Continuing my series of posts on arts schools in Singapore is an informative post on the LASALLE-SIA College of The Arts - a tertiary arts institution comparable with the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA).

As it is, the LASALLE-SIA College of The Arts is probably one of the only alternatives to the NAFA for a highly recognised tertiary arts education in Singapore. And interestingly enough, both LASALLE-SIA and NAFA declare themselves as Asia Pacific’s leading arts institution. Well, that’s probably a good thing as arts students in the region will have not one, but two top tertiary arts institutions to further their studies at, right?

Understandably, LASALLE-SIA sports a well-designed Flash-powered website - befitting an arts institute - but Flash almost made linking to specific pages terribly difficult. Thank god LASALLE-SIA’s web designer made sure a sitemap was readily available.

Name of Institute: LASALLE-SIA College of The Arts

• Background: LASALLE-SIA College of The Arts was established in 1984 by De La Salle brother, Brother Joseph McNally, a small arts centre at the St Patrick’s School premises. Similar to the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, LASALLE-SIA was upgraded by the Singapore Government to tertiary institute status in 1999. In 2001, LASALLE-SIA receives the first International Review Panel’s endorsement that the College’s curriculum, delivery of courses and operations meet international standards. All LASALLE-SIA courses are divided into distinct schools, including the School of Design, the School of Drama, the School of Music, the School of Dance, and the School Fine Art. Moreover, LASALLE-SIA students have received awards in many national and regional competitions, such as the Philip Morris Group of Companies ASEAN Art Awards, Creative Circle Awards and Young Designers Award.
• Courses Available: Diploma Level, Degree Level, and Masters Level. According to LASALLE-SIA’s website, all their Degrees are developed and delivered by LASALLE-SIA, and validated by UK’s The Open University (ranked #1 in the National Student Survey on UK universities). Degrees are internationally equivalent to a UK BA(Hons) or UK MA.
• Course Fees: Around S$3000 for locals, but around S$14000 to S$18000 for Singapore Permanent Residents and foreigners. The exception is for the Degree in Acting, where course fees are S$18000 for both locals and foreigners.
• Scholarships: LASALLE-SIA Scholarships , Jewellery Industry Training Centre of Singapore (JITCS) Scholarship, Georgette Chen Arts Scholarship, Goodwood Park Hotel for the Very Special Arts, Singapore Press Holdings Diploma Scholarship, South West Community Development Council Arts Scholarship, Media Development Authority Media Education Scheme.
• Financial Aid: Various bursaries, grants, and other forms of financial assistance.
  
• Education Loans: Various study loans, including the CDAC Study Loan, Mendaki Study Loan, NTUC Loans, etc.

That’s it for now. The coming posts in this series will definitely concern less established arts institutes in Singapore, given that I have now covered both NAFA and LASALLE-SIA.