| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Cost | Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: Free attendance; check separate expenses; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Financial aid | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Expenses and aid conditions | Last year's cycle (2026): 2026 enrolment deposit: $600. Paid with the application to hold space; future amount and refund terms must be checked.; 2026 non-refundable application fee: $99–$199. Started at $99 and increased to $149 and $199 at later application waves.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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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 9–12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site | Grades 9–11 when applying; summer rising grade is one higher | Up to grade 12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Additional eligibility | Requirement: For high-school programmes, have completed eighth grade before the session; Requirement: Normally hold at least a 3.0 GPA or local equivalent; Requirement: Meet campus/course-specific age, health and prerequisite rules; Requirement: International applicants must demonstrate English proficiency; Requirement: Be available for the complete selected session; Exclusion: The aggregate listing does not mean every course is available at every campus; Exclusion: Most host universities do not run, sponsor or endorse the programme; Exclusion: Participation does not confer university admission or generally stated college credit; Exclusion: The 2026 season is closed | Residency: Kentucky student; Requirement: Be in grade 9, 10, or 11 at application under current published scope; Requirement: Show entrepreneurial curiosity, creativity, drive, resilience, collaboration, flexibility, and comfort with risk/failure; Requirement: Commit to live on campus and participate every day for all three weeks; Requirement: Obtain parent/guardian permission and two eligible recommendations; Exclusion: GPA and standardized-test scores are not considered; Exclusion: Applicants do not apply with a fixed team or need a pre-existing business idea; Exclusion: Absence is allowed only for emergency, illness, or overriding personal reason under program decisions; Exclusion: Completion does not guarantee college admission, scholarship funding, business launch, patent, prize, or investment | Ages 13–17; Requirement: Be age 13-17 for the ZooTeen program; Requirement: Be able to support summer Zoo Camp participants in person; Requirement: Have interest in animals, environment, conservation and working with people; Requirement: Complete any application and training requirements published for the active cycle; Exclusion: Applicants age 18 or older, who use the separate Zoo Ambassador pathway; Exclusion: Animal handling, animal-care, zookeeping or direct behind-the-scenes animal-contact expectations; Exclusion: Applicants unable to attend required training or assigned camp-support shifts |
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| Session dates or duration | Catalog terms: 1–2 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 3 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Format | In person / Online | In person | In person |
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| Housing and supervision | Residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site | Residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site | Non-residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Location | New York, Berkeley, Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle, Washington, Durham, New Haven, Oxford, Multiple campus locations; options change by year | Lexington, Kentucky, University of Kentucky Gatton College; statewide Kentucky cohort | Apple Valley, Minnesota Zoo, Minnesota |
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| Selection and application | Selection: Applicants were reviewed against grade, GPA and programme-fit requirements, with decisions normally in 5-7 business days. Capacity was course/session-specific and could close early; no applicant or acceptance totals are published. Application materials: English-proficiency interview or accepted evidence for international applicants | Selection: Holistic statewide selection without GPA/test-score review; no current acceptance rate is published. Application materials: Two recommendations from eligible non-family/non-friend adults | Selection: The zoo closes applications when the summer cohort is filled, but it does not publish applicant counts, cohort size, interview process or selection rate. |
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| Official sources | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-22Source 2 · checked 2026-08-22Source 3 · checked 2026-08-22 | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-22Source 2 · checked 2026-08-22Source 3 · checked 2026-08-22Source 4 · checked 2026-08-20 | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-22 |
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