Summer Residential Governor’s Schools

Good afternoon, ACC students and families!

Each summer, the state of Virginia offers several highly competitive Summer Residential Governor’s School (SRGS) programs to provide rising high school juniors and seniors with intensive educational experiences in Visual and Performing Arts; Humanities; Agriculture; Medicine and Health Sciences; Mathematics, Science, and Technology; or through mentorships in Marine Science or Engineering. You can find extensive information about these summer programs, as well as links to each application, on the VDOE website, and videos with scenes from the 2025 summer programs here.

NEXT STEPS: If you are interested in learning more about the 2026 SRGS programs, please complete this Google Form, which will allow your school’s Advanced Academics Coach, Kristin Johns, to contact you with more information and invite you to join the SRGS Canvas Course, which includes everything you need to know about the SRGS application process, as well as step-by-step instructions.

If you plan to apply for the VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS Program…

A successful application for the Governor’s School for VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS (VPA) requires a preliminary District-Level Adjudication, which will be submitted via the SRGS Canvas Course. This local audition will determine whether students move on to a State-Level Adjudication, which may ultimately earn them a place at the SRGS. All VPA candidates should read pages 16-22 of the Student Handbook for specific information about what must be included in this audition.

Only STATE-SELECTED VPA candidates will complete the following steps:

• Complete the VPA Application, which includes
  • Demographic Information about the Student and the School
  • Two Teacher Recommendations
  • Assurances and Acknowledgements

DISTRICT LEVEL ARTS SUBMISSIONS must be submitted in Canvas on or before Wednesday, November 12, 2025 at 11:59 PM.

If you plan to apply for one of the ACADEMIC Programs…

A successful application for any ACADEMIC Governor’s School requires students to complete the following steps:

• Choose ONE area (Marine Science Mentorship, Humanities, Math-Science-Technology, Engineering Mentorship, Medicine/Health Science, or Agriculture) in which you would like to apply.
• Complete the Application, which includes
  • Demographic Information about the Student and the School
  • Two Essays
  • Two Teacher Recommendations
  • Assurances and Acknowledgements

ACADEMIC APPLICATIONS and supplemental materials are due on or before January 16, 2026 at 11:59 PM. Students interested in the Governor’s World Language Academies should contact their world language teacher.

IMPORTANT DATES:

• Preliminary District-Level ARTS auditions should be uploaded to the Canvas Course on or before Tuesday, November 12, 2025 at 11:59 PM.
• Selected VPA candidates will submit their State-Level ARTS auditions between Wednesday, December 3, 2025 and Wednesday, January 14, 2026 through the Opus Event platform, as instructed by the VDOE.
• Completed ARTS applications, including Teacher Recommendations, must be submitted to the Canvas Course on or before Friday, January 16, 2026 at 11:59 PM.
• Completed ACADEMIC applications, including Teacher Recommendations, must be submitted to the Canvas Course on or before Friday, January 16, 2026 at 11:59 PM.

We know this process can be confusing, and we are here to help! Please reach out to me with any questions about this process.

Sincerely,

Ms. Kristin Johns

[email protected]