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Postgraduate Gap Year

͵ÅÄ͵¿ú Postgraduate Gap Year students receive the unique opportunity to work closely with our Arts faculty and College Counselors, have connections with top conservatories and Art schools around the world. Postgraduate Gap Year students receive a customized curriculum to prepare for college auditions, portfolios, and professional life as an artist, facilitating their individual goals beyond high school. 

Studying as a Postgraduate student at ͵ÅÄ͵¿ú was an enriching experience, where I delved deep into the arts that I love: musical theatre, songwriting, producing, writing, modeling, and more. The supportive environment fostered my creativity and allowed me to explore the intersection of these art forms in depth. I loved meeting new people and preparing myself for college in this year of memories.

A dancer.
Fashion show.
Students working on a film.

Program Highlights

  • One-on-one College Counseling support
  • Capstone project, show, recital, or reading
  • Eligibility for Arts Enterprise Laboratory grant funding for extracurricular creative projects
  • Masterclasses with renowned guest artists
  • Dorm life experience provides independence away from home
  • Networking with fellow artists from all over the world
  • Opportunities by major include:
    • Creative Writing publishing in Parallax
    • Dance students participate in ABT exams, Student Choreography concerts
    • Fashion Shows; opportunity to attend LA Fashion Week
    • Film & Digital Media showcase events, field trips to Hollywood, optional entry to film festivals
    • InterArts collaborative projects with peers and guest artists
    • Music students receive professional recording for auditions
    • Dramatic Arts students attend Chicago Unified Auditions
    • Visual Art students attend Portfolio Day with top universities; gallery shows; field trips to museums

Postgraduate Gap Year Program Information

  • Online admission application
  • High School diploma 
  • The same portfolio or audition requirements as grades 9th – 12th
  • Two teacher references: 1 Art & 1 Academic
  • For international students seeking to attend college in the USA or other English-speaking country, TOEFL score of 90, IELTS score of 6.5, or Duolingo score of 115*
  • Student must be under 21 years of age throughout the Postgraduate Gap Year
  • Academic courses complementing student’s current transcript to meet University of California admissions requirements
  • Life Skills course with College Counseling
  • Arts classes in the afternoon

Postgraduate students have the same rules and expectations as 12th grade students. Postgraduate students may not live independently in town as a day student even if they are 18 or older.

Our Postgraduate Gap Year program is a customized curriculum based on the student’s goals. Because of college application deadlines, students who are English Language Learners and wish to attend conservatories/colleges/universities in the US or other English-speaking countries, we highly recommend having earned a TOEFL score of 90, IELTS score of 6.5, or Duolingo score of 115 prior to the start of their postgraduate year. However, we know college at an English-speaking institution is not necessarily the goal for all students who may wish to have a postgraduate year with us. For those students, we can offer additional ELL support through our advanced English for Academic Communication courses, as well as customized Arts training.