Governor’s Merit Scholarship (GMS) (2024)

What is it?

The Governor’s Merit Scholarship (GMS) is designed to incentivize Ohio’s top graduating high school seniors to attend a college or university in the state.

The GMS is offered to the top 5% (as determined by the high school) of graduating seniors in each of Ohio’s public and chartered, nonpublic (private) high schools. The GMS is also offered to the top 5% of homeschooled applicants.

What is the award amount?

The Governor’s Merit Scholarship provides up to $5,000 in financial assistance to high school seniors who are identified as graduating in the top 5% of their class. The GMS is renewable for up to four years of full-time instruction. The GMS is a scholarship, which means you do NOT need to pay it back. The GMS can be applied to tuition and fees. The scholarship can also cover other educational expenses (such as books, equipment, room and board, and transportation costs) up to your college or university’s published Cost of Attendance.

At what schools may the Governor’s Merit Scholarship be used?

You may use the GMS at any of the following types of schools:

Am I eligible?

You may be eligible for the GMS if you meet the following criteria:

You are a resident of Ohio.
You are enrolled in an Ohio public high school or chartered nonpublic high school (at the point of eligibility determination) and determined to be in the top 5% of your class OR you are homeschooled or attend an Ohio dropout recovery high school and are determined to be within the top 5% of similar applicants.
You have registered for selective service as required by federal and state law, if applicable.
You were a junior on track for graduation (as determined by your high school) at the point of eligibility determination.
You graduate from high school on time.
- Note: Students who face extenuating circ*mstances may appeal this requirement (e.g.: major illness that delays on-time graduation, etc.).

How do I apply?

If you are attending a public or chartered nonpublic high school, 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 (by email or U.S. mail) of the offer of a GMS award.

If you are homeschooled or attending a dropout recovery high school, you may qualify for the GMS by completing a college admissions test (ACT or SAT) and submitting an application to the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) via a secure online application portal (meritscholarship.ohio.gov). Homeschooled students will need to upload the letter from the superintendent of your school district that was sent in response to submission of an Ohio Home Education Notification Form. Your family should have received this letter at the beginning of the current school year. The application portal will open for applications in June (between your junior and senior year) and close by the end of August.

Note: For the class of 2024, the portal is expected to be open for applications in December and will close on May 31.

Once a GMS award offer is made, the offer remains valid even if you change high schools (provided you continue to meet all eligibility requirements). You must proactively accept the award through the secure online portal (meritscholarship.ohio.gov) by May 31 for full consideration. Any awards accepted after May 31 may be reduced. Any awards not accepted by July 1 shall be rescinded.

Note: For the class of 2024, homeschooled and dropout recovery high school students may accept awards up to June 1 for full consideration.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is meant when the guidance document reads that GMS provides “up to” $5,000/year in financial assistance?

The GMS was designed to provide $5,000/year in financial assistance. It is important to note that all government programs have budgetary limitations based upon their funding levels. While the funding level for GMS was determined with the goal of providing a $5,000/year scholarship to every eligible student, it is possible that the number of students who qualify for and accept an offer of GMS may exceed the predicted number. In such cases, individual awards may need to be reduced for the total amount of awards to remain within the funding level. In such cases where awards may need to be reduced, recipients will be informed as soon as practicable, so that they can take that information into account when determining which college or university they will attend.

My son or daughter graduated last year (June 2023) and is currently a freshman at a University in Ohio. Is he or she eligible?

The graduating class of 2024 is the first high school class eligible for GMS. Students who are already enrolled at a college or university are not eligible for GMS.

I am a homeschool student, when the application asks for an ACT or SAT score is this a composite score? Should I report a “super score.”

You should report your composite ACT or SAT score. A “super score” should NOT be reported.

The application asks homeschool students for a copy of their home school district's response to the Ohio exemption notification form. Can you clarify whether you meant the notification form or the superintendent's response to the submission of the form?

Yes, homeschool students need to attach a copy of their home district's response to the Ohio exemption notification form. The home school district should have sent a response to the submitted form within 14 days of receipt of the form. If you have not received such a response, please contact your home school district office (please seehttps://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Ohio-Education-Options/Home-Schoolingfor additional information on home schooling requirements in Ohio).

If a student receives an offer of a Governor's Merit Scholarship but turns it down, will the school or district be able to nominate a different student in his or her place?

No, only students nominated by their districts or schools during the nomination period will be made an offer of a Governor's Merit Scholarship. Unaccepted offers are not reissued to additional students.

I plan to attend a regional campus in Ohio, but I don’t see that campus listed in the portal. What should I choose?

Most financial aid is handled at the University Main Campus for all their regional campuses. If you are planning to attend a regional campus, please select the main campus within the GMS portal so your information can be communicated to the correct institution.

I was notified that I have been awarded the Governor’s Merit Scholarship, but when I try to log in to the GMS portal, it says my application cannot be found. How can I log in to accept my scholarship?

When you type in your information, please ensure you are typing accurately without extra spaces, tabs, or characters, and your birthdate is added in the format of MM/DD/YYYY. You may also want to clear your cache and/or use a different browser. If the problem persists, our helpdesk can be contacted at 844-512-6446.