| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Cost | Catalog terms: Free attendance; check separate expenses; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: $7,465; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | $600 (2027 cycle) |
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| Financial aid | Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: Need-based scholarship: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Limited; only where family financial need can be reliably verified, including through partner schools and non-profit organizations.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | NC Governor's School Foundation need-based scholarship: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site (2027 cycle) |
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| Expenses and aid conditions | Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: Need-based scholarship: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Limited; only where family financial need can be reliably verified, including through partner schools and non-profit organizations.; Full-scholarship deposit (refunded after completing the program): Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | NC Governor's School Foundation need-based scholarship: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site (2027 cycle) |
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| Stipend or pay | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Eligibility | Grades 10–11 when applying; summer rising grade is one higher | Grades 9–12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site | Grades 10–11 when applying; summer rising grade is one higher |
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| Additional eligibility | Requirement: Open to students currently in grades 10–11 when applying; Requirement: Minimum 3.0 GPA or equivalent; Requirement: Strong grade-level math skills, as shown by state-standardized math test scores; Requirement: Attend a public high school, or a private high school on scholarship; Requirement: Strong interest in earning a computer science degree or certification and pursuing a CS career; Requirement: SMASH Morehouse applicants must be male; SMASH Spelman applicants must be female | Requirement: Open to grades 9–12; Requirement: Must demonstrate academic excellence and proficiency in English | Residency: NC; Requirement: Open to students currently in grades 10–11 when applying; Requirement: Enrolled in grade 11 when nominated; grade 10 students may be nominated only in Dance, Choral Music or Instrumental Music; Requirement: Attend a North Carolina public or non-public school; exchange students are not eligible; Requirement: Meet at least one academic criterion, such as a cumulative unweighted GPA of 3.25, a weighted GPA of 3.5, or set NC End of Course, AP, ACT/SAT or aptitude scores; Requirement: Spanish applicants must have completed three high school Spanish courses or be fluent speakers; Requirement: Students can attend only once |
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| Session dates or duration | Last year's cycle (2026): Starts July 11, 2026; Ends July 31, 2026; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 10 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Starts June 20, 2027; Ends July 17, 2027; 4 weeks (2027 cycle) |
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| Format | In person | Online | In person |
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| Housing and supervision | Residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site | Non-residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site | Residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Location | Atlanta, Boston, Ann Arbor, Berkeley, GA, MA, MI, CA | Online and available to high-school students worldwide | Raleigh, Greensboro, NC |
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| Selection and application | Selection: Applicants must satisfy all published requirements, and geographic preferences apply; the current pages do not publish applicant counts or an acceptance rate. | Selection: Pioneer uses holistic review of academic history, essays, interests, school materials, a video interview, and proctored timed writing. Decisions generally take six to eight weeks and may be admit, conditional, waitlist, or deny. The official pages publish no acceptance rate or automatic GPA/test threshold, and placement capacity varies by discipline. Application materials: Short essays on each interest area; Long essay; Video interview and proctored timed writing test (if selected to advance) | Application materials: Essay (a second discipline essay for academic areas); Audition for arts areas; Two recommendations |
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| Official sources | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-24Source 2 · checked 2026-10-24Source 3 · checked 2026-10-24Source 4 · checked 2026-08-21 | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-24Source 2 · checked 2026-10-24Source 3 · checked 2026-10-24Source 4 · checked 2026-08-20Source 5 · checked 2026-08-20 | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-24Source 2 · checked 2026-10-24Source 3 · checked 2026-10-24Source 4 · checked 2026-10-24Source 5 · checked 2026-08-22 |
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