| Application deadline | February 28, 2027 (2027 cycle) | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Cost | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Financial aid | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Expenses and aid conditions | 2027 tuition in Nashville or New York: $3,400. Selected 2027 session only; no universal tuition or all-in price.; 2027 tuition in Miami or Seattle: $2,500. Selected 2027 session only; no universal tuition or all-in price.; 2027 tuition in Los Angeles: $3,600. Selected 2027 session only; no universal tuition or all-in price.; 2027 nonrefundable application fee: $25. Separate from selected-session tuition; housing/transport are not included. (2027 cycle) | Wild Country2027: $5,200. Selected trek only, not a single umbrella tuition quote.; Mountain Desert2027: $8,795. Selected trek only, not a single umbrella tuition quote.; Paleontology2027: $4,400. Selected trek only, not a single umbrella tuition quote. (2027 cycle) | 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 |
|---|
| Stipend or pay | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Eligibility | Grades 9–12 when applying; check the provider's rules for graduating seniors | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Additional eligibility | Residency: U.S. resident; Requirement: Currently grades9-12, including spring graduates; incoming freshmen not eligible.; Requirement: Serious interest in a music-industry career and selected career-track sample requirements.; Exclusion: Incoming high-school freshmen; Exclusion: Applicants who are not U.S. residents; Exclusion: For Los Angeles, applicants unable to demonstrate competence in at least two defined music-industry areas; Exclusion: Participation without an approved supervising adult and independent lodging plan | Ages 13–18; Residency: Applicants may come from the United States or abroad if they can lawfully travel to the program; no citizenship restriction is published; Requirement: Select the trek and its age/gender band: Prairie14-16 young men; Turquoise14-18 young women; Wild Country13-15; Mountain Desert16-18; Paleontology14-18.; Requirement: Confirm selected trek physical, consent, payment and travel terms.; Exclusion: Applicants outside a selected trek's age band; Exclusion: Applicants who cannot participate safely in the trek's essential physical and community activities with available supports; Exclusion: Applicants unable to attend the full residential dates; Exclusion: Applicants seeking a gender-specific Prairie or Turquoise placement who do not fit that trek's published grouping | 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 |
|---|
| Session dates or duration | Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 2–6 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Format | In person | In person | In person / Online |
|---|
| Housing and supervision | Non-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 |
|---|
| Location | Nashville, Miami, Los Angeles, Seattle, New York | Thoreau, New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, American Southwest and Four Corners | Cincinnati, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Cincinnati, Ohio |
|---|
| Selection and application | Selection: For 2026 the Museum expected approximately 70 Los Angeles, 60 Nashville, 40 Miami and 40 New York campers. Application totals and city- or track-level acceptance rates were not published. Application materials: Career-track samples and a video essay; Los Angeles has additional multi-area requirements. | Selection: Trek acceptance is based on the application and ability to participate fully; Pick Your Price selection does not affect admission. Capacity, fit, health and safety, and financial-aid availability can still limit placement. Application materials: For need-based aid: separate scholarship form, amount requested, household financial information, parent statement, and applicant written statement or video | 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 |
|---|
| Official sources | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-12Source 2 · checked 2026-08-22Source 3 · checked 2026-08-22 | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-12Source 2 · checked 2026-08-20Source 3 · checked 2026-08-20Source 4 · checked 2026-08-20Source 5 · checked 2026-08-20 | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-21 |
|---|