North Dakota Governor School
Are you a high-achieving and/or intellectually curious sophomore or junior high school student in the state of ND?
UND is seeking applications to participate in the 2025 North Dakota Governors School (NDGS) on the campus of the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. We invite you to join us for the month of June 2025 to explore your preferred discipline and career opportunities working closely with faculty, UND students, and your peers.
About NDGS
Upon acceptance to NDGS you can look forward to hands-on research experience, enjoying field trips, attending seminars, participating in real-life learning opportunities, and learning about the career field of your interest. You will be asked to identify the area you would most like to study at NDGS.
Students participating in NDGS 2025 will stay on campus at UND from June 2nd – 27, 2025. The cost of participation is generously covered by our ND Legislators through a grant from the Department of Public Instruction. Housing and meal plans will be included. Please take a look at accommodations here.
Students will also have the option to complete academic college credit (at an additional cost) as part of NDGS. Additional information will be provided upon acceptance to the program.
2025 Discipline Areas
Education
Explore all the areas of specialization within education, including early childhood, elementary, middle and secondary, special education, and education administration.
Teacher salaries have steadily increased by around 10% over the past 5 years, and the demand for teachers continually rises (National Education Association).
Energy Law & Legal Studies
Explore the growing field of energy law as well as other field within legal studies including criminal justice, energy law, environmental studies, forensic science, forensic psychology, and law.
As sustainability becomes more of a priority, the demand for environmental lawyers continues to grow. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that for the next decade there will be about 85,600 openings per year in legal studies occupations.
Health Studies
Explore the vast array of health studies disciplines available to students at UND including nutrition and dietetics, nursing, kinesiology, public health, sports medicine, medical lab sciences, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and medicine.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. healthcare continues to experience remarkable job growth, with jobs expecting to grow by 13% in the next 10 years – much faster than the average for all occupations.
Mental Health
Explore the helping professions that span mental health providers including social work, counseling, psychology, and psychiatry.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistic projects that employment in mental health services will continue to rise rapidly through 2032.
Apply for North Dakota Governor School
Applications are due by January 15, 2025.
Requirements
To apply for NDGS 2025, please have a copy of your transcript available to attach (an unofficial copy is ok), as well as be prepared to answer the following questions (you may copy and paste responses in when applying):
- List the honors, awards, or recognition you have received since 9th grade. Indicate
if the award was at the international, national, state, regional, local, district,
or school level and if it was an individual or group award. Spell out the award name;
do not use abbreviations.
Examples Class president for junior class at my high school (individual school award), Debate Team Champions for impromptu speaking at ND State Speech Tournament (group state award), Third place US persuasive writing award (individual national award) or Community volunteer (individual recognition) - In 250 words or less, please describe what personal or unique activity or attribute sets you apart from your peers. Describe the reason for its importance to you. Unique activities or attributes can include hobbies, service to others, internships, job experiences, or creative and artistic expressions. You can paste your response into the box below or upload a file.
- Please list a teacher reference (name and email address) who can speak to your skills and interests. This teacher will receive an email requesting a reference for you.