Governor's Honors Academy (GHA)

GHA 2026 Updates and Application

In 1984, Gov. John D. Rockefeller, IV, started West Virginia’s first Governor’s School, the GHA. The GHA is a project birthed through partnerships among education, business, and state government leaders. The GHA is a three-week summer residential program whose mission is to stimulate and support excellence in education for rising high school seniors in West Virginia. Approximately 175 academically driven students are selected through a rigorous application process. The program is funded by the State Legislature as requested by the Governor. State funds provide tuition, room, board, and instructional materials for each student on the site of a residential college campus.

As a non-credit program seeking to create a unique setting for select students, the GHA provides an atmosphere impossible to sustain in ordinary academic settings. The excitement of intellectual and artistic pursuits and the expectation of significant conceptual gains permeate all aspects of the experience. The curriculum serves as a unique supplement to the standard high school curriculum. The program is not an acceleration of high school or an expectancy of college curricula. Students are led to explore cutting-edge theories in the arts and sciences and develop a greater understanding of how art, culture, and knowledge change with time. Students are challenged with developing creative and intellectual skills critical to their placement as productive citizens of our communities.

The GHA has been hosted at West Virginia Wesleyan College, Shepherd College (now University), Marshall University, Concord University, West Virginia State College, Bethany College, Fairmont State University, and West Virginia University. West Virginia University will host the GHA through 2027.

Where

When

2026 GHA Theme

The 2026 West Virginia Governor’s Honors Academy (GHA) at West Virginia University will allow students to explore this year’s theme: West Virginia - Wild & Wonderful in a Remote World. Students will investigate how the digital age is bringing Appalachia to the world and the world to Appalachia. How do young scholars and citizens of this wonderful state want to capitalize on the ways technology has made the world more accessible while honoring our Appalachian culture? GHA Scholars will lead the way to show us!.

School and County Information

The GHA requires high schools and county boards of education to recruit and assist students during the application window. The school counselor should not be the only individual involved in recruitment. Please use the flyer attached below to share this information in classrooms and with teachers who may be able to promote the program.

High School Responsibilities

• Inform all qualifying students of their eligibility. Speak with students about the merit of GHA. If students within the school attended last year, please have them speak to prospective students.
• Inform students of the application.
• Communicate with the county contact about deadlines to ensure students from the high school have submitted their applications with sufficient time for the school counselor to scan documents and make selections to the county.
• The school counselor must scan student applications as PDF files and establish a committee to determine who will be nominated by the principal. The principal must sign the recommendation form and scan it as a PDF. All PDF student applications and the principal recommendation are sent electronically to the county contact. Each county will have its own deadline for schools. The state deadline for counties to submit their recommendations to the WVDE is Friday, April 3, 2026.
• The school counselor must print transcripts and first-semester student grades when they ask as required in the application.

Download the Principal Recommendation Form [PDF]

County Contact Responsibilities

• Establish a county deadline for schools to submit PDF files of student applications and principal recommendations for consideration at the county level. The state submission deadline for county superintendent recommendations is Friday, April 3, 2026.
• Share the PDF flyers with all middle and high school principals and counselors to post and share with students and parents.
• The county contact must convene a county selection committee to select two students (male or female) for GHA. Additional nominations may be made based on information within the superintendent’s recommendation form. Please plan accordingly.
• The county contact should complete the superintendent’s recommendation form, ask the superintendent to sign it, and scan it into a PDF file. Please submit the PDF file and the PDF student applications of the nominated students to the state file upload folder.
• Please label the PDF as the county name and 2024 GHA Superintendent Recommendations (i.e. Pocahontas_2024GHA_Superintendent_Recommendations)
• State Submission Folder

Download the Superintendent Recommendation Form [PDF]

Apply Online

Thank you for your interest in GHA. Please review the qualifications listed below before completing this part of the application.

Required Qualifications

1. Must be a current high school student in West Virginia with plans to attend next school year.
2. Must be a West Virginia resident.
3. Must be a junior at the time of application.
4. Must not graduate before January 2027.
5. Must have a grade point average of at least 3.5 or be in the top 10% of the class.
6. Must not have transcribed grades below a C.
7. Must satisfy all immunization requirements according to the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR). Non-public school and homeschooled students must provide proof of immunizations.

Preferred Qualifications

1. Achieve a composite score at or above the 90th percentile on the PSAT, SAT, or another standardized test OR
2. Attain a score of three (3) or higher on an AP exam.

The school counselor must be involved in the application process for GHA. Please provide sufficient time for school personnel to secure the required documents for the application.

Within the application, students must acquire one teacher recommendation. Please provide sufficient notice to teachers before applying.

Application Part I

We recommend collecting all required documents within the application before starting the online form. We do not accept PDF versions of Part I. Please submit this part online only.

You can download and print the PDF version of Part I of the application to prepare your answers before starting the online form

Part I goes directly to the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE). Students must complete this part of the application below before starting Part II.

Important: Once you have all the required signatures and supporting documents, please scan all documents into one PDF file and electronically submit it to the school counselor for review by the school selection committee. Once the PDF is submitted to the school counselor, the application process is complete for the student.

The state deadline for applications from the county superintendent is Friday, April 3, 2026. The school and county will have established deadlines to provide time for review of applications before making selections and sending their recommendations to the WVDE. Please check with the school counselor or principal to determine the deadline to submit Part II.

Apply Online

Application Part II

Part II of the application requires students to type information within the PDF and print pages to be completed by the school counselor and principal.

Important: Once you have all the required signatures and supporting documents, please scan all documents into one PDF file and electronically submit it to the school counselor for review by the school selection committee. Once the PDF is submitted to the school counselor, the application process is complete for the student.

The state deadline for applications from the county superintendent is Friday, April 3, 2026. The school and county will have established deadlines to provide time for review of applications before making selections and sending their recommendations to the WVDE. Please check with the school counselor or principal to determine the deadline to submit Part II.

Parent Information

Drop Off and Pickup

Please be advised, parents are required to drop off students on July 11 and pick up students on July 25 at West Virginia University in Morgantown.

Handbook

The 2025 GHA Handbook is available for students and parents to review to familiarize families to the general expectations of the program. The 2026 handbook will be posted in the spring. 

The West Virginia Department of Education maintains a Facebook page to showcase students during each school. Please visit the page to view all the exciting activities going on throughout the summer.

Jobs

The GHA employs both faculty and residential employees to accomplish the mission and goals of the program. These positions are considered part-time and require specific qualifications.

Resident Director

Required qualifications:

• Must have a background check on file with the university.
• Must have leadership experience on a college or university campus.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Must hold an earned degree from an accredited college or university.
• Must have experience as a resident assistant.

Resident Assistant

Required qualifications:

• Must have a background check on file with the university.
• Must have leadership experience on a college or university campus.

Faculty

Required qualifications:

• Must have a background check on file with the university.
• Must hold a bachelor’s degree and 3 years teaching experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

• A master’s or doctoral degree and 3 years of teaching experience.

Questions

If you are interested in any of these positions, please contact the GHA deans for an application:

• Dr. Yoav Kaddar (yoav.kaddar@mail.wvu.edu)
• Dr Ken Blemings (kblemings@mail.wvu.edu)