Apply to Ruth Asawa School of the Arts

Ruth Asawa SOTA Admission is a THREE step process: Link to this section

1. Fill out a 2027-28 SFUSD application in ParentVue between October 23, 2026 and December 11, 2026. The SFUSD application must have Asawa SOTA listed as one of your requested school. If the application lists SOTA as a requested school, additional SOTA application pages will appear within the online application.
2. Complete the audition assignment on Ruth Asawa's website. Assignments are specific for the department you apply to and some require students to UPLOAD in advance (see below), Deadline: December 11, 2026.
   • Art Departments which require an UPLOAD the Audition Assignment, deadline: December 11, 2026.  Architecture + Design, Commercial Music (Electronic Music), Costume + Fashion Design, Creative Writing, Media + Film, Technical Theater, Visual Art.
   • Art Departments which require the student learn, practice, and perform the Audition Assignment during the Audition (There is NO UPLOAD). Conservatory Dance, Contemporary Instrumental Music (Classical + Jazz), Commercial Music (Guitar), Musical Theater, Theater (Acting), Spoken Art, Vocal Music + Piano, World Dance, World Music. 
3. All students Audition In-Person at Asawa SOTA on Saturday, January 9, 2027. (PLEASE SAVE THE DATE)
   • Audition times will be posted on SOTA's website December 19, 2026, by 5pm. Please check back.

Visit asawa.sfusd.edu for more details

Students who have qualified by audition and list Ruth Asawa SOTA as their first choice school will receive an assignment offer to Ruth Asawa SOTA. Those who have qualified, but list another school as a higher choice than Ruth Asawa SOTA, will go into the assignment process for their higher choices. If they receive a placement into a higher choice school, they will not receive an offer to Ruth Asawa SOTA. If a qualified student does not receive a higher requested school, they will be assigned to Ruth Asawa SOTA. Because of the student assignment process, it’s important that students list schools in their true order of preference preference. Students who do not qualify for Ruth Asawa SOTA will not be negatively impacted for their other school choices, and will be included in the assignment process for all the other choices listed on their applications.

Any questions should be directed to admissions_asawa@sfsota.org or cauthornp@sfusd.edu. 

Admission to Ruth Asawa SOTA is solely based on audition outcomes. 

A second audition may be held in April for any department that was not filled in the Main Round. 

San Francisco Residency Requirement

• Students who apply to SOTA must reside in San Francisco with a parent/legal guardian at the time of application and continue to live in San Francisco while attending SOTA. Any application with falsified information will nullify the application or result in a canceled assignment.
• Interdistrict permits are not allowed for admission to SOTA.
• Current SFUSD students do not need to submit additional documents for proof of address unless the student’s address has recently changed.
• Non-SFUSD and SFUSD Charter School students must submit a picture ID of their parent/ guardian, proof of birthdate and one proof of address when submitting applications.