NC Governor's School

The Governor's School of North Carolina is a multi-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 it does not involve credit, tests, or grades.


What do students say about Governor's School? Their answers speak for themselves!


Each public school unit or non-public school can nominate sophomores and juniors to the state level for a competitive selection process. In Transylvania County Schools, students do not need to have an AIG designation to apply. Transylvania County Schools' nomination process is outlined below.


Note: to be nominated by TCS, students must complete the local application process by the local application deadline.



1. TCS annually establishes its potential candidate pool
  • Teachers, counselors, and/or departments suggest potential candidates
  • The AIG coordinator screens the entire sophomore & junior class EOC, PreACT, and ACT scores for additional potential candidates
  • All potential candidates must be in top 50% of their graduating class and have a 3.0 GPA or higher

2. Potential candidates and their parents/guardians are contacted about eligibility
  • Potential candidates & parents/guardians should attend Governor's School evening meeting or webinar
  • Potential candidates must attend local information meeting during I&E or Supervised Study to receive application and letter of recommendation links. 
  • If you cannot attend, contact the AIG Coordinator to make other arrangements.

3. Students complete the official application & solicit 2 letters of recommendation

  • Application includes 2 essays, a resume, and two mini-essays.
  • Application must be completed electronically & submitted through Google Class.
  • Letters of recommendation must be completed on the official Governor's School form & be submitted directly to the AIG Coordinator.
  • The AIG Coordinator will host candidate support sessions during I&E or Supervised Study.

4. The local selection committee nominates up to 4 academic candidates, 1 world languages candidate, and up to 8 arts candidates to represent TCS in state-level considerations
  • Nominees and non-selected students are informed of the local results on or before the state application deadline.
  • Arts nominees will receive detailed instructions from the state level about portfolio or audition requirements.

5. The state-level committee invites its choice of selected nominees to attend Governor's School.
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