Asia’s leading contemporary arts and design institution

LASALLE College of the Arts is the highest ranked specialist arts institution in Southeast Asia for Performing Arts, and joint top for Art & Design (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025).

The College offers 36 Diploma, BA (Hons) and MA programmes across the full spectrum of arts and design disciplines. A nurturing, interdisciplinary learning environment inspires the next generation of forward-looking and globally engaged creative leaders, who are mentored by a faculty of award-winning artists, designers, educators and researchers. LASALLE’s tradition of practice-led research sets the College apart as an international centre of excellence.

Founded in 1984 by the late De La Salle Brother Joseph McNally—a visionary artist and educator—LASALLE has written, developed and delivered all its own academic programmes since 2004, and continues to do so as a founding member of the University of the Arts Singapore alliance. LASALLE is a non-profit private educational institution. The College receives tuition grant support from Singapore’s Ministry of Education.

Journey to excellence

In 2015, LASALLE became the first home-grown Singaporean institution to be awarded the coveted EduTrust Star by the SkillsFuture Singapore Agency, the highest accolade of quality for a private education institution in Singapore. The College was awarded a second consecutive EduTrust Star in 2019.

LASALLE’s honour roll of awards locally and regionally includes wins at the National Youth Film Awards, Asia Young Designer Awards and Harper’s Bazaar Asia NewGen Fashion Award. LASALLE students have also proven that they are the cream of the crop overseas, with nominations at the Student Academy Awards and Yugo BAFTA Student Film Awards, as well as wins in the Cannes Future Lions, Design & Art Direction (D&AD) Awards, The Young Ones and Red Dot Design Awards.

As a leading contemporary institution, committed to the development of arts and design in Singapore, LASALLE has pioneered many new degree programmes:
• The first MA Asian Art Histories programme in the world
• The first MA Art Therapy programme in Southeast Asia
• The first MA Creative Writing programme in Singapore and Southeast Asia
• The first MA Arts and Ecology programme in Singapore and Southeast Asia
• The first MA Music Therapy programme in Singapore
• The only MA Arts Pedagogy and Practice programme in Singapore
• The first BA (Hons) Art Histories and Curatorial Practices: Asia and the World in Singapore and Southeast Asia
• The first and only Musical Theatre BA (Hons) programme in Singapore
• The first BA (Hons) Film programme in Singapore

To enrich the learning experience, renowned artists and designers are invited throughout the year to lecture and perform on campus. Distinguished visitors have included Tory Burch, Domee Shi, Diane von Furstenberg, Victoria Beckham, Karim Rashid, Thomas Heatherwick, Gilbert & George, Robert Wilson, Lord David Puttnam, Stelarc, Frank Stella, Loretta Livingston, Terence O’ Connell and many others.

An inspiring learning and teaching environment

LASALLE’s award-winning McNally Campus has many well-equipped theatres, studios and ensemble spaces to accommodate a broad spectrum of event and exhibition needs. It houses 1,500 square metres of gallery space managed by the Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore, the curatorial division of the College. A diverse programme of exhibitions, projects, publications and events engages local and international audiences in critical viewing and discussion.

LASALLE alumni are recognised as leaders in their field, with many being recipients of the Cultural Medallion and Young Artist Awards – Singapore’s highest honours for artists. Some of LASALLE’s notable alumni include:
• Amanda Heng, recipient of the Cultural Medallion
• Boo Junfeng, filmmaker
• Kit Chan, singer and actress
• Natalie Hennedige, festival director for the Singapore International Festival of Arts 2021–2023
• PHUNK, contemporary art and design collective
• Shubigi Rao, the first solo female artist to represent Singapore at the Venice Biennale in 2022
• Sven Tan, designer and co-founder of local label In Good Company
• Yuni Hadi, former Executive Director of the Singapore International Film Festival

Updated September 2025