| Application deadline | February 1, 2027 (2027 cycle) | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Cost | Free attendance; check separate expenses (2027 cycle) | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Financial aid | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Expenses and aid conditions | 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 | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Eligibility | Grades 10–11; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site | Up to grade 12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Additional eligibility | 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. | 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: Previously published eligibility, requiring confirmation for a future cycle: For 2026, complete grade 11 by July 1, 2026; Requirement: Previously published eligibility, requiring confirmation for a future cycle: Be excited to learn, explore and grow in engineering and science; Requirement: Previously published eligibility, requiring confirmation for a future cycle: Be able to live onsite for the full two-week program; Requirement: Previously published eligibility, requiring confirmation for a future cycle: Participate in faculty-led labs, classes, mentoring and residential activities; Requirement: The 2026 cycle required completed grade 11 by July 1,2026. Future eligibility is unannounced.; Exclusion: The 2026 program and registration are closed; Exclusion: The published eligibility is tied to the completed 2026 cycle and must be reconfirmed for 2027; Exclusion: The program supports young women in STEM but explicitly welcomes all students excited about STEM; Exclusion: A need scholarship is not guaranteed and was first-come, first-served |
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| Session dates or duration | Starts June 6, 2027; Ends June 11, 2027 (2027 cycle) | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Format | In person | In person | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Housing and supervision | Unconfirmed — check official site | Non-residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Location | Unconfirmed — check official site | Apple Valley, Minnesota Zoo, Minnesota | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Selection and application | Application materials: Online application, transcript, activities/leadership, essays, recommendation and resume. Decisions by mid-April; supplemental deadline does not extend initial entry. | 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: Kettering does not publish the cohort size, applicant total, selection method or acceptance rate on the current LITES page. |
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| Official sources | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-10 | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-22 | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-12Source 2 · checked 2026-08-22 |
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