New Jersey Governor's School in the Sciences (NJGSS)

The New Jersey Governor's School in the Sciences (NJGSS) is a free three-week residential summer program at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, for New Jersey high school juniors, who attend the summer before senior year. Scholars live on campus and take part in college-level science study and research. Each scholar takes three core courses in areas such as neurobiology, cell biology, physics, chemistry, mathematics and anthropology, plus one laboratory course. Three afternoons a week go to small-team research projects under faculty guidance, and teams present results at a closing scientific meeting. Evening speakers, a career day and weekend activities round out the program, which gives no grades or credit. Tuition, room, board and books are covered by sponsors and the State of New Jersey; scholars pay personal expenses. The 2026 program ran July 12 to August 1.

Applicants must be New Jersey residents in their junior year of high school, including students at private schools and New Jersey residents attending school in another state. Students must be nominated by their high school, which may nominate one to three students depending on the size of its junior class. Candidates should have mostly A grades in honors math and science and strong PSAT or SAT scores. The application includes a student information form, two essays, recommendation letters from a science teacher and a math teacher, transcripts and test scores, submitted by the school between mid-November and mid-January. Decisions arrive by email in early April.