Frequently Asked Questions

We grade each student's application based on merit.

When we say merit, we mean graders approach each student's application holistically, considering factors such as the quality of their personal essay, the depth of their extracurricular involvement, and the strength of their recommendation letter, without regard to demographic or socioeconomic factors.

This approach ensures that students are selected based on their individual accomplishments, enthusiasm, and potential to excel in the aviation camp, fostering a fair and inclusive evaluation process.

Our Board of Directors and Selection Committee came together last year and wrote some Tips for Success to help guide students and increase their chances of getting into camp. They are available to view on our website.

Absolutely not! Whether you come from a legacy of aviators or you are a first-generation high school graduate, we welcome you!

Our mission at Minnesota ACE Camp is to educate, mentor, and explore career opportunities with you. Come learn about the best careers in our industry and see if this is the step you want to take.

Our "age range" is actually based on the students’ grade level rather than by age. We accept high school students and recent high school graduates.

Students entering 9th grade are welcome to apply, but may not be selected due to limited capacity.

In practice, this means that our students are usually between the ages of 14-19.

We get a lot of questions about this and want to break it down.

We have had some amazing 14 and 15-year-olds attend camp over the years! These students were entering the 9th grade that Fall Semester.

We note in our application and on our website, “Students entering 9th grade are welcome to apply, but may not be selected due to limited capacity”

We note this not because we discriminate based on age or maturity. We note this to share with you that the likelihood of getting into camp as a 9th grader is low.

It is low because of how we grade applications. A large percentage of our grading scale is given to the student’s school year. This is because students entering 9th grade have five summers to apply and attend camp, while students entering 12th grade only have two summers to apply and attend.

If students entering 12th grade or leaving high school miss this opportunity to attend, they will never have another opportunity to experience our program.

Camp is very competitive, so we’d like to offer our program to those who have a limited time to attend first!

If you recently graduated high school and are a legal adult between the ages of 18 and 19 years old, you can attend camp!

If you are 18+ or turn 18 during camp, you will need to provide Identification for TSA during the security checkpoints of our tours.

For students over 18 years old, you do not need an adult to drop you off on the first day of camp and pick you up on the last day of camp, but we would love to meet the people who support you!

Should you have any questions feel free to reach out to our staff at supportstaff@mnacecamp.org.

A student’s total tuition includes a single-occupancy lodging quarter, a shared ensuite bathroom, transportation, individual flights, food, and tour admissions while the student is attending camp.

Visit these pages on our website for more details.

Lodging

Meals & Nutrition

Camp Tuition is only due upon acceptance into camp.

You will receive an acceptance email with a link to pay tuition and a due date. Generally, it’s within a week of being accepted.

To see the exact due date, view our Rates section on our website.

Keep in mind if you do not pay your tuition on time, your camp slot will be forfeited and given to a Standby student.

We love our international students, but this year our program may include flying on a military aircraft.

In order to fly on a military aircraft, you must be a US Citizen with a Social Security Number.

For the years that our application asked this question, we will not be accepting International Students.

We apologize for this inconvenience. Should you have any questions feel free to reach out to our staff at supportstaff@mnacecamp.org.

We love our out-of-state students, and they are always welcome to attend camp!

Please note that our tuition does not include airfare or transportation costs to and from Minneapolis.

If you are over 18, you will need to provide Identification for TSA during some security checkpoints during our tours.

For students under 18 years old, you will need an adult to drop you off on the first day of camp and pick you up on the last day of camp.

Should you have any questions feel free to reach out to our staff at supportstaff@mnacecamp.org.

Yes! View our Tips for Success on our website!

Yes, our staff will do everything we can to make sure you and your friend get to experience camp together.

However, we grade based on merit, so we recommend you look over each other’s applications and read our ‘Tips for Success’ so you both have the best chance of getting into camp.

We want all of our students to be able to participate in everything camp has to offer! However, we know that is not always the case. Some of our camp program activities have weight restrictions that may prevent some students from participating.

These weight restrictions are in place by our vendors for the safety and well-being of all participants.

iFly Indoor Skydiving: 260-300lbs
(additional evaluation by an iFly staff member is required to determine whether the student can be accommodated)

Piper Warrior flight: 250lbs

Glider flight: 242lbs

Students must be able to perform all of the following requirements to participate fully in all activities during camp.

Read, write, and speak English

Care for themselves overnight, unassisted

Climb and descend stairs and ladders, unassisted

Ride a coach or school bus, unassisted

Engage in group activities

Comply with verbal instructions

Follow emergency exit path lighting in the event of an emergency

Egress a small aircraft in the event of an emergency, unassisted

Egress a building in the event of a fire alarm, unassisted

Maneuver on uneven surfaces

Remain aware of their surroundings at all times

Participate in events that preclude those with prior head, neck, back, or shoulder injury, heart condition, or any other condition that may impede their ability to take part in physical activity or increase the risk of injury

For students who cannot perform all of the above, we will require you to complete an Accommodation Request Form with your Primary Care Physician.

This camp fills up quickly! We like to give priority to our first-time students. If you have attended MN ACE Camp before and would like to attend again, contact the admissions team at admissions@mnacecamp.org.

Yes, there is a Standby List.

You are automatically added to the Standby List if you apply during the application window.

If a student is accepted into camp and forfeits their slot for any reason, we will email the first student on our Standby List to inform them a slot has opened up and ask if they would be interested in attending camp. They can choose to accept or turn down the available slot.

For various reasons, there may be some years when we leave the application window open passed the initial application window time period to fill the Standby List. Take advantage of this, and be sure to sign up for our newsletters to get notified if this happens.

Every year a few students from the Standby List make it to camp for various reasons. Don’t be deterred; it’s always worth a shot! But as you’ll learn from the airlines, a Standby List is not a guarantee.

Students will be able to upload their Letter of Recommendation in their online application (this is preferred).

If the recommending adult wishes to send the Letter of Recommendation directly to us, they can do so by emailing admissions@mnacecamp.org.

Students can replace the Letter of Recommendation in their application with a Word Doc or PDF indicating who will be writing their Letter of Recommendation, the recommending adult’s email address, and when we can expect to receive it.

Address all Letters of Recommendation to “Admissions”

Sign up for our newsletter to get reminders of important dates for next year’s camp!

Our camp is competitive, and each year we offer a Standby List to students who applied within the application window but were not accepted to camp. These students will be contacted should a student forfeit their camp slot.

As you’ll learn from the airlines, a Standby List is not a guarantee.

Please do not email us and ask if you can still apply or attend camp.

Once the plane pushes back, no more passengers can board.

We are a group of volunteers, and once the application window is closed, we dedicate much of our time over the next few weeks to preparing for camp. It may be several days before we get back to you.

We encourage you to apply next year!

Our cancelation policy is strict due to security clearance and pre-paid expenses with our vendors.

Once tuition is paid, no refunds will be issued. There are no refunds for participants who arrive late or depart early.

If unforeseen circumstances occur and we are forced to cancel camp, participants will receive a full refund minus a small service fee.