| 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 | 2027 application fee: $25. Nonrefundable.; 2027 Great Debate deposit: $150. Nonrefundable deposit after acceptance. (2027 cycle) |
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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 6–10 when applying; summer rising grade is one higher | Up to grade 12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site | Grade 9; 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; 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 | Residency: Participating cities and surrounding areas; Requirement: GPA of at least 3.0 or 85 and a college-bound curriculum; Requirement: Spring regional training applies to specified four-day programmes |
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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 | 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 | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Location | Lake Charles, LA | Apple Valley, Minnesota Zoo, Minnesota | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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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: Confirm the current programme’s selection, capacity and operative participation conditions. |
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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 2026-08-22 | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-12Source 2 · checked 2026-08-22Source 3 · checked 2026-08-22Source 4 · checked 2026-08-20 |
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