| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Cost | Last year's cycle (2026): $3,000–$4,000; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Financial aid | Last year's cycle (2026): Sliding-scale tuition by household income: $200–$3,000. Estimated family tuition and fees by income; families can request additional aid on the enrollment form after acceptance.; 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): Sliding-scale tuition by household income: $200–$3,000. Estimated family tuition and fees by income; families can request additional aid on the enrollment form after acceptance.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Stipend or pay | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: Hourly pay for Fellows: $17; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Eligibility | Grades 6–10 when applying; summer rising grade is one higher | Unconfirmed — check official site | Grade 12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Additional eligibility | Requirement: Open to students currently in grades 6–10 when applying; Requirement: Junior Division: in grade 6, 7 or 8 during the school year of application; Requirement: Senior Division: in grade 9 or 10, with at least a B average for the last full school term and the current year; Requirement: Classified as gifted by a Louisiana public school system, or scores on an acceptable aptitude test | Ages 13–17 | Residency: Cook County, Illinois; Requirement: Open to grade 12; Requirement: Graduating high school senior (the internship takes place the summer after senior year) |
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| Session dates or duration | Last year's cycle (2026): Starts June 7, 2026; 7 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 6 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Format | In person | In person | In person |
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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 | Lake Charles, LA | Apple Valley, MN | Chicago, IL |
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| Selection and application | Selection: Applicants must meet gifted-identification or aptitude criteria and grade-specific requirements. Applications were reviewed until spaces filled; the program does not publish applicant counts, capacity, or an acceptance rate. | 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: Eligibility and hiring depend on county, age, graduation status, funded workforce criteria, application quality, placement capacity, office fit, and employment requirements. Cook County cited approximately 50 placements; no current overall acceptance rate is published. |
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| Official sources | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-24Source 2 · checked 2026-10-24Source 3 · checked 2026-10-24Source 4 · checked 2026-10-24Source 5 · checked 2026-08-21 | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-24 | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-24Source 2 · checked 2026-10-24Source 3 · checked 2026-08-20Source 4 · checked 2026-08-20Source 5 · checked 2026-08-20 |
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