California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA): A Complete Guide

College admissions (and programs) in the arts tend to be pretty competitive. After all, you’ll be banking on your artistic skill. If you want to start improving your skills before your college admissions, then why not try California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA)?

In this article, we’ll talk about the CSSSA, the academic programs it offers, and how it can sharpen your skills in a short time.

• What Is CSSSA?
• CSSSA Acceptance Rate
• CSSSA Application Deadline
• CSSSA Requirements
• How to Get into CSSSA
• Why Join CSSSA?
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Takeaways

What Is CSSSA?

The California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA) is a rigorous, four-week summer program for talented high school students held at the campus of California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in Valencia, California.

If you’re admitted, you’ll live in campus dorms and attend classes, workshops, and rehearsals all day, mentored by accomplished artists and faculty.

For 2025, the summer session will run from July 5 to August 1.

You can apply to one of CSSSA’s seven academic programs:

Animation

CSSSA’s Animation program lets you explore a broad range of animation techniques, from hand-drawn art to digital media.

The curriculum will have you spending Mondays to Saturdays in workshops and classes on topics including:

• Animation
• Storyboarding
• Life drawing
• Digital animation
• Stop-motion

You’ll watch historical, contemporary, international, and experimental animated films to serve as inspiration and study. On top of that, you’ll also have at least one field trip where you’ll learn to observe and draw from life.

By the end of the program, you’ll have produced five animated projects involving different traditional, cutout, and digital animation techniques.

Dance

If you want to pursue a degree or career in dance, then the Dance program’s pre-professional, collegiate-level curriculum will give you the technical skills and training you need to explore different dance genres.

All students will undergo training in classical ballet, modern dance, and jazz/hip-hop/funk. However, you can have pointe repertoire and/or ballet technique if you’ve been on pointe for two years before participating in CSSSA.

You’ll also take classes for improvisation and composition, which can further develop your confidence and self-awareness.

Aside from dance classes, you will also have a weekly mat class that will teach you techniques for developing core strength and preventing injuries. You’ll also learn how to prevent, recognize, and treat basic injuries experienced by dancers. You will also be taught how important technique, strength, flexibility, and nutrition are to a dancer.

Film

In the Film program, you’ll learn the fundamentals of writing, directing, cinematography, editing, and sound through hands-on projects with a curriculum that covers everything from the history of pre-cinema to modern experimental works.

Over the course of the program, you can expect to learn:

• Cinema theory. You’ll explore films from different genres and movements while learning that, as a filmmaker, your role also involves giving voice to the marginalized.
• Narrative filmmaking. Perhaps the first thing that comes to mind when you think of “film” is storytelling through fiction. You’ll start learning about camera work, color, and performance and how they affect your final output.
• Documentary filmmaking. Here, you’ll learn how to approach non-fiction storytelling. While making your project, you’ll also see how factors like cinematography, sound, and editing affect a viewer’s perception of truth.
• Experimental filmmaking. Now that you’ve learned the rules and conventions, it’s time to break from them. You’ll explore avant-garde and surrealist cinema, using instead innovative and experimental techniques.

Music

CSSSA’s Music program is designed for young vocalists, instrumentalists, and composers. At the start, you’ll be evaluated then put into a class at your appropriate level. There, you’ll learn about harmony, rhythm, and improvisation.

You’ll also have applied instruction, which are basically classes where you and your peers in the same instrumental group or specialty work together with a teacher.

The faculty evaluations will also determine your ensemble placement, who you can perform with for different activities, such as student and faculty recitals, interdisciplinary collaboration, and mixed ensembles.

Theater

The Theater program at CSSSA is an intensive acting course emphasizing the development of young actors rather than producing a play. Yes, that means you won’t be working towards a show at the end of the program.

Instead, you’ll have Bits & Pieces, a weekly Monday night session where all theater students share their exercises, assignments, and other class work. These are critiqued by faculty, refined, and usually repeated.

The theater program has two focuses. The first focus is training. From Monday to Saturday, you can expect a rigorous schedule juggling the following:

• Core acting
• Tai Chi Ch’uan
• Movement
• Physical comedy
• Contact improvisation
• Stage combat
• Dance
• Voice

You can also sign up for electives like musical theater, Shakespeare, and acting for the camera.

The second focus is learning about the life of an actor. Here, you’ll have the chance to interact with visiting actors, casting agents and companies that will help expand your vision of theater arts. They can also give you a realistic picture of theater arts in the real world.

Visual Arts

In the Visual Arts program, you’ll train in a variety of arts disciplines to broaden your skills and portfolio. All students will be required to take figure drawing, design, arts & culture, and studio courses. These will help build a general foundation for first and second choices.

The options you can choose from are:

• Painting
• Printmaking
• Sculpture
• Digital media
• Photography
• Drawing

You can also expect workshops from visiting artists and field trips to local museums, private galleries, and other artists’ studios. CSSSA’s studios will be open in the evenings to give you time to complete projects.

Writing

The Writing program has personalized and interactive workshops that will help you improve your writing of different genres—namely fiction, poetry, non-fiction, and dramatic writing. In this program, CSSSA says to expect to “write and workshop more than you ever have in your entire life.”

The core class is an important writing workshop where teachers will give an introductory class in their specialty. You’ll also have focus classes, which are workshops on your chosen genre. You can also expect published writers, editors, and agents to visit so you can learn about more creative strategies.

Every Saturday morning, the Writing Department holds a colloquium to share your work from the previous week. At the end of the program, you and your peers will get to contribute to the CSSSA Writing Anthology.

CSSSA Acceptance Rate

CSSSA has an overall acceptance rate of 40%. This translates to around 500 students per year. For the previous session, one in three applicants were accepted. Students outside of California are also eligible to apply, but CSSSA only accepts 20 of them per year.

However, they still mention that the process is very competitive. That’s because students are chosen based on factors like their talent and creativity, which they can gain insights into through teacher recommendations and portfolios/auditions.

CSSSA Application Deadline

Here are the important application dates for CSSSA 2025:

CSSSA also mentions that they’ll still continue to accept applications until June 1. However, they’ll only review your application if there are still slots in your chosen program.

CSSSA Requirements

If you want to apply to CSSSA, you’ll need to fulfill several requirements.

Eligibility

You must be enrolled in grades 8 to 12. CSSSA prioritizes California residents. Non-residents and international students may also apply, but the program only admits 20 of them each year.

Required documents

To apply for CSSSA, you’ll need to submit the following:

• Online application form. Complete the official CSSSA application through the online portal. The form will ask for you personal information (contact details, school, etc.) and includes sections to upload or enter all required artistic submissions for your chosen department​
• 2 teacher references. CSSSA doesn’t require recommendation letters anymore. Instead, you’ll only need to provide details of mentors who can speak to your artistic abilities. They’ll be contacted in case the admissions officers have a question about your application.
• Required department assignments/portfolio. Each CSSSA department has specific assignment prompts or audition requirements to evaluate your skills and potential​. You can check the specific requirements for each department.
• Application fee. This is a non-refundable application fee of $20.
• Returning student essay. If this isn’t your first time attending CSSSA, you’ll need to reflect on your previous experience in the program and why you’re reapplying.
• Financial assistance request (optional). Your parent will be the one to answer this part of your application. The most important part is their most recent income tax return. If they don’t file taxes, other documentation (pay stubs or public assistance award letters) to support the financial aid request is okay.

Program cost

The program cost is as follows:

• California residents: $4,830 + $145 transaction fee
• Out-of-state and international students: $9,977 + $299 transaction fee

The tuition covers room, board, required field trips, and most supplies.

Financial aid is available only to California residents and first-time CSSSA attendees.

To apply for financial aid, you only need to complete the Financial Aid Form—which is already part of the online application.

You can also have some pocket money for laundry and other things. There are also three optional Sunday field trips with an additional cost.

How to Get into CSSSA

Applying for CSSSA is actually pretty simple. Here are the steps:

Step 1: Choose your artistic discipline/s.

Here’s the thing: you can actually apply to more than one CSSSA department. To do so, you’ll just need to submit multiple application forms. However, you’ll need to commit to just one department during pre-registration. You can always apply for the other departments in the succeeding years.

But for step 1, we’ll let you think of one or a few artistic disciplines that you want to apply for. Research the discipline’s focus and curriculum. Remember that CSSSA offers intensive programs, so be sure you’re committed to the disciplines you choose.

Step 2: Prepare your required department assignments.

The department assignments are the most important part of your application since this is where you’ll showcase your talent.

Always focus on presenting your unique creativity rather than tailoring your work to what you think the admissions officers want. Starting early gives you time to experiment, ask for feedback from peers and mentors, and refine your submissions.

Step 3: Ask two mentors to be references.

Your references can be teachers, counselors, school administrators, private instructors, extracurricular activity leaders, or anyone who can speak to your artistic ability.

Explain to them your circumstances of planning to apply to CSSSA before asking for their information. Clarify that they won’t be writing you a recommendation letter. Instead, they’ll only be contacted if the admissions committee wants to ask something about you or your application.

Step 4: Complete the application form.

Create your account and fill out the online application form. Answer the questions and upload the required materials. If your materials aren’t complete yet, you can save your progress and return to it later.

Step 5: Submit your application.

Double-check everything, such as whether you’ve uploaded the right documents and answered all required fields. When everything looks good, you can proceed to the payment section to pay the $20 application fee (per department).

After payment, finalize your submission.

Why Join CSSSA?

Attending CSSSA can be a transformative experience that pushes you to improve and expand your skill set. Here are some benefits of joining the program:

1. Intensive training and portfolio development

CSSSA’s four-week intensive curriculum involves hands-on classes and workshops that force you to grow artistically in a short time. You’ll be mentored by your instructors and guest artists, getting personalized feedback and practicing your craft every day.

By the end of the summer, you will have a strong portfolio or improved skill set to show for your efforts. This portfolio can be very useful for college applications, scholarship submissions, or other opportunities that require examples of your work.

You’ll also learn how to present your art in a public setting and talk about your creative process, which builds confidence in your talents. Showcasing your creations in exhibitions, screenings, and performances also simulates a professional presentation experience.

2. Earn college credit and recognition

Yes, you can earn three college credits when you finish your program! This can be transferable to some colleges, giving you a head start on college coursework.

On top of that, all CSSSA graduates will be named California Arts Scholars, showing college admissions officers and future employers that you survived and improved your craft through CSSSA’s rigorous program. This also makes you eligible for college discounts through the CSSSA Foundation College Partnerships.

3. Pre-college campus experience

CSSSA may be your first taste of college life. After all, the program is fully residential, meaning you live on the CalArts college campus for the entire month.

You’ll stay in dorms with one or two roommates, do your own laundry, eat in the campus cafeteria, and generally manage your own time outside of class.

You’ll also get to use world-class facilities at CalArts, from art studios and theaters to animation labs and music practice rooms.

4. Networking and mentorship opportunities

At CSSSA, you’ll meet fellow young artists from California and beyond. The connections you build can be both lifelong friends and future collaborators. You never know if the classmate who worked on a film with you might go on to be a filmmaker who casts you in a role years later, or the friend in your writing workshop might become a published author who can recommend you.

Aside from your peers, you also have direct access to industry professionals and mentors. They can share real-world advice and continue to become mentors you can stay in touch with.

CSSSA also has an active alumni network. Upon graduation, you can gain access to alumni events, newsletters, and networking channels that connect you with CSSSA graduates from across nearly four decades.

5. Interdisciplinary collaboration

Each CSSSA student focuses on one art discipline, but the program encourages interdisciplinary learning that can broaden your perspectives.

A unique aspect of CSSSA is that students have opportunities to collaborate across departments. For instance, if you’re a composition student in the music program, you might team up with a filmmaker to score a short film, or an animation student might ask a writing student to help script their animated short.

This interdisciplinary exposure is great since understanding how different art forms intersect can make you a more versatile artist.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. When do CSSSA acceptances come out?

CSSSA acceptance comes out on April 30, 2025. However, they’ll still accept applications as long as there are still available slots in their different departments.

2. How much does CSSSA cost?

CSSSA tuition costs $4,830 for California residents and $9,977 for out-of-state and international students. There will also be a transaction fee of $145 and $299, respectively.

3. Where is CSSSA located?

CSSSA is located at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in Valencia, California. This location is around 25 miles north of Hollywood in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Takeaways

The California State Summer School for the Arts is held at CalArts in Valencia, California. It provides an environment for aspiring artists to improve their skills.

• CSSSA has seven academic programs: animation, dance, film, music, theater, visual arts, and writing.
• CSSSA is known for its rigorous sessions where students work on their craft from Monday to Saturday.
• There are many benefits to participating in CSSSA, such as intensive training and portfolio development, earning college credit and recognition, gaining pre-college campus experience, networking and mentorship, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
• Are you serious about a future in the arts? Consult a private admissions expert to learn about other extracurriculars and possible undergraduate programs that can help you be the best artist possible.