| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Cost | Last year's cycle (2026): $3,645–$3,995; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Financial aid | Last year's cycle (2026): PCSE full or partial merit/need grant: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Available for 2026 through a separate application due March 31; award amounts varied and the deadline has passed.; PCSE-to-CCS undergraduate scholarship: $4,000. Eligible completers receive $1,000 per year for up to four years after admission and full-time enrollment at CCS, subject to satisfactory academic progress.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Expenses and aid conditions | Last year's cycle (2026): Minimum seat-reservation deposit: $300. The deposit was the minimum payment toward tuition, not an additional fee.; PCSE full or partial merit/need grant: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Available for 2026 through a separate application due March 31; award amounts varied and the deadline has passed.; PCSE-to-CCS undergraduate scholarship: $4,000. Eligible completers receive $1,000 per year for up to four years after admission and full-time enrollment at CCS, subject to satisfactory academic progress.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: ZooTeen program fee upon acceptance: $60. Nonrefundable; covers program materials, a camp T-shirt, and borrowing a Zoo uniform shirt. Contact the program if the fee creates economic hardship.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Stipend or pay | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Eligibility | Grades 9–12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Additional eligibility | Residency: Open to high school students from the United States and internationally; Requirement: Be enrolled in high school; Requirement: Choose one available studio concentration; Requirement: Be prepared for intensive college-level studio work; Requirement: Residents must follow residence-hall rules, conduct standards, and curfew; Requirement: International students needing a visa must coordinate with CCS International Student Services; Exclusion: No public age cutoff is stated; Exclusion: Specific concentrations may fill or move to a waitlist; Exclusion: A portfolio is not stated as a universal admission requirement for standard paid registration | Ages 13–17; Residency: No formal boundary is published; participants must reliably reach the Cincinnati Zoo for interviews, orientation, camp, and volunteer shifts; Requirement: Be age 13-17; the correct Summer 2027 reference date must be confirmed; Requirement: Show genuine interest in nature and conservation, curiosity, willingness to learn, positivity, and reliability; Requirement: Commit to 100 hours as a first-/second-year ZooTeen or 70 hours as a third-year/returning ZooTeen; Requirement: Be available for a full 40-hour camp week and required visitor-engagement/additional shifts; Requirement: Attend a group interview and complete guardian-assisted online/virtual and all-day in-person orientations; Requirement: Use email and an online profile to receive information and log service hours; Exclusion: The 2027 page's May 1, 2026 age-reference date is stale and must not be treated as the binding 2027 cutoff; Exclusion: The program cannot accept all applicants, and returning participation is not guaranteed; Exclusion: Advanced specializations require separate applications, experience, additional hours, and available capacity |
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| Session dates or duration | Catalog terms: 2.86–3 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | 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 |
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| Location | Detroit, Michigan | Cincinnati, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Cincinnati, Ohio |
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| Selection and application | Selection: Standard paid registration appears capacity-based by studio concentration, with seat counts and waitlists shown in the registration system. Separate merit/need and sponsored fellowship scholarships are competitively awarded; CCS does not publish a universal PCSE acceptance rate. | Selection: The Zoo says the program is very popular and cannot accept all applicants; it publishes no applicant count, cohort size, or acceptance rate. Application materials: Six written essay responses about motivation, role models, conservation learning, challenge, personal growth, and intellectual curiosity; In-person group interview |
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| Official sources | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-21Source 2 · checked 2026-08-21Source 3 · checked 2026-08-21 | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-21 |
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