| Application deadline | February 1, 2027 (2027 cycle) | Unconfirmed — check official site | April 19, 2027 (2027 cycle) |
|---|
| Cost | Free attendance; check separate expenses (2027 cycle) | Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): $2,750; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Financial aid | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Expenses and aid conditions | 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 10–11; 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: 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: Be completing grade 10 or 11 before the summer session.; Requirement: Earlier 2026 instructions required one year of chemistry or physics and a counselor/teacher recommendation plus transcript or grade card; confirm the operative 2027 prerequisites.; Exclusion: Two elective credits apply only after later enrollment at Rose-Hulman; Exclusion: Earlier 2026 instructions required outside financial assistance; 2027 aid availability is unverified. |
|---|
| Session dates or duration | Starts June 6, 2027; Ends June 11, 2027 (2027 cycle) | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Format | In person | In person | In person |
|---|
| Housing and supervision | Unconfirmed — check official site | Non-residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site | Residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Location | Unconfirmed — check official site | Apple Valley, Minnesota Zoo, Minnesota | Terre Haute, Indiana |
|---|
| 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: Earlier 2026 instructions described selective application followed by first-come session placement after approval. Confirm the current 2027 review and placement process; no acceptance rate is published. Application materials: Earlier 2026 instructions required an online application, a transcript or grade card, and one counselor or teacher recommendation. |
|---|
| Official sources | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-10 | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-22 | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-12Source 2 · checked 2026-08-22Source 3 · checked 2026-08-22 |
|---|