Governor’s Merit Scholarship

You do NOT need to apply for the Governor’s Merit Scholarship. Your school will determine if you fall within the top 5% of your class, and you will be notified no later than November 1 (by email or U.S. mail) of the offer of a GMS award. You will have until March 1to accept the award.

You may qualify for the GMS by completing a college admissions test (ACT or SAT) and submitting a GMS application to the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE). Select the button below to submit your GMS application. Applications must be received by November 30. Homeschool and dropout recovery students who fall within the top 5% will be notified by January. You will need to accept or decline the offer by March 1.

You will need the following to complete the GMS application:

• Name
• Date of Birth
• All homeshooled students must submit a Home Education Notification Form to their local school district. The district superintendent will respond with a written acknowledgement within 14 days. You must have a copy of the superintendent’s written acknowledgement. It can be a picture/image in PNG or JPG format, or it may be a PDF.
• If you are a dropout/recovery student, you will be required to identify your school district
• All students must submit a copy of their ACT or SAT test score. Your test score(s) and full name need to be visible on the upload. This can be a picture/image in PNG, JPG or PDF format.
• Non-school email address