Camp Information

Camp Fees and Registration:

Fees for the 4-day/3-night Explore Science Camps are $900 per camper. The fees for the 5-day/4-night camps (Data Science, Physical Science, and Life Science) are $1000/camper. Scholarships are available. Fees cover faculty instructional time, equipment, supplies, meals and housing, fun activities, and camp staff. Fees do not include transportation to/from the Virginia Tech Campus. You must arrange for your camper to get to/from campus.

Fees are due when you register. If you must cancel your registration, you will be reimbursed minus a $30 handling fee up until 4 weeks before camp. Unfortunately, we cannot offer refunds if you cancel closer to the start date of camp.

Registration will remain open until 3 weeks before the start date of each camp or until filled.

Scholarships:

Need-based scholarships are available. Apply within the camp registration portal and wait for the decision before paying the camp fees. We will get back to you by email within 10 business days of receiving your complete application.

Camp Communication:

Our main method for communicating with you (parents/guardians and campers) will be through email. Please make sure that the email you input on the registration site is correct and that you regularly check it.

Housing:

Campers will be housed in double-occupancy residence halls on Virginia Tech campus. Most rooms have bunk beds. We cannot accept roommate requests. When possible, girls and boys will be housed on different floors of the dorm.

Meals:

All meals (except snacks) will be served in our award-winning dining hall, D2, which offers an array of options suitable to most dietary needs. Visit Dining Services for questions.

Size of camp:

The 7-8^th grade camp accepts 40 campers total. The remaining camps will accept up to 48 campers. These sizes allow us to keep the camper to staff ratio low.

Camp activities and instructors:

All activities will be taught by Virginia Tech faculty, staff and/or senior graduate students. Our instructors are selected for their excellent teaching skills and their passion for sharing their expertise with youth. Many of these instructors have won awards for their amazing teaching and/or contributions to their fields.  Activities may last 45 minutes to several hours depending on the nature of what we are doing.

Camp Counselors:

Our camp counselors are Virginia Tech undergraduate and graduate students chosen for their dedication and ability to work with youth. They are trained prior to camp and go through rigorous background checks. Camp staff will supervise the campers from check-in until check-out and many will live on-site. Most staff are studying some sort of science and will be able to answer your camper’s questions about college majors, career interests, college life, and Virginia Tech. Our staff are here to help if your camper has any issue during camps (with housing, roommates, homesickness, illness, etc…)!

Faculty Mixers:

Campers will have the opportunity to network with faculty in a casual setting to discuss careers, majors, college prep, and strategies for thriving once in college.

Expectations for Campers:

We expect all campers to always behave responsibly and respectfully. We expect them to be attentive and polite during activities even if a particular topic is not their favorite. We expect campers to be kind and respectful to their fellow campers and to all camp staff.

Before arriving on campus, campers and their parent/guardian are required to read and sign our “Code of Conduct” and “Discipline” policy forms, which outline behavioral standards. Campers who do not comply will be warned once and then sent home if the behavior does not improve.

Campers are not allowed to leave campus during the camp without the permission of their parent/guardian and the director of the College of Science camps.

Parking on campus:

Parking passes are always required on the VT campus and may be purchased through the ParkMobile App. Campers may drive to camp if their parents/guardians allow it but will not be allowed to use their personal vehicle until the end-of-camp departure. They will also need to purchase daily parking passes.

Walking on campus:

The Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg is large, and our campers do a lot of walking. For example, the dining hall and residence hall are across campus from the academic buildings where most of the activities take place, and different academic areas are found on different parts of campus. It is not uncommon to walk a mile between activities. Please prepare your camper for walking. The good news is that they will become familiar with many parts of our beautiful campus.

Attire & Supplies:

The weather can fluctuate, so please check the weather forecast ahead of time. Closed-toe shoes and long pants are a must for many lab experiments. Classrooms can be chilly or warm, depending on the power of the AC. Please double-check the what-to-bring list before you leave home. Included on the list are: bedding (twin extralong), pillows, towels, and soap, and needed medications. All medications should be in their original packaging and enclosed in a plastic Ziplock bag with the camper’s name on them. Computers are NOT needed.

A complete list of supplies to bring to camp will be emailed 2-3 months before camp starts.

Check-in/Check-out:

Check-in times will be midday on the first day of camp. Check-out will be midday of the last day of camp. We will send a final schedule closer to the first day of camp.