Design Camp Registration Process and Policies

How to Apply:

1. Create a registration account and begin your registration.

Design Camp registration opens at 9:00 a.m. on January 29, 2025. Click the above image to access our registration portal. The registration portal opens at 9:00am on January 29, 2025.

Household account: Our online registration system requires families to create a household profile from which to submit their application. If you have registered for our programs through our online portal in the past, you will use the same email and password you used in the past to login and register through your existing household account. The email address used to set up your account should be that of the parent/guardian who will be the main point of contact for all Design Camp communications. Parents and guardians, PLEASE keep track of your login information, as you will need to revisit your account throughout the registration process, and during your student’s week of camp. This account will also provide you with financial records of fees paid.

Selecting a camp: Within the application, you will have the option of selecting which program you want to join. Once you select a camp, that is the camp you will be placed in.

Spaces are limited, so register early: 

• Middle School Day Camps // Rising 6th – 8th grades 
  • 40 spots per camp
• Design Fundamentals Day Camps // Rising 8th and 9th grades 
  • 60 spots
• High School Explorations Day Camp // Rising 9th – 12th grades 
  • 80 spots
• High School Explorations Residential Camp // Rising 10th, 11th, and 12th grades
  • 120 spots
• Design Immersions Residential Program // Rising 11th and 12th grades
  • 100 spots

If a camp fills up, you may select to join a waitlist.

What is included in the registration system: The registration system asks for basic information on your student, a “statement of interest” to be written by the student, and requires completion of general student forms. If you wish to register for financial assistance, please visit our Financial Assistance Page for information on additional materials required for submission. 

For the student’s statement of interest, we ask that students respond to the following:

• Why are you interested in design? Please describe your interest in approximately 250 words.
• What is your motivation to attend Design Camp? Tell us about your motivations for attending camp, and what you hope to gain from the experience. Please answer is approximately 250 words.

We encourage everyone to allow adequate time to review and carefully complete the registration process. You may save your work and complete your registration in more than one sitting if need be.

Communications: Keep an eye out for communications about Design Camp, and check any email settings that may filter automatic replies from your inbox.

Early registration is HIGHLY encouraged. Registration fills quickly and will close on April 11, 2025. Please note, all applications received after April 11 will incur a $50 late fee.

It is the policy of NC State to provide equality of opportunity in all education programs and activities.

2. Submit your deposit.

A $100 non-refundable deposit for ALL Design Camp applicants is due upon registering to Design Camp, including those registering for Financial Assistance. We must receive your $100 deposit in order to submit your application. Non-refundable fees are not transferable to other programs. When submitting your application, credit/debit card payments will be completed directly through the online registration system. Your payment will be immediately reflected on your household account balance.

3. Submit final payment.

Final payment for remaining fee balances are due April 11, 2025. If you have applied for Financial Assistance, the payment deadline is April 25, 2025. For information on other Financial Assistance deadlines, please visit our Financial Assistance Page. 

If you have registered and paid the $100 non-refundable deposit, but have not completed full payment by April 11, your spot will be forfeited to someone on the waitlist.

Please see “Payment” section for more details.

4. Once you have submitted final payment your registration is complete!

5. In May, review the Design Camp information provided. 

In mid-May 2025, we will send out a packet with details on your week of Design Camp. The packet will include important information for you to keep and use in preparing for Design Camp. PARENTS AND STUDENTS, PLEASE REVIEW THE PACKET VERY CAREFULLY. You will be required to follow instructions provided as you prepare your student for camp, and upon checking them in on the first day of the program. 

6. Once we have received your final forms and updated information, we will be in touch closer to your camp week!

We will be in touch a week or two prior to camp via email when we will send you directions and any final details or updates you will need in preparing for camp.

Payment and Fees:

Deposit:

A $100 non-refundable deposit is due upon registering to Design Camp.  We must receive your $100 deposit in order to submit your registration. Non-refundable fees are not transferable to other programs.

The deposit fee will be applied to your fee balance for the camp in which you are placed. Fees are non-transferable.

Camp Fees:

• $750* for Middle School Day Camps ($650 after deposit)
• $825* for Design Fundamentals Day Camp ($725 after deposit)
• $875* for High School Explorations Day Camp ($775 after deposit)
• $1500* for High School Explorations Residential Camp ($1400 after deposit)
• $1550* for Design Immersions Residential Program ($1450 after deposit)
• *Early registration pricing. Applications submitted after April 11, 2025 incur a $50 late registration fee.

Full payment must be received by the given deadline in order for your registration to be complete. Those who have not paid or completed information by the deadline will forfeit their registration.

**RESIDENTIAL CAMPS ONLY** Lost Dorm Key Policy: 

NC State University Housing charges $150.00 per lost Hall Style dorm key. Residential camper families, please note that in the event your camper loses their dorm key, you will be billed $150.00 from University Housing to cover the cost of the lock re-core.

Waitlist Policy:

If all available spaces in a camp are full, a waitlist will be established. You may submit an application once a camp is in waitlist status, but will not be charged deposit or fees until a spot can be offered.

• Early Registration will close on April 11, 2025.
• Those on the waitlist will be notified by Wednesday, April 16, 2025, as to whether or not a spot has opened for them. 
• Waitlisted registrants will then have until Monday, April 21, 2025 to complete full payment.

Those remaining on the waitlist as of April 17 will have the option to stay on the waitlist or withdraw their application.

If you are placed in a camp after April 16, a payment deadline will be given to you in your placement email.

All registrations, including pending waitlist applications, will close on April 25, 2025.

Cancellation/Refund Policy:

Cancellations made before April 11, 2025 are eligible for a refund, minus the $100 non-refundable deposit. We must receive requests for cancellation in writing via email to designlab_k12@ncsu.edu.  Refunds will be issued by the same means of the original payment that is being refunded.

Cancellations made after April 11, 2025 will not be issued a refund. We do not provide refunds for last-minute cancellations or for students who are dismissed while the camps are in session. Non-refundable fees are not transferable to other programs. Due to up-front costs to our program, this is a firm policy.

If any camp is cancelled by the Design Lab, full refunds will be issued.

Refunds can only be issued by the same means of the original payment. 

Cancellations Due to COVID-19 or Other Illness: Cancellations made 3 days prior to a camp week are eligible for a 40% refund. If a student is unable to attend a camp due to a positive COVID-19 test result, or a student is experiencing COVID-like symptoms, registrants can request a 40% refund OR request to have 40% of their program fees donated to our Design Lab outreach funds. We must receive requests for cancellation in writing via email to designlab_k12@ncsu.edu. Due to the upfront costs of our program, we are only able to provide up to a 40% refund in the event a student is unable to attend. If a student begins experiencing COVID-like symptoms during program hours, students’ parents/guardians will be notified, and students will be quarantined until parents/guardians can pick them up. In this event, we will work with individual families to determine an alternate refund amount if the student has participated in more than half of a program.

Communications Policy:

Please note that we handle all program registrations, cancellation, and other important communications through our online registration system and email (designlab_k12@ncsu.edu) as a means of keeping organized communication records. The parent/guardian who creates the registration account will be the main point of contact for their student’s registration. The email address used when logging into your account will be used for all pre-camp contact. PLEASE KEEP TRACK OF YOUR LOGIN INFORMATION. students should not be the main point of contact for the registration account. We will need phone numbers for parents/guardians as well as students for use during camp, in the event of an emergency. When creating your household account and completing your registration, PLEASE ensure that all information provided is thorough and accurate.

If you need to reach the Design Lab staff, email is the preferred and quickest way to reach us. If you have a question, concern or request regarding registration, placement, cancellations, or student needs, we ask that you email us. If you would prefer to discuss an issue over the phone, please email us with the nature of your request, and we will contact you as soon as possible.

Please check your spam filter and any firewalls to make sure you can receive emails from these addresses. Adding us to your address book will also ensure all of our communications reach you. We ask that you please read emails that you receive from us promptly, and respond as needed in a timely manner. This will allow us to better serve you. Due to the high initial volume of applications, and because applications must be processed carefully and individually by our staff, we appreciate your attention to communications from our team, and your patience with the process.

Equal Opportunity Policy:

If you are a person with a disability or special concern and desire any assistive devices, services or other accommodations to participate in Design Camp, please contact us at designlab_k12@ncsu.edu to discuss accommodations prior to completing your registration. It is the policy of NC State to provide equality of opportunity in all education programs and activities. NC State engages in equal opportunity and affirmative action efforts and prohibits discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. For more information on NC State’s Equal Opportunity and Non-Discrimination Policy, please visit policies.ncsu.edu.