| Application deadline | February 1, 2027 (2027 cycle) | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Cost | Catalog terms: Free attendance; check separate expenses; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): $1,950; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Financial aid | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): Scholarships and need-based financial aid: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Available to accepted students; amount and award count are not stated on the official page.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Expenses and aid conditions | Catalog terms: On-campus boarding: $0. Funders cover boarding in the latest published cycle; room type, deposit, damage, linen, accessibility, and early-arrival terms await the next cycle.; Program food: $0. Funders cover food; exact meal plan, snacks, travel-day meals, allergies, and dietary accommodations are not published for 2027.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): 2026 application fee: $0. No fee to apply.; Scholarships and need-based financial aid: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Available to accepted students; amount and award count are not stated on the official page.; Loaner laptop: $0. Loaner laptops were available for accepted students who needed one.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Stipend or pay | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Eligibility | Grades 10–11 when applying; summer rising grade is one higher | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Additional eligibility | Residency: Current Texas high-school student; Requirement: Be a current high-school sophomore or junior during the application cycle; Requirement: Demonstrate interest in business, accounting, and/or leadership development; Requirement: Present a strong academic record and personal achievement in context; no universal GPA cutoff is published; Requirement: Complete the official online application, transcript, activities and leadership section, essay or essays, and recommendation by the announced deadline; Requirement: Be available for the entire six-day residential program, family orientation, dorm stay, classes, team work, case competition, networking, and closing activities; Requirement: Be prepared to work respectfully with students of varied backgrounds and follow UT, McCombs, housing, minor, conduct, safety, privacy, and academic-integrity rules; Exclusion: Students who are not current high-school sophomores or juniors under the next cycle's classification rule; Exclusion: Missing or late required transcript, essay, recommendation, activity, leadership, consent, or verification materials; Exclusion: Inability to attend the full residential session without an approved accommodation; Exclusion: Assuming first-generation status, hardship, identity, Texas residence, strong grades, early application, or accounting experience guarantees selection; Exclusion: Treating the encouragement of first-generation and hardship-affected applicants as an exclusion of other backgrounds; Exclusion: Using unverified third-party 2027 dates or deadline as official; Exclusion: Assuming participation confers UT or McCombs admission, academic credit, scholarship, internship, or employment | Residency: Applicants may apply from anywhere in the world through a regional or global selection committee; Requirement: Previously published eligibility, requiring confirmation for a future cycle: Be at least 15 when the session starts and not yet 17 when it ends; Requirement: Previously published eligibility, requiring confirmation for a future cycle: Attend the entire four-week residential session; Requirement: Previously published eligibility, requiring confirmation for a future cycle: Communicate in English well enough for safety instructions and full participation; Requirement: Previously published eligibility, requiring confirmation for a future cycle: For international campers, obtain a valid passport and visa when required; Requirement: Previously published eligibility, requiring confirmation for a future cycle: If accepted, complete physical and mental-health evaluation and vaccination documentation; request available exemptions as needed; Requirement: Previously published eligibility, requiring confirmation for a future cycle: Children/grandchildren of alumni use the separate legacy-camper application route; Requirement: Accepted 2026 age rules were at least 15 at session start and not yet 17 at its end; future cycle rules are unconfirmed.; Exclusion: LAJF states no age exceptions for first-year CRS applicants; Exclusion: 2026 applications are closed; Exclusion: A complete application does not guarantee an interview or admission; Exclusion: The separate TELE program is not Camp Rising Sun; Exclusion: Second-year campers and legacy campers use different application rules | Ages 14–19; Requirement: Be age 14 through 19 inclusive on the first day of the workshop; Requirement: Submit one original 2,000-6,000-word science-fiction, fantasy, or horror short story; Requirement: Submit a short story rather than an excerpt and do not use fan-fiction characters or worlds; Requirement: Remove the applicant's name from the story file for anonymous judging; Requirement: If under 18, obtain parent or guardian confirmation and consent within seven days; Exclusion: Applicants outside ages 14-19 on the first program day; Exclusion: Applicants who have already attended Alpha twice, subject to the organization's digital-workshop exceptions; Exclusion: Fan fiction, excerpts, named manuscripts, or stories outside the required length and speculative genres; Exclusion: Admission and aid are separate; neither past publication nor ability to pay guarantees admission |
|---|
| Session dates or duration | Catalog terms: 1 week; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): Starts July 15, 2026; Ends July 26, 2026; 1.7 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Format | In person | Unconfirmed — check official site | In person |
|---|
| Housing and supervision | Residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Location | Austin, Texas, University of Texas at Austin campus and scheduled Austin or corporate program sites | Unconfirmed — check official site | Greensburg, University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, Pennsylvania |
|---|
| Selection and application | Selection: McCombs describes desired qualities but publishes no current applicant count, cohort size, acceptance rate, fixed GPA cutoff, identity quota, geographic quota, scoring rubric, interview process, or waitlist policy. Historical cohort figures must not be treated as a future guarantee. Application materials: One or more essays following the current prompts and word limits; One letter of recommendation from an eligible recommender under current instructions | Selection: Regional/global selection committees review applications for cohort fit and invite some applicants to interview. LAJF seeks diverse strengths, backgrounds, interests, and commitment to change, but does not publish current applicant totals, cohort size, or acceptance rate. Application materials: If selected: regional/global committee interview | Selection: Twenty students are admitted based solely on anonymized application stories; no current applicant count or acceptance rate is published. |
|---|
| Official sources | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-10Source 2 · checked 2026-08-20Source 3 · checked 2026-08-20 | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-12Source 2 · checked 2026-08-20Source 3 · checked 2026-08-20Source 4 · checked 2026-08-20 | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-21Source 2 · checked 2026-08-21Source 3 · checked 2026-08-21 |
|---|
