Pennsylvania Governor's School for the SciencesPGSS

PGSS at a Glance

Host

A Pennsylvania Department of Education program held at Carnegie Mellon University, with funding and support from the nonprofit PGSS Campaign, Inc.

Field

College-level lectures and labs in biology, chemistry, mathematics, computer science and physics, with an emphasis on cooperative learning and hands-on laboratory research

Grades and age

High school juniors at the time of the application deadline, attending in the summer between 11th and 12th grade

Citizenship and residency

Pennsylvania residents only, from public, nonpublic or private schools or homeschooled; no citizenship requirement is listed. California students cannot apply.

Cost

All admitted students receive full scholarships covering housing, meals and all instructional materials; families pay for transportation, personal items and spending money.

Dates and format

Five weeks living on the Carnegie Mellon campus in Pittsburgh. The 2026 program ran June 21 to July 25, and the 2027 program runs June 27 to July 31.

Application dates

The 2027 application opens in October 2026 and closes January 31, 2027 at 11:59 pm Eastern; teacher and counselor references are due by the same time, and PGSS asks letter writers to upload by January 29. In the 2025 cycle, applications were reviewed through March and decisions were sent by May 1.

Application materials

A personal information form; a summary of science-related activities and awards; a summary of other activities and awards; a narrative essay introducing the applicant and explaining why they want to attend; a topical essay on a significant influence on their interest in science or an achievement they are most proud of; two letters from teachers in different PGSS core subjects (biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, physics); and a letter from the school counselor.

Size and selectivity

A January 2025 Pennsylvania Department of Education notice says 72 students would be selected for the 2025 program. Admission is merit-based, with at least one qualified student accepted from each Intermediate Unit. Application counts and an admission rate are not published.

Verified against official pages on 2026-10-06 · cmu.edu/mcs/pgss/3-apply/index.html

How to Apply to PGSS

• PGSS accepts only Pennsylvania residents, so Irvine students cannot apply. California has no program called a Governor's School; the closest is COSMOS, created by state law and open only to California students, with a 2027 deadline of February 5.
• The two teacher letters must come from different core subjects, such as one chemistry teacher and one math teacher. Pennsylvania students should choose recommenders in the fall of junior year and ask them to upload by January 29.
• The application summarizes science activities and awards separately. Pennsylvania students can gather competition, research and science extracurricular experience early and build the topical essay around one specific event.