APPLY TO
THE GOVERNOR'S
STEM SCHOLARS.
The Governor's STEM Scholars provides high-achieving New Jersey STEM students in grades 10 through doctoral level with an introduction to the state's vast STEM economy to retain that talent in the state.
APPLICATIONS
NOW
OPEN.
The Governor’s STEM Scholars application for the 2024-2025 Class is now open.
The Governor’s STEM Scholars is provided at no cost to participants. It is open to New Jersey-based students who will be entering 10th grade in the Fall of 2024 through doctoral level, who have a proven passion for STEM, and a GPA of 3.5 or higher. The application will close at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, June 14, 2024. All applicants will be notified by September 2, 2024 of their status.
Applicants are required to complete an application, including essay questions, and to submit a 60 second video, a current school transcript, and an optional letter of recommendation. Please see all the application questions here.
New Jersey Based Students.
NOMINATE A SCHOLAR.
Do you know a great high school or college STEM student? Nominate them for the 2024-2025 Governor's STEM Scholars. After you share their name and email and we will get in touch about the application process.
New Jersey Based Students.
Grades 10th Through Doctoral Level.
GPA of 3.5 or Higher.
Passion for STEM.
RESEARCH.
All Governor’s STEM Scholars will participate in a research/engineering design project during the 2024-2025 programmatic year. Utilizing a UN sustainability goal as a guidepost, Scholars - working in teams - will design a solution that will impact their local community, and will create a strategy, prototype, and outreach plan for this solution. Scholars will present their projects to our panel of STEM industry professionals at the Governor’s STEM Scholars Commencement. All Scholars will be expected to contribute between 5-10 hours of group work between each scheduled conference.
For undergraduate- and graduate-level applicants only: College-level Scholars will serve as Team Leads for these projects and will be responsible for guiding and mentoring their team through all strategies, deadlines and deliverables. Team Leads will receive a $1,000 stipend for completing all required aspects of the Governor’s STEM Scholars program and project.
This is a unique opportunity for college students to gain research leadership experience outside of the classroom.
Team Leads will be expected to:
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Attend four in-person Governor’s STEM Scholars conferences, plus additional virtual Team Lead meetings;
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Lead and mentor a team of high school students in designing and implementing the research/engineering design project;
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Motivate Scholars to complete project tasks;
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Manage team members’ time and activities, schedule team meetings, assign duties;
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Communicate and report to team members and Governor’s STEM Scholars staff;
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Support team members in the development of project deliverables such as a research report, creation of a prototype, and presentation at Governor’s STEM Scholars commencement; and
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Manage project budget if needed.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
The Governor’s STEM Scholars is committed to diversity, inclusion and belonging and to providing a welcoming environment for all Scholars. The Governor’s STEM Scholars seeks out and uplifts applications from students with diverse backgrounds, including but not limited to diverse ethnicities, races, religions, sexual orientations, gender identities, socio-economic backgrounds, locations, abilities, and more.
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What is the Governor’s STEM Scholars?The Governor’s STEM Scholars is an innovative public-private partnership among the Research & Development Council of New Jersey, the New Jersey Office of the Governor, the New Jersey Department of Education, the New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education, and the state’s leading public and private research organizations. The Governor’s STEM Scholars provides participants with an introduction to the state’s vast STEM economy through quarterly conferences, field trips, master classes, research and engineering design project, and more.
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When are the Governor’s STEM Scholars Conferences?The Governor’s STEM Scholars holds conferences on Saturdays four times during the academic year - typically one each in September/October, December/January, February/March and May. Exact dates and times will be provided to the Scholars as soon as they become available.
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Where are the Governor’s STEM Scholars Conferences?Conferences are held at institutions of higher education throughout the state. In the past, conferences have been held at Rutgers University New Brunswick, Rowan University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Stevens Institute of Technology, Kean University, Princeton University, and Montclair State University, among others.
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What does a typical Governor’s STEM Scholars Conference look like?While each conference has varying agendas, they all provide the Scholars with the opportunity to learn from and engage with some of the state’s highest achieving STEM professionals. An example of a previous STEM in Academia Conference can be found here.
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What other activities are available to Governor’s STEM Scholars?Optional field trips and research institution site visits, master classes, and fireside chats with STEM professionals will be scheduled throughout the programmatic year.
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What are the requirements for graduation of the program?Scholars must attend all four conferences and participate in the research and engineering design project – either as a team lead or team member.
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How much does the Governor’s STEM Scholars cost?The Governor’s STEM Scholars is provided at no cost to participants of the program. It is completely funded through the generous support of private industry sponsors and in-kind donations from academic and government partners.
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What is the attendance policy?The Governor’s STEM Scholars has a strict attendance policy. In order to graduate, a Scholar must attend the entirety of all four Conferences and participate fully in the research and engineering design project.
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Will I be able to pick which research project I work on?No. Research teams will be designed using a number of internal criteria, including project needs, geography, experience level, and more. We cannot accommodate requests for research groups.
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Is transportation provided?Transportation is not provided. However, we encourage carpooling. If transportation is an issue, please reach out to us at info@govstemscholars.com before the start of the program so we can accommodate your travel needs.
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I have additional questions, who can I reach out to?The Governor’s STEM Scholars will host open sessions to learn more about the program. Please check the calendar on this page for the dates of those sessions. Any additional questions can be sent to the Governor’s STEM Scholars at info@govstemscholars.com.
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I wasn't able to attend one of the GSS Open Applicant Information Sessions. Is there a recording available?A recording will become available prior to applications closing in June.
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Who is eligible to apply for the Governor’s STEM Scholars?To be considered for the Governor's STEM Scholars, applicants must: Be a sophomore in high school through doctoral level as of Fall 2024; Be enrolled in a high school, college or university, or be certified as a homeschooled student in New Jersey; Have a 3.5 cumulative, weighted or unweighted GPA or higher; and Show a strong commitment to STEM in New Jersey.
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Do I have to be a New Jersey resident to apply?No. In order to be eligible, you must be enrolled in a New Jersey school or be certified as a home-schooled student in this state.
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What does the Governor’s STEM Scholars application look like?You can see the questions on the 2024-2025 Governor’s STEM Scholars application here.
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Beyond filing out the written application, what other materials do I need to supply?Applicants must submit a 60-second personal video and a school transcript. If you need help submitting your 60-second personal video click here to review the Step by Step guide via Google Drive and click here to review the Step by Step Guide via YouTube.
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My current transcript will not be available until after the June 14th deadline. What should I do?Both official and unofficial transcripts will be accepted. If your school will not have a transcript for the 2023-2024 school year finalized by the June 14th deadline, you may include your previous year transcript plus a report card showing your grades through quarter 3 of this year. If you are currently a freshman, a current year report card is an acceptable alternative. Please combine multiple documents into one pdf and upload them into your application.
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Someone would like to submit a blind letter of recommendation on my behalf, where should they send it?Blind letters of recommendation should be emailed to info@govstemscholars.com with the student’s name and school in the subject line. All letters of recommendation must be submitted by 11:59 pm on June 14th for inclusion in the application materials
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I've applied to the Governor's STEM Scholars in the past. Will I still be considered if I apply again?The Governor's STEM Scholars looks highly on perseverance and encourages those who have applied without being accepted in the past to apply again for the 2024-2025 class.
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Who makes determinations on who is accepted into the Governor’s STEM Scholars?The Governor’s STEM Scholars Advisory Council serves as the programmatic selections committee. Meet the Advisory Council here.
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What criteria do they use in making their decision?The Advisory Council reviews each application and scores based on a demonstrated passion for STEM, leadership experience and qualities, likelihood of programmatic impact, and diversity of the candidate.
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What does a good application look like?A good application has answered the essay questions in a thoughtful and complete manner. Example essay questions can be found here. Please note that example essays are not using the current application prompt. Additionally, the applicant shows a real passion for STEM through their 60-second video. Sample videos can be found here: Video Example 1. Video Example 2. Video Example 3.
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How should I record and upload the 60-second video as part of the application?This can be recorded on a phone or computer, should be from your shoulders up, and have good lighting. Suggested ways to upload include on YouTube set to private or on Google Docs. Please check to ensure the video does not expire before August 31, 2024 and that the privacy setting allows anyone with the link to view. If you need help submitting your 60-second personal video click here to review the Step by Step guide via Google Drive and click here to review the Step by Step Guide via YouTube.
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I don’t have access to a phone or computer to record the 60-second video, what should I do?The Governor’s STEM Scholars strives to remove any barriers to completing the application no matter their access to video recording equipment. If you do not have access to recording equipment, please reach out to info@govstemscholars.com for alternative accommodations.
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When is the Governor’s STEM Scholars application due?The application will close at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, June 14, 2024.
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When will students be notified about whether they have been accepted into the Governor’s STEM Scholars?All applicants will be notified of the status of their application no later than September 2, 2024.
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Do I have to complete the application all at once?Yes. Please take a look at the questions and upload requirements of the application prior to beginning the application online. We suggest you write your answers and save them in a word document in case you lose internet connection while completing the application. If you need to send a letter of recommendation separately, you may email it directly to info@govstemscholars.com with your name and school in the subject line.
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I need technical support on the application. What do I do?Please reach out to info@govstemscholars.com with any issues.
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I missed the Open Applicant Information Session. How can I get the information/view the slides?Sorry we missed you! To view a recording of the GSS Open Applicant Information Session click here.
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What is the role of a college student within the Governor's STEM Scholars?College students - any Scholar from Freshman through Doctoral level - serve as research/engineering design project team leads and guide and mentor teams of high schools students designing and implementing a project throughout the programmatic year.
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What do college students gain from the Governor's STEM Scholars program?Beyond the overarching benefits of the Governor's STEM Scholars program, college students serving as Team Leads gain research leadership experience outside of the classroom. Additionally, Team Leads will be compensated with a $1000 stipend for completing all required aspects of the Governor’s STEM Scholars program and project.
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What are the exceptions of a College-level Team Lead?College-level team leads are expected to: - Attend four in-person Governor’s STEM Scholars conferences, plus additional virtual Team Lead meetings; - Lead and mentor a team of high school students in designing and implementing the research/engineering design project; - Motivate Scholars to complete project tasks; - Manage team members’ time and activities, schedule team meetings, assign duties; - Communicate and report to team members and Governor’s STEM Scholars staff; - Support team members in the development of project deliverables such as a research report, creation of a prototype, and presentation at Governor’s STEM Scholars commencement; and - Manage project budget if needed.
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Do Team Leads receive compensation?College-level Scholars will serve as Team Leads for these projects and will be responsible for guiding and mentoring their team through all strategies, deadlines and deliverables. Team Leads will receive a $1000 stipend for completing all required aspects of the Governor’s STEM Scholars program and project.