education counsellors include China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, India, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. Overseas admissions tests start from August 2023 to March 2024 (test dates vary between countries). International students residing overseas are encouraged to apply for admission to NAFA through the appointed education counsellors, where applicable. For full list of NAFA appointed overseas education counsellors, click here.

Overseas Education Counsellors (Agents)

International students residing overseas are encouraged to apply for admission to NAFA through the appointed education counsellors, where applicable. These appointed counsellors may charge up to S$4,000* in service fees per student. NAFA does not receive service fees on behalf of the counsellors. The payment schedule of these service fees are as follows:

Phase 1 - One week before Admission Test/Audition

All fees paid in this phase are non-refundable.
Your application fee, test fees, and administrative costs of document verification and translation will be collected once you sign the agency contract.

Phase 2 - Collection of student contracts

Collection of 50% of the total service fees specified in the signed agency contract with the applicant before completing Phase 2 of the NAFA online registration.

Phase 3 - Upon collection of SOLAR+ code from ICA

Collection of the 50% balance in service fees specified in the signed agency contract (ICA processing fees and Issuance fees shall be borne by students).

*Graduating international NAFA diploma students may wish to contact the appointed education counsellors to get assistance for their degree application and/or Student’s Pass matters. No additional service fees should be collected by the counsellors.

View the list of overseas education counsellors

Living In Singapore

All international applicants are required to apply for a Student’s Pass through the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) of Singapore after acceptance by an educational institute to pursue full-time studies in Singapore.

View more details for living in Singapore

FACULTY OF INTERDISCIPLINARY PRACTICES