Camp Scholarships & Financial Aid

Financial Aid and Scholarships for Science-U Camps

Science-U strives to make our unique summer science camps affordable and accessible! Thanks to our partnerships with faculty, corporations, and organizations, we offer financial aid to families in need and award merit-based STEM scholarships to youth.

Like previous years, financial aid applications will be available for Summer 2025 when camp registration opens. Please follow our Facebook page and subscribe to our newsletter to be notified when Summer 2025 camp registration opens!

• Financial aid for Science-U camps is awarded based on available funds and the total number of applications.
• Scholarships for Science-U are merit-based and require applications by students as well as teacher recommendations.

Financial Aid

Financial aid awards are made on a first-come, first-serve basis after registration. Our financial aid committee will meet regularly to make awards and will continue to make awards until funds are exhausted. Because of limited funds, a child can receive financial aid for only one camp each summer. However, more than one child in a family may receive a financial aid award each summer. Extended Care options cannot be covered with financial aid. If you are applying for financial aid, you are not required to submit payment at the time of registration.

The application process is as follows:

1. Once registration opens go to http://app.campdoc.com/register/psu/scienceu
2. Register your child online for his/her chosen camp and type in AIDREQUEST in the payment section to temporarily by-pass payment.
3. Once your registration for a camp is complete, an email will be sent to you with an electronic^* financial aid application. The application will request the following information and needs to be completed WITHIN TWO BUSINESS WEEKS:
   • Total household annual income before taxes
   • Total number of family members in household
   • Whether the child qualifies for free or reduced school lunches
   • Any additional circumstances you wish to be considered (such as medical expenses, job loss, etc.)
   • Optional: Parents may attach email a drawing or essay from the child explaining why they want to attend a Penn State Science-U camp.
   • Note: We are not collecting tax returns or paycheck stubs, so parents/guardians are expected to supply information that is true and accurate.

^*We can mail you a paper copy of the application upon request.

Scholarships

For 2025, the AAUW-State College Branch will provide scholarships for Science-U day camps to girls and young women in Centre County who will be entering grades 6 to 12. Please click the AAUW-State College Merit-Based STEM Scholarship link for more information.

In partnership with Science-U, Penn State’s Center for Nanoscale Science has created a scholarship opportunity for motivated high school students from diverse backgrounds to attend the Science Leadership Camp, July 7-11, 2025. Please see the Science Leadership Camp Scholarship for more information.

For these scholarship opportunities, applications and STEM teacher/mentor recommendations are due in January 2025. Forms for these scholarships will be available in mid-November.