Application Process
Submitting an application
Applications are due (postmarked) by February 1 of the student's sophomore year. Download an application packet here or call the Admissions Office at 843-383-3944. Students who receive application packets will receive periodic mailings to keep them informed of all deadlines and activities pertaining to their application.
To complete the application, students will need to take the ACT, PSAT or SAT before January of their sophomore year. Applicants will also need to provide an official high school transcript and three written recommendations. A prospective student must be a legal resident of the state of South Carolina.
What GSSM looks for in an application
GSSM is highly selective, which means that everything is important, including all the classes students have taken and the grades they have made. The process also takes into consideration class rank, standardized test scores, recommendations, and extracurricular activities. The School considers not only aptitude, but also proven performance and demonstrated interest in science and mathematics.
Most applicants will have completed geometry, algebra I and II, a lab science, a year of foreign language, and English II by the end of their sophomore year. PSAT/SAT scores of students attending GSSM typically range from 1000 to 1500. The grade point average (unweighted) generally ranges between 3.5 and 5.4.
Alternate List
The number of students appointed to attend GSSM each year is determined by the School's residence hall capacity of 128 students. An additional group of students is identified for an alternate list. Appointments are extended to students from the alternate list if space becomes available and the number varies from year to year.
Proficiency Testing
Applications are due (postmarked) by February 1 of the student's sophomore year. Download an application packet here or call the Admissions Office at 843-383-3944. Students who receive application packets will receive periodic mailings to keep them informed of all deadlines and activities pertaining to their application.
To complete the application, students will need to take the ACT, PSAT or SAT before January of their sophomore year. Applicants will also need to provide an official high school transcript and three written recommendations. A prospective student must be a legal resident of the state of South Carolina.
What GSSM looks for in an application
GSSM is highly selective, which means that everything is important, including all the classes students have taken and the grades they have made. The process also takes into consideration class rank, standardized test scores, recommendations, and extracurricular activities. The School considers not only aptitude, but also proven performance and demonstrated interest in science and mathematics.
Most applicants will have completed geometry, algebra I and II, a lab science, a year of foreign language, and English II by the end of their sophomore year. PSAT/SAT scores of students attending GSSM typically range from 1000 to 1500. The grade point average (unweighted) generally ranges between 3.5 and 5.4.
Alternate List
The number of students appointed to attend GSSM each year is determined by the School's residence hall capacity of 128 students. An additional group of students is identified for an alternate list. Appointments are extended to students from the alternate list if space becomes available and the number varies from year to year.
Proficiency Testing
All students appointed to attend the South Carolina Governor's School for Science and Mathematics are required to complete a proficiency test in mathematics prior to registration. The results are used for the correct course placement in the math curriculum. Date and time will be provided with the decision letter.
And after graduation?
GSSM graduates have attended colleges and universities throughout the country. Approximately half attend South Carolina colleges and universities. The rest go out of state to such prestigious institutions as MIT, Duke, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Carnegie Mellon, Georgia Tech, Cal Tech, Cornell, Stanford, and many, many more....
While graduating from the Governor's School does not guarantee students will receive a scholarship, the class of 2007 amassed scholarship offers in excess of $9.2 million! Traditionally, many of these graduates have been National Merit winners.
Fees
And after graduation?
GSSM graduates have attended colleges and universities throughout the country. Approximately half attend South Carolina colleges and universities. The rest go out of state to such prestigious institutions as MIT, Duke, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Carnegie Mellon, Georgia Tech, Cal Tech, Cornell, Stanford, and many, many more....
While graduating from the Governor's School does not guarantee students will receive a scholarship, the class of 2007 amassed scholarship offers in excess of $9.2 million! Traditionally, many of these graduates have been National Merit winners.
Fees
As a state public high school, the Governor's School does not charge tuition, but does have a $1,125 fee for each student to cover food. Financial aid is available, and no student is denied entrance based on the inability to pay the fee. Except for day-to-day expenses, a refundable damage deposit, and student activity fee, the remainder of the costs are covered by the state and by gifts from generous corporations and individuals who contribute money and materials to the Governor's School Foundation.
