Freshmen

Admission & Audition Process for Freshmen

The GoCPS application will open on Wednesday, September 13th and will close on Thursday, November 9th. You can submit an application by visiting go.cps.edu.  

Please see the Steps for Admission below.  

The application for all rising and current 9th graders is only available through CPS starting in September of a student’s 8th-grade year. Please visit go.cps.edu for more information and a link to the application. Be sure you have activated your account or received an activation code from CPS.

For non-CPS 7th and 8th graders, contact the CPS Office of Access and Enrollment as soon as possible at 773-553-2060 for more information, or visit go.cps.edu.

ChiArts holds auditions for all students who wish to enroll. Students are offered admission based on their audition scores. In the event there are more students who have auditioned and have received qualifying scores than there are seats available, those students are placed on a waiting list for possible admission if a seat should become available.

Please note that ChiArts does NOT participate in the lottery system via GoCPS. We also do not participate in Principals Discretion, as that is a system reserved for Selective Enrollment schools. ChiArts is considered a “Choice” school on the GoCPS application. 

If you are a prospective transfer student, please note that the steps for admission may vary. You can view the transfer process on our website here

Academic Requirements

ChiArts is a college-preparatory school, so both academic and artistic programs are rigorous. That being said, we have recently adjusted our requirements and no longer have any academic requirements as part of the admissions process. Students will be admitted solely on their audition score and ranking of ChiArts in the GoCPS application. 

By completing the application, students are indicating that they are interested and willing to attend an audition. Applicants are responsible for signing up for their auditions through the GoCPS application.

Steps for Admission

Application

Only complete applications will be considered. A complete application includes both the CPS application and an audition.

Students with Paper Applications: Paper applications are available for students and must be received by CPS before the set deadline. Online application is strongly encouraged. Paper applicants will experience a processing delay as well as limited audition options. Please apply online, if at all possible.

Students must apply no later than the date set by CPS. It is the student’s responsibility to provide accurate contact information. ChiArts communicates primarily by email, so please ensure that the email address you provide is valid and checked frequently.

Due to the high volume of applications, early audition registration is encouraged. We have a limited number of available audition days, and late registration or rescheduling an audition may not be an option.

School Ranking

Students, please pay careful attention to where you place schools when ranking them in your GoCPS application. Rank will play a very important role in your school program placement. If ChiArts is your top school choice, be sure to rank your favorite program #1 on your Choice list to ensure that if you pass the audition process, you will secure a seat at ChiArts. The higher you rank us on the application, the higher likelihood GoCPS will place you at ChiArts if you have a qualifying audition score. For more information, please visit go.cps.edu.

Programs 

Students may apply to as many of the following disciplines as they would like: Creative Writing, Dance, Music (Instrumental or Vocal), Theatre (Acting or Musical Theatre), or Visual Arts. Please note that you will be required to audition for all conservatories for which you would like to be considered. Please keep in mind while ranking that you will only be admitted into one artistic conservatory. 

Auditions

We have helpful audition guides available on our website here.

How to Audition for ChiArts Advice Videos 

It is your responsibility to present a complete, prepared audition. Be prepared to present an audition with all requirements for your discipline listed on our website here.

If your child is eligible for an audition and requires an accommodation identified in the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) that is necessary in order to audition, you must inform ChiArts Admissions staff prior to the audition day. The procedures for this will be communicated once audition invitations are sent.

Acceptance Process

Once all auditions take place, CPS will match students with their best-fit schools, and notice of admission placement will be sent out by CPS in March. Students waitlisted will receive notice of their placement on the GoCPS application at the same time as admission placement. 

Notes on the Audition Process

Audition requirements for each discipline are available on our website here. It is the student’s responsibility to research and meet all requirements, and present a prepared audition. Auditions are scored using a rubric (samples are available on our website here), judging performance, presentation, and potential. The audition panel for each discipline includes, but is not limited to, the following: a community arts partner, a ChiArts representative, and a ChiArts conservatory Department Head or Assistant.

Students will only compete for slots in their discipline and within each subgroup of each discipline (flute students will not compete with visual artists for a slot, and beginning dance students will not compete with advanced students, etc.) Admission slots for each freshman class include:

  • Creative Writing: 18
  • Dance: 32 (Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced combined)
  • Music: 60 (Brass & Woodwinds, Guitar, Percussion, Piano, Strings, and Voice combined)
  • Theatre: 36 (Acting and Musical Theatre combined)
  • Visual Arts: 54

ChiArts reserves the right to adjust admission slots in each area based on the number of applicants.

Ready to apply? Click here!