Governor's Scholarship Programs
UPDATE: As of December 2019, all award recipients have reached the age of 30, therefore, Governor’s Scholarship Programs awards are no longer being distributed and have been forfeited to the State of California
Program Overview
The Governor’s Scholarship Programs (GSP) were established in 2000 under former Article 20 (Education Code sections 69995-69999). The Governor’s Scholarship Programs included:
- Governor’s Scholars Award, which provided $1,000 scholarships to students who demonstrated high academic achievement on certain exams in the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) program in the 9th, 10th, or 11th grades as reported by the testing services that administered the exams each spring.
- Governor’s Distinguished Mathematics & Science Award, which provided a one-time $2,500 scholarship for public high school students who, in addition to receiving the Governor's Scholars Award, attained required scores before December 31, 2002 on authorized Advanced Placement (AP) exams, International Baccalaureate (IB) exams, or Golden State Exams (GSE).
GSP awards were granted to students who earned qualifying scores on specific exams taken in 2000, 2001 and 2002. In 2003, under Education Code sections 69999.6-69999.9, the Governor’s Scholarship Programs was repealed. No awards were granted to students who earned qualifying scores on exams taken after December 31, 2002. Awards claimed prior to the deadline were placed into individual scholarship accounts administered by the ScholarShare Investment Board until withdrawn or until the student reached the age of 30. Funds not used by a recipient’s 30th birthday were forfeited to the State of California.
Scholarship funds, which were deposited into Student Scholarship Accounts naming the State of California as the Account Owner and the student as the Beneficiary, were invested in a funding agreement that guaranteed to the ScholarShare Trust a return of principal and a minimum rate of return per year with the possibility of additional returns. The accounts were owned by the State of California until they were withdrawn to pay for the student's qualified higher education expenses, such as tuition, fees, books, room and board, and required supplies and equipment, at an post-secondary institution that is eligible to participate in the U.S. Department of Education Federal Title IV financial aid programs including schools outside the country.
Contact
To contact the ScholarShare Investment Board, the administrator of the Governor’s Scholarship Programs:
- Email scholarshare@treasurer.ca.gov
- Call (916) 651-6380.