Governor's School Application Information

Students

• Only students who are residents of Arkansas and who are presently in junior classes at a public or private high school or are homeschooled are eligible to be nominated to apply. Students who plan to graduate from high school before attending Arkansas Governor's School (AGS) are NOT eligible to be nominated or apply. 
• Applicants MUST be willing to commit to the entire AGS program (see session dates). Students who wish to attend other activities that run concurrent to AGS should not apply. 
• Students should have demonstrated 
  • creativitiy in academic or creative field,
  • above average ability in the nominated discipline area, 
  • a high degree of self-motivation required to satisfy the program's demanding requirements
  • the intellectual, social, and emotional maturity required to thrive in an environment that emphasizes theoretical and process-related learning. 

Eligible students must be nominated by their school to attend Arkansas Governor's School (AGS). Students should contact their school counselor or G T coordinator. Homeschooled students may be nominated by their parents. Please check ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS prior to requesting nomination/application. Nominated/eligible students will recieve an email from AGS containing pertinent application information. CLICK HERE for School Nomination Instructions. 

IMPORTANT: Students are expected to attend the ENTIRE program (see session dates). Students who participate in other programs or activities that run concurrent to AGS should NOT apply. 

Nominated students will recieve an application invitation from AGS. Once this invitation is received students have until February 10th to submit their application. Supporting documentation such as the School Evaluation Form, Test Score Form, Transcript, and Teacher Recommendation(s) are submitted by the school no later than February 10th. It is the student's responsibility to ensure all documents have been received by AGS.  

Quality applications take time. Please begin your application early and commit adequate time to complete it. 

The application process requires the student follow several steps. Each student should be prepared to present:

• General biographical information
• First and second choice (if applicable) of content area (Choral Music, Development Engineering, Drama, English/Language Arts, Instrumental Music, Mathematics, Natural Science, Social Science, and Visual Arts). Students can submit an application in one or two content areas. Applying in a second area can increase the odds of getting accepted, but students will only attend AGS in one content area. Students should be prepared to attend in either content area. You must attend in the area in which you are accepted You cannot switch to a different content area. 
• Siginificant achievements, award, or accomplishments in the past two years.
• School and/or community projects in which the students has participated demonstrating commitment to tasks. 
• Student Essay
• Content Area Essay
• Name and address of a teacher in each content area for which you are applying. The teacher(s) will be sent an email requesting them to complete an online recommendation. If you are applying in two content areas, you should identify two different teachers for your recommendations. In addition, you should not list the counselor or GT teacher who nominated you. It needs to be a teacher within (or related to) the content area for which you are applying. Students applying in Development Engineering can have a science or mathematics teacher complete the nomination. 
• Audition video for students applying in Choral Music, Drama, Instrumental Music, or Visual Arts. Instructions for preparing the audition video can be found HERE.

Students have the opportunity to review their application before hitting submit. Please take the time to ensure all of your information is accurate and complete. Once the student is satisified, they must click on "Submit" to complete the application process. Must be submitted before the application deadline. 

Students should follow-up with their teacher to make sure the recommendation request email was received and the recommendation was submitted. Remember, it is ultimately the student's responsibility to ensure all application materials are received for the selection committee to review.

• October 15, 2024 - Nomination/Application open.
  • Pre-recorded Webinar of Student Application Information
• February 10, 2025 - Student application material due. 
• February 14, 2025 - Teacher Recommendation, School Evaluation Form, Test Score Form, and Transcript due. 
• March 30, 2025 (or sooner) - Selection results sent to school and applicants. Please check your inbox, spam and junk mail folders throughly for official email. MAKE SURE to complete and the acceptance form if you plan to attend. You have not officially acceptance unless you return this form. 
• May 2, 2025 - Attendance confirmation deadline.