New applicants

Thank you for your interest in our summer family camp program! Unfortunately, our application process for summer 2021 is currently on hold. If you would like to apply to Stanford Sierra Camp for future summers, please check back with us next year for the application process to open for 2022. Questions? Email us.

Application evaluation

Stanford Sierra Camp is a program of SAA-Sierra Programs, LLC., with application priority given to Stanford University alumni. Alumni applying to Camp must be current members of the Stanford Alumni Association. If not members already, alumni may join as life members. Non-alumni pay a $300 use fee if they received a cabin assignment. Applications from non-alumni and university affiliates are ranked below all alumni applicants, regardless of application submission date.

Lottery

Applications time-stamped by midnight, Tuesday, January 4, 2022, are grouped into cohorts based on the number of consecutive application years. Due to the popularity of Sierra Camp, all applications are entered into a lottery in which applications are ranked within their cohort by random, computer-generated numbers. This lottery determines an applicant’s rank on the waitlist: First-year applicants are ranked below applicants applying for their second, third, fourth consecutive year; the more years one consecutively applies to attend Camp, the higher one's ranking. Individuals who take a year off from applying will lose all of their application credits that they have built up. As a result, it's important to apply to Camp every year in order to ensure you retain your application credits.

While it may take an average of four years to be offered a spot at Camp—depending on an applicant’s flexibility in accommodations and weeks—once a spot is assigned, that applicant is guaranteed to attend every summer moving forward.

Flexible application credit

Due to the summer 2020 program being canceled, we are not able to offer any flexibility credits for the 2020 season. You will receive application credit for applying in 2020, which will move you up the waitlist for future summers. You will not, however, receive a flexibility credit for 2020. We want to acknowledge and thank every one that applied in a flexible manner. We hope to resume all camp application policies and the flexibility credit option again for 2022.

Selection

Applicants will be notified by mail of their cabin assignments or waitlist status after February 18, 2022. Families on the waitlist will be notified as cancellations occur. Payment in full is due by March 1, 2022, for weeks 2–7, and March 15, 2022 for weeks 8-13.

Payment