| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Cost | Last year's cycle (2026): $3,975; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): Free attendance; check separate expenses; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Financial aid | Last year's cycle (2026): ASC 2026 financial-aid funds: Up to $3,975. General fund up to half, Sydney Stark Jr. Memorial fund up to full tuition, and Military Family fund at least half; historical terms only.; 2027: 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): Nonrefundable tuition deposit upon registration: $150. Part of tuition, not an additional $150 program price.; ASC 2026 financial-aid funds: Up to $3,975. General fund up to half, Sydney Stark Jr. Memorial fund up to full tuition, and Military Family fund at least half; historical terms only.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): Fleischer Scholars application: $0. No fee is stated.; 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 | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Eligibility | Grades 8–12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site | Grade 11; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Additional eligibility | Ages 13–19; Requirement: Be a rising 8th grader through a graduated 12th grader, or homeschool equivalent; Requirement: Be age 13-19 at the applicable start-date checkpoint; Requirement: Apply and receive an acceptance decision; Requirement: Complete accepted-camper registration and deposit before capacity fills; Requirement: Be prepared for a full residential schedule, auditions, rehearsals, classes, performance, and shared living; Exclusion: A rising 7th grader is ineligible even if already 13; Exclusion: A rising 8th grader is ineligible if still 12 at camp; Exclusion: A student who has completed a college freshman year is ineligible even if 18; Exclusion: Acceptance does not reserve a seat until registration is complete; Exclusion: No prior performance experience was required, and admission did not guarantee a particular play, role, solo, college credit, or professional outcome | Residency: Attend an Arizona high school as a junior; Requirement: Be an Arizona high-school junior during the application cycle; Requirement: Demonstrate leadership, community service and academic effort; Requirement: Explain hardship/learning mindset in a short response; Requirement: Be ready for virtual participation and mentor engagement under the current model; Exclusion: The program is not a general national pre-college business camp; Exclusion: Financial need and first-generation status are selection factors, not stated absolute eligibility cutoffs; Exclusion: Historical residential or college-credit features are not promised for the next cohort | 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: 3 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 1 week; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Format | In person | Online | 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 | Staunton, Virginia; Mary Baldwin University and Blackfriars Playhouse | Arizona eligibility; remote 2026 programming with ASU/W. P. Carey staff and mentors | Cincinnati, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Cincinnati, Ohio |
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| Selection and application | Selection: Attendance was by acceptance, applications were reviewed monthly, and accepted-student registration was first-come, first-served. ASC did not publish applicant count, acceptance rate, or detailed judging rubric. | Selection: ASU says places are limited and considers leadership/service, academics, financial need and first-generation status. No current cohort size, applicant count or acceptance rate is published. Application materials: Optional teacher or other academic-professional recommendation | 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 2026-08-20Source 2 · checked 2026-08-20Source 3 · checked 2026-08-20 | 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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