Benefits from the Governor's School for the Arts exist beyond the three-week summer program. On-going counseling during and following the program encourages students to set goals, to pursue higher education and to value academic achievement as well as artistic development.

Each Fall, GSA students who are seniors in high school return to Louisville for college auditions and reviews. Representatives from nearly 100 top institutions of higher learning from around the nation gather in Louisville at duPont Manual Magnet High School and the Youth Performing Arts School to share information about their colleges and universities with GSA students and their parents, and to conduct auditions and interviews.

Many young people who might never have attended college have received scholarships as a direct result of the opportunities and recognition created for them by GSA. In addition, a growing number of Kentucky and national colleges are establishing scholarships specifically for GSA alumni.