Student nominations are now being accepted for the 2025 Arkansas
Governor’s School (AGS) to be held at Arkansas Tech University in
Russellville, Arkansas from Sunday, July 6 - Saturday, August 2, 2025. Arkansas
Governor's School is a four-week summer residential program for rising high
school seniors. The 2025 AGS is operated by Arkansas Tech University through a
grant funded by the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE), Division of
Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and is supervised by the DESE Office
of Gifted and Talented Education.
AGS is designed to give students the opportunity to
develop and expand their powers to conceptualize, to theorize, and to explore
the latest progress and problems of various academic and artistic fields. The
curriculum focuses on contemporary topics and issues and encourages a spirit of
inquiry. Tuition, room, board, and instructional supplies are furnished for
students from funds appropriated by the Arkansas General Assembly. Students are
responsible for travel to and from Russellville and for any personal
expenses.
Only students who are residents of Arkansas and who are
presently in junior classes at public or private high schools or who are
home-schooled are eligible for nomination. Nominees should have
demonstrated:
- creativity
in academic or creative fields,
- above
average ability in the areas(s) of nomination,
- a
high degree of self-motivation required to satisfy the program’s demanding
requirements, and
- the
intellectual, social, and emotional maturity needed to thrive in an
environment that emphasizes theoretical and process-related
learning.
Schools are urged to nominate the most qualified students
while keeping three things in mind:
- Nomination
is not equivalent to selection.
- Only
those students who meet the criteria outlined in the AGS program
information and who evidence a sincere interest in attending the entire
four-week session should be considered.
- Students
should be considered for nomination regardless of socioeconomic status,
cultural or language differences.
Students must be nominated by their local high schools, or
parents in the case of home-schooled students, and are selected by the State
Student Selection Committee designated by DESE. Principals and counselors
should notify all students who express interest in attending AGS whether the
school is submitting their nomination to the State Student Selection Committee.
The committee works to ensure that every area of the state is represented. All
nominated students will be notified by mid-March whether they have been
selected to attend.
Detailed instructions on the nomination process for the
2025 Arkansas Governor’s School can be found at www.atu.edu/ags/apply.php.
- Student
application materials due Monday, February 10, 2025
- School
recommendation materials due Friday, February 14, 2025
Schools interested in having someone talk to juniors about
AGS should contact the Arkansas Governor's School at 479-356-2037 or ags@atu.edu. Additional
information is available at www.atu.edu/ags.