GIV is designed to give Vermont’s brightest young stars a truly world-class experience with in-depth resources and top-notch professional mentoring.
“ Our students thrive at the Governor’s Institutes. It’s a great opportunity!”
As Vermont’s own accelerated enrichment program, GIV exists to help Vermont students and young artists discover their passion for learning, expand their horizons, and successfully pursue the higher learning that will help them achieve them the career of their dreams.
GIV is different from almost any other summer program in Vermont. To begin with, we have an impressive 35-year achievement record (click here to see our detailed Long-Term Impacts study).
Our graduates have launched businesses and nonprofits, traveled the world in careers ranging from archaeologist to performer, and have returned to their communities as important contributors at all levels of Vermont’s economic, political and social fabric.
Even more importantly to most students, GIV is FUN. And we deliberately make it affordable to every Vermont family starting with a sliding scale tuition.
College admissions officers recognize GIV participation as both an honor awarded by schools and as a significant academic accomplishment by the student. An expanding network of colleges offering automatic scholarships to GIV graduates is listed here. Colleges that recent GIV graduates attend include:
The health and safety of our students has been GIV’s top priority for 37 years. FBI-fingerprint background checks, detailed staff training, and some of the lowest staff-to-student ratios in the industry are among the things we do to keep your students safe.
During this emergence of COVID-19 (coronavirus), we are grateful to have had decades of experience preventing and responding to communicable illnesses in our Institutes. Our staff training, risk management practices, community education and other protocols minimize the risk of contracting a communicable illness at an Institute.
GIV utilizes required pre-screenings and arrival day health screenings aligned with best practices for programs like ours. As an added measure, we’ll be updating our health screening procedures to include questions about international travel in the prior two weeks or exposure to any known carriers of the coronavirus. We’ll monitor the health of incoming students as well as staff and respond promptly and appropriately if someone becomes symptomatic.
You can be confident that at GIV, your student is in good hands.
For over 30 years, students from around the state have gathered to create a unique learning community while taking classes with experts in their fields.
GIV exists to offer students with all kinds of interests the opportunity to try something new, embrace different perspectives and make connections with peers across the state. You, as an educator or parent, are our closest link to the population we are eager to serve, and we hope you can help us reach as many high school students around the state as possible.
Speak with students in grades 9-11 about GIV and encourage them to apply during open application time (Feb-March). Due dates vary by school but you can look up your school here.
Support students through the application process by writing them a recommendation and helping them meet the deadline.
Put up flyers and promotional materials in your school and community. Contact us to have physical copies mailed to you! Or download them when this year’s are available.
Come see the magic for yourself! GIV can help arrange a visit while the Institutes are happening. We find that folks who have seen this transformative place are our best advocates! Click here to learn more about this year’s dates.
We are eager to work with you and your school to encourage your students to apply to GIV. We would be happy to get you hard copies of our brochure, offer ideas on local funding that past students have used to attend GIV, connect you with educators from other VT schools that often have GIV attendees, speak with families who are considering it, or even set up a date for a GIV alum or teaching artist to offer first-hand knowledge of the GIV experience to your students. Please contact us to let us know what will work best for your school!
We know that the current fiscal environment is challenging for schools and families. Students and parents may not realize that some schools pay for part or all the tuition. We also offer financial aid and scholarships to qualifying students.
In fact, the tuition is on a sliding scale based on what families can afford, starting at just $10. See GIV’s sliding scale tuition chart here. There’s also no per-school limit on the number of students who can attend GIV, so please encourage anyone to apply who you think might be interested!
If you know a student who would be a good fit for a Governor’s Institute and would benefit from it as well, please do not hesitate to refer them for admission.
Have questions that need answers? Getting stuck while submitting an application (or post application)? Check out our Resources to find the solutions you are looking for.
