| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Cost | Catalog terms: $1,400–$2,800; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: $7,465; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Financial aid | Catalog terms: Need-based financial assistance: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Limited; the SCATS application must be submitted first.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | 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 |
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| Expenses and aid conditions | Catalog terms: Application deposit: $200. Submitted with the application; not refunded after acceptance.; Need-based financial assistance: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Limited; the SCATS application must be submitted first.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | 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 |
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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 6–8 when applying; summer rising grade is one higher | Unconfirmed — check official site | Grades 9–12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Additional eligibility | Requirement: Open to students currently in grades 6–8 when applying; Requirement: Show high interest or achievement in one or more content areas; Requirement: Be eligible for gifted services, or have an IQ score of 125 or above, or score at or above the 90th percentile on the total battery or the 95th percentile on the math or language arts/reading section of the most recent achievement test, or score at the distinguished level on performance assessments | Ages 13–17 | Requirement: Open to grades 9–12; Requirement: Must demonstrate academic excellence and proficiency in English |
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| Session dates or duration | Starts June 6, 2027; Ends June 18, 2027; 2 weeks (2027 cycle) | Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 10 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Format | In person | In person | Online |
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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 | Non-residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Location | Bowling Green, KY | Apple Valley, MN | Online and available to high-school students worldwide |
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| Selection and application | Unconfirmed — check official site | 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. | 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) |
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| Official sources | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-24Source 2 · checked 2026-10-24Source 3 · checked 2026-10-10Source 4 · checked 2026-10-10 | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-24 | 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 |
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