FAQs About The Governor’s Academy

Every student who applies for admission may also apply for need-based financial aid. Families who have an effective income that is less than tuition would qualify for financial aid.

The number of families applying for aid is consistently greater than the grants available. As a result, there may be some families who qualify for aid to whom we are unable to make an award. In most cases like this, we will place a student on our admission waiting list if we are unable to meet a family's demonstrated need.

Families intending to apply for financial aid should begin the financial aid application online at Clarity Financial by December 31. Edits and updates can be made to the application after December 31. If parents are divorced, separated or have never been married, each parent/guardian must complete an application. By creating an account with Clarity Financial, families will be able to track the status of their financial aid application.

Families will upload copies of their prior year 1040 Federal Tax Return, W-2s and/or 1099 forms through the Clarity Financial website. Prior year forms are due by January 30th. Families should upload their current year W-2s and/or 1099 forms through the Clarity website by February 15. International families would upload their most recent tax return for the country into Clarity.

All returning students who have received financial aid in the current year will be considered for the same level of financial aid (as a percentage of total tuition) in the next year, as long as the same level of financial need is demonstrated. Financial need will be reviewed each year and financial aid awards may be altered if a family’s expected contribution increases or decreases significantly.

It is our expectation that families who begin paying full tuition will continue to do so, unless unforeseen circumstances make that impossible. We will do everything in our power to retain students who may face the possibility of being unable to re-enroll for financial reasons.

All confidential financial information should be uploaded into the Clarity Financial system. This ensures we have no physical copies of any family’s tax information. Any physical documents shared with us are uploaded into the Clarity Financial system when possible and destroyed shortly thereafter.

Financial aid decisions for new students are mailed out with admission decision letters on March 10 and will be available online. Financial aid decisions for returning students will be available online by March 1.

Any questions regarding The Governor’s Academy financial aid decisions, policy or payment options should be directed to Ray Long ‘96, Director of Financial Aid at 978.499.3158.

The 2025-2026 boarding tuition is $79,600 (for both American and international students). Please click here to view other fees.

Financial aid is primarily intended for students from the United States though limited funds may be available for international students. We provide financial aid to international students when we anticipate that they would also receive financial aid from a United States college or university.

We do not offer enrollment for new students in grade 12 or for a PG year.

An applicant interview is required to be considered for admission. Interviews may be completed by doing one of the following:

• A visit to campus: completed by 31 January
• Scheduled with a school representative who is traveling to your region
• A Zoom call with a school representative: must be completed by 13 December
• A Vericant interview - can be scheduled and completed after 13 December*

In the event that an applicant is not able to schedule or attend an interview, due to extenuating circumstances, we require an additional three letters of recommendations in lieu of the interview for an application to be considered complete.

*Please note that Vericant does not evaluate candidates but rather provides the recording and transcript of the interview for review.

No, we do not offer English as a Second Language program. All of our enrolled international students demonstrate proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing in English. 

The only summer program offered at Govs is our GovsPLUS program. GovsPLUS (Powerful Learners Unlocking Success) is a tuition-free academic enrichment program that partners The Governor’s Academy with motivated middle school students from Lawrence, Massachusetts with the goal of helping these students reach their potential inside and outside the classroom.

We require the submission of an SSAT or ISEE test result for all applicants for enrollment in the fall of 2026. We require English proficiency testing for all non-native English-speaking applicants who have not been studying in an English-language environment for the past three years. The Governor’s Academy will accept one of the following English proficiency tests for consideration:

●      TOEFL (School Code 8419)

●      IELTS  

●      Duolingo

We do not have a set minimum score that applicants must earn to be considered for admission, but our average TOEFL score for newly enrolled students is 106 and our average SSAT score is 2200 for international students.

We do not have a set quota of international students we accept for admission. We value diversity and accept international students from various countries, regions, and cities throughout the world. For the 2024-2025 school year, our student body is 15% international students.

There are three lengthy vacations during the school year when students must leave campus: Thanksgiving break (November), winter break (December/January), and spring break (March). Students must also vacate the campus in the summer. Students can stay on campus for all long weekends and short holidays. Govs provides transportation to Logan International Airport in Boston and local bus and train stations for students who travel during the three major vacations.