Governor's Schools of Excellence

The Pennsylvania Governor's School of Excellence are summer residential programs committed to meeting the educational needs of artistically or academically talented high school students, including the gifted, through five-week long summer residential programs on college campuses.

These programs offer selected students from across the state the opportunity to enrich their knowledge in the fields of:

• the arts (visual arts, creative writing, dance, music, and theater)
• agricultural sciences (life and environmental sciences)
• health care (medical, social, psychological, and professional issues)
• international studies (foreign languages, geography, history, economics, negotiations, cultures and societies)
• the sciences (chemistry, biology, physics, discrete mathematics, computer science)
• education (educational psychology, learning styles, social foundations of education, school design, teaching strategies)
• agricultural sciences (environmental studies, genetic engineering, water quality, robotics)
  

An emphasis is placed on leadership training and the encouragement to develop service projects in local communities. Students are provided with career and college guidance and information about scholarship opportunities for the future.

Students in grades 10 and 11 at the time of making application are eligible to apply to the school of arts, agricultural sciences, and education. Students in grade 11 only may apply to the school of health care, international studies, or the sciences.

The selection processes are highly competitive. Any student who wants to apply may do so providing the following eligibility requisites are met:

• the student's family resides full-time in Pennsylvania
• the student is in the appropriate grade level for application to a given program
• the student cannot apply to more than two Governor's Schools a year
• the student must not have previously attended a Pennsylvania Governor's School of Excellence
• the student, if accepting an invitation to attend a program, intends to be in residence for the full 35-day program.

Room, board, tuition, cost of instructional materials, and program activities are provided to all students selected to attend. Families are responsible for covering health care costs, transportation to and from the program, spending money, and a residential life deposit (returned if keys, linens, dormitory, and library books are left in order).

Click here to learn more about Pennsylvania Governor's School of Excellence program.