The North Carolina Governor's School is a 4-week summer residential program for gifted and talented high school students, integrating academic disciplines, the arts, and unique courses on each of two campuses. The curriculum focuses on the exploration of the most recent ideas and concepts in each discipline, and does not involve credit, tests, or grades.

The 2025 Student Application, and Recommendation Form are all now available on the Governor’s School website as well as attached to this email.  State nominations are due by close of business on Friday, December 13, 2024.  ECPS' deadline is Monday, December 2nd.

STUDENT ELIGIBILITY

To apply for Governor’s School, a student must: 

• Be a North Carolina resident,

  • Exchange students are not eligible. 

  • Students attending a NC federal high school, regardless of residency, are eligible to apply if they meet the other eligibility requirements.

• Attend a North Carolina public or non-public school, and 

• Be enrolled in Grade 11 at the time of nomination. Exceptions are made to allow for students in tenth and eleventh grades in Dance, Choral Music, and Instrumental Music. 

• Students applying in Spanish must have completed at least three high school Spanish courses prior to attending GS or be a fluent Spanish speaker. If a student earned high school credit for a Spanish course taken in middle school, this can count as one of the three required courses.

 To be eligible to apply to the NC Governor’s School, a student must meet at least one of the criteria listed below: 

• Cumulative unweighted GPA of 3.25 or higher;  

or

• Cumulative weighted GPA of 3.5 or higher;  

or

• Score of 4 or higher on an NC End of Course assessment; 

or

• Score of 3 or higher on an Advanced Placement exam; 

or

• Grade of B or higher in a Career College Promise course on the Comprehensive Articulation Agreement, or a University Course;

or

• Minimum composite score of 19 on the Pre-ACT/ACT or a minimum score of 1010 on the PSAT/SAT;

or

• Minimum score of 90th percentile on aptitude assessment (composite or subtest).

STUDENT APPLICATION SUMMARY

• STEP ONE: Contact your school/school counselor regarding eligibility and local application/nomination processes and deadlines. 

• STEP TWO: Complete and turn in the Student Application at your local school, not to the NC Governor’s School office. Download the application form from the Governor’s School website (www.ncgovschool.org) and complete it electronically. The application is composed of the sections detailed below: 

  • Basic Information & Nomination Discipline: Double check that all information is accurate and spelled correctly.

  • Essay and Discipline-Specific Task: All students will answer one essay question. Students applying in one of the academic areas will have a second essay to complete, each in response to a prompt specific to their discipline. Students applying in one of the arts areas will complete an audition for their area of nomination. Students applying in Spanish will complete a second essay and a speaking component. 

  • Personal Readiness: This form is where you list your recent school/community activities and awards and reflect on those that are most important to you. It is also where you describe what makes you ready for a summer residential experience in a collaborative learning community.

  • Student and Parent/Guardian Attestation: The student and a parent or guardian will sign to verify statements, including that they have read and understood the information provided in this Family Overview.

• STEP THREE: Obtain two Recommendations. Review the official Recommendation Form from the Governor’s School website and ask adults who can attest to your academic/arts strengths, personal character, and readiness for the Governor’s School experience to complete the form on your behalf. These adults will need to complete the recommendation electronically and submit the completed form to your Governor’s School Coordinator. 

  • Family members may not complete, read, nor submit recommendations. 

  • At least one recommendation must be from one of your high school teachers in your nominated discipline. If a nomination-discipline teacher is not available, choose another teacher. The second can be from another teacher, a school counselor or administrator, or an out-of-school instructor, coach, or community leader who knows you well enough to complete the form accurately.

  • Recommenders are to download the Recommendation Form from the Governor’s School website and complete it electronically. 

    • Upon completion, the recommender should send it electronically directly to the appropriate local school official, NOT to the NC Governor’s School office. Neither you nor your parents should receive nor review the recommendation. 

    • Only two Recommendation Forms will be accepted. No other documents (e.g., substitute letters, additional recommendations, etc.) will be accepted.

• STEP FOUR:

Follow up with your school counselor to ensure all materials are submitted. The school will add your official high school transcript to your application materials.

STUDENT APPLICATION CHECKLIST

Since review guides are not to be shared with students, a separate resource was created that students can use to review their own application and essays before submitting them to CO. The 

Student Checklist and Application Review Guide

 walks students through steps to ensure their application is complete, and all questions about essays were created based on the rubrics in the review guides. You are welcome to share this document with students.

OVERALL TIMELINE 2024-2025

• September 2024: Applications are released to Governor’s School Coordinators. 

• November December 2024: Local deadlines for local selection process. Check with your school counselor in the fall for the dates of this deadline. 

• December 2. 2024: ECPS deadline for application submission.

• December 13, 2024: State deadline for local nominations from all districts, charters and non-public schools. 

• Early March: Selection notifications are sent to Governor’s School Coordinators to distribute.  

• April 2025: Selected students will notify the NC Department of Public Instruction of their decision to accept or decline the invitation to attend the NC Governor’s School. 

• Mid-June, 2025 (tentative date: June 22): Students arrive for the first day of the NC Governor’s School Session. 

• mid-July, 2025 (tentative date: July 19):