Tuition & Aid

Tuition is $3825 per session.

• Campers who attend both sessions receive a 10% discount on the total tuition amount.
• Extra fees apply to both the College Credit Course and the Extended Experience Week. Financial Aid awards cannot be applied to either program.
  • In order to enroll in the College Credit Course and earn three college credits from Mary Baldwin University (transferable to other institutions) campers must pay the cost of tuition directly to MBU.
  • The Extended Experience Week costs an additional $900 per camper. This amount covers room and board, costs associated with 24/7 staffing needs, continued access to all shows playing at the Blackfriars Playhouse, and the super special (secret) field trips.

Indeed we do. Thanks to the Financial Aid Fund, partial tuition assistance is available to help ease the burden of tuition. Once a camper’s application has been accepted, they may apply for aid using the custom Financial Aid Application link contained in their acceptance email.

Financial Aid awards are not full scholarships.

• We do what we can with financial aid, but it’s important to know that financial aid awards will not cover the full cost of tuition. 
  • Financial Aid awards can help with up to half the cost of tuition.
  • We are unable to provide travel subsidies.
• We accept Financial Aid applications on a rolling basis and send out case-by-case award offers until all aid has been distributed.
• Priority for Financial Aid awards will go to registered campers, but campers are not required to register before applying for Financial Aid.

The final deadline for financial aid is April 1.

We accept Financial Aid applications on a rolling basis up until the deadline and send out award offers in two waves: one in late December and another in early April.

Any remaining aid may be distributed on a case-by-case basis until all aid has been distributed.

The ASC Theatre Camp has one opportunity for a camper to win a full tuition scholarship to either session: a grand prize of the English Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition is a full scholarship to a session of camp.

Campers can also seek outside scholarship assistance from a variety of other sources. Check out the External Scholarships tab for information about external scholarships, along with some less traditional fundraising ideas.

If you are interested in sponsoring a camper by setting up a scholarship, please contact Director of Development Kelly Burdick at kelly.burdick@americanshakespearecenter.com, or consider making a donation to the American Shakespeare Center Theatre Camp Scholarship Fund.

We accept all major credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express) as well as checks, money orders, and good ole cash (though I don’t recommend sending cash payments in the mail).

Please make checks to the American Shakespeare Center and mail to:

American Shakespeare Center
Attn: ASC Theatre Camp
20 S New Street, 4th Floor
Staunton, VA 24401

Accepted campers and their families have three registration options:

1. Pay tuition in full at the time of registration. This includes the $150 nonrefundable deposit.
2. Pay only the $150 nonrefundable deposit at the time of registration, and spread the remaining tuition balance over as many interest-free installments you need. The number of payments, amounts of each payment, and payment dates are entirely up to you, so long as tuition is paid in full by the session’s due date (see below).
3. Exactly the same as Option #2, with an additional step: apply for Financial Aid either before or after registering. The remaining tuition (less the financial aid award) may be spread out over multiple custom payments.

Tuition must be paid in full by the session due date, which is the Monday two weeks before the session starts.

By default, all registered families with an outstanding tuition balance due will receive automatic payment reminders as the session due date draws closer. These emails will contain up-to-date account balance information and a link to the camper’s unique payment form.

ASC Refund Policy (as of January 15, 2020): The initial tuition deposit of $150 is non-refundable. If a camper withdraws more than 60 days from the start of camp, everything except that deposit is refundable. If a camper withdraws less than 60 days before the start of camp, 50% of tuition paid in will be refunded. If a camper withdraws 30 or fewer days before the start of camp, the ASC will not be able to provide a refund.

(Psssst – if you’re able, consider donating that paid tuition to our Scholarship Fund and help make the dream of camp a reality for students everywhere.)

Camp is certainly the gift that keeps on giving, and we want to encourage everybody to give that gift.

Part of that gift includes the application process, which is not only great practice for filling out college applications but also creates an even playing field within the camper community.

Since all campers must apply and be accepted in order to attend camp (including our scholarship winners), nobody can “buy their way in.”

So how do you surprise your camper with the best gift ever?

Easy! We can pre-approve your camper on the strength of a teacher recommendation. Pre-approved campers will receive a personal letter inviting them to apply and their official ASCTC nametag and lanyard all campers receive upon arrival – the perfect package to wrap up and put under the tree or on the gift pile.

Pre-approval does not guarantee acceptance or save your camper’s spot. Pre-approved campers will still need to fill out an application, get accepted, and then register in order to attend camp.

Contact Camp Director Lia Wallace about pre-approval for your camper today!