| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | February 1, 2027 (2027 cycle) |
|---|
| Cost | Last year's cycle (2026): $6,450–$9,950; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Free attendance; check separate expenses (2027 cycle) |
|---|
| Financial aid | Last year's cycle (2026): 2026 need-based tuition discount: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. 10-80% discount online or 10-50% San Francisco; no full rides; parents' prior 12 months of income statements required. 2027 availability TBC.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Expenses and aid conditions | Last year's cycle (2026): 2026 enrollment deposit: $700. Nonrefundable, credited toward tuition, and due within 14 days of acceptance.; 2026 need-based tuition discount: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. 10-80% discount online or 10-50% San Francisco; no full rides; parents' prior 12 months of income statements required. 2027 availability TBC.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Stipend or pay | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Eligibility | Grades 9–12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site | Up to grade 12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site | Grades 10–11; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Additional eligibility | Requirement: Be a high-school student/teen applicant; Requirement: Commit full time to the four-week program and team startup work; Requirement: Show interests, passions, initiative, drive, problem solving, and collaboration in the application; Requirement: No prior business or coding knowledge is required; Requirement: Residential students must live in program housing; no commuter option was offered in 2026; Exclusion: The current pages do not publish an exact age range, grade-by-grade rule, citizenship restriction, visa service, English-proficiency standard, or 2027 eligibility terms; Exclusion: A priority-list signup does not confer admission; Exclusion: Admission and financial aid are reviewed separately; no full-ride aid was offered in 2026 | 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 | Requirement: Current Texas high-school sophomores/juniors, rising juniors/seniors; full attendance, no concurrent summer school. First-generation/hardship backgrounds encouraged, not exclusive admissions requirement. |
|---|
| Session dates or duration | Catalog terms: 4 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Starts June 6, 2027; Ends June 11, 2027 (2027 cycle) |
|---|
| Format | In person / Online | In person | In person |
|---|
| Housing and supervision | Residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site | Non-residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Location | San Francisco, Berkeley, San Francisco Bay Area residential program hosted at UC Berkeley in 2026, Online worldwide | Apple Valley, Minnesota Zoo, Minnesota | Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Selection and application | Selection: Leangap reviews applicants for fit using motivation, initiative, collaboration, problem solving, skills, and impact. Each 2026 format was limited to 40 seats, but no applicant count or acceptance rate is published. Application materials: Parents' income statements for the prior 12 months when requesting need-based aid | 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. | Application materials: Online application, transcript, activities/leadership, essays, recommendation and resume. Decisions by mid-April; supplemental deadline does not extend initial entry. |
|---|
| Official sources | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-21Source 2 · checked 2026-08-21Source 3 · checked 2026-08-21Source 4 · checked 2026-08-20 | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-22 | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-10 |
|---|