Stanford National Forensic Institute

We have compiled a list of information regarding our deadlines and enrollment policies for your convenience. We also have a Frequently Asked Questions page which addresses general logistical questions about SNFI programs. If you have additional questions after referring to these two pages, please contact us.

Costs do not include transportation to and from the program, spending money, 1-2 "dine out" meals per week, bath and bed linens, additional nights of lodging if necessary, camp memorabilia (such as t-shirts), copies made in the library, and optional recreational excursions.

We offer a bed linen service, commemorative camp shirts & bags, additional nights of accommodation and optional recreational excursions via the Parent Portal.

Final enrollment confirmation is only sent out once ALL details for the summer are confirmed, including check-in and check-out times and locations on campus, since we distribute all final pre-camp materials at that time.  Until all of these details are finalizied with the various relevant departments on campus we are unable to send a final enrollment confirmation to any families enrolled in camp.  You should expect to receive final camp details by approximately the end of April or the beginning of May.  Don't worry--as soon as we've sent you a "payment received" notification, space in your chosen camp session is held up through the final tuition due date that's listed on the attached invoice, and no further action is needed on your part until you receive a notification from us that you should review your Pre-Camp ToDo List within the Parent Portal.

• Application Deadlines & Late Fees

  The date for preferential enrollment is May 20th, which does not guarantee a spot, but we will make our best efforts to accommodate students who apply by this date.  All applicants will be admitted as space permits, even applications submitted after May 20th and into June or later.  Applications received after June 10 may incur a late fee of $50 per week of camp.  Express mail is recommended for payments submitted after June 10. Late fees also apply to final enrollment papers and final payments which are received late. The final payment schedule will be detailed in the enrollment materials you receive after application.

• To Guarantee Acceptance to the SNFI

  Applicants who apply by May 1st and pay in full are guaranteed admission on a rolling basis unless and until the program is entirely full.  Paying in full before May 1st guarantees acceptance to the SNFI, but does not guarantee admission to special programs with competitive admissions.  Applications received after April 15th may not eligible for our early enrollment pricing.

• Making Payment

SNFI accepts several payment methods, including Credit Card, ACH Debit bank transfer and ACH Credit e-check / wire transfer.  All of our published pricing reflects a 3% cash discount, and credit card payments are not eligible for our cash discount pricing.

• I've signed up online and mailed in my deposit. What's next?

  After you've submitted your deposit check, you should visit our Parent Portal to check out the applicable to-do list for your selected camp session(s).  Note that Pre Camp ToDo Lists may not be available until mid-May, but we will email registered families to let you know when your list is available in the Parent Portal.

• When can I expect to receive Final Enrollment Confirmation?

  Final enrollment confirmation is only sent out once ALL details for the summer are confirmed, including check-in and check-out times and locations on campus, since we distribute all final pre-camp materials at that time. Until all of these details are finalized with the various relevant departments on campus we are unable to send a final enrollment confirmation to any families enrolled in camp. You should expect to receive final enrollment confirmation by approximately the end of May. Don't worry--as soon as we've sent you a "payment received" notification, space in your chosen camp session is held up through the final tuition due date that's listed on the attached invoice, and no further action is needed until you receive a notification from us that you should review your Pre-Camp ToDo List within the Parent Portal.

• Program Fees Cover

  Fees for residential students include room, board, and tuition. Commuter fees include tuition and lunch and dinner most days of the program. For policy debate students at the SNFI the fees now includes a disc of all evidence produced at the camp. In addition, each policy debater will receive electronic access to the necessary evidence files for camp debates.  All of our resident students will be housed on campus in a Stanford dormitory, and meals will be provided in a nearby Stanford dining hall.  There is no specific room configuration guaranteed for residential students, however most students will be in double or triple occupancy rooms.  Note that rooms which are double or triple occupancy during the summer may be used at a lower capacity during the academic year, and as a result there may not be a full set of furniture in each room (ex there may be one less desk/dresser than there are students), and we are unable to guarantee that every student will have a desk and/or dresser.  In such a case we are unable to add more desks or dressers to any room as the dorm complex has a fixed number of desks/dressers and there are no extras available, but do suggest that students share a desk if appropriate, and to perhaps use one less dresser drawer to accommodate a roommate.  We are also able to accommmodate requests for a single occupancy room on a space available basis for an additional fee.

  Note that by popular request of students from prior summers, 1-2 meals per week for both residents and commuters will be "dine out" meals where students eat in the Student Union building or other campus eateries of their choosing and pay for their selections themselves.

• Program Fees Do Not Cover

  Costs do not include transportation to and from the program, spending money, 1-2 "dine out" meals per week, bath and bed linens, additional nights of lodging if necessary, camp memorabilia (such as t-shirts), copies made in the library, and optional recreational excursions.

  We offer a bed linen service, commemorative camp t-shirts, additional nights of accommodation and optional recreational excursions via the Parent Portal.

• Cancellation Policy

  The SNFI is unable to offer any tuition refunds without the purchase of our optional Tuition Protection Plan. To read our full refund policy and to learn more about our Tuition Protection Plan, please visit the refund policy page.

• Change Policy

  Changes to alternative camp session dates in the same camp season (summer) may be accommodated only on a space-available basis and are subject to a $100 processing fee.  In the event of a voluntary date change requested April 15th or later, the base deposit amount paid to hold a place in a given week of camp is non-transferrable to a different week of camp.  To read our full change and refund policy, please visit the refund policy page.

• Tentative versus confirmed camp dates

  Program dates and venues are tentative until all arrangements are confirmed with the campus (which can occur as late as late spring).  If SNFI must change the fundamental character or dates of a program, we will notify camper families enrolled in that session as soon as we are aware of the change and can confirm updated details. Once we notify you, you will have 10 days to decide whether to keep your enrollment in the program or cancel for a refund. If you cancel in writing within 10 days of us notifying you of the change of dates, we will fully refund your tuition payment (and any other incidentals you may have purchased, such as airport shuttle fees, etc.). If you do not notify us in writing of your wish to cancel within 10 days of the date change, then you agree that your enrollment will be transferred to the new program dates and that our standard refund/cancelation policies and Tuition Protection Plan policies apply from that point forward. 

• Does SNFI help with procuring visas for international students?

  We are unable to provide any assistance for families that need to apply for a visa for program attendance.  We are unable to send sponsorship letters, certificates of enrollment beyond the invoice you receive via email when you sign up and make payment, or any other form of documentation beyond what is publicly available on our website.  As our programs do not award academic credit, we are unable to sponsor or in any way support education visas.  Most students who attend our programs do so via the visa waiver program or on tourist visas.  US Immigration officials are the final arbiters as to whether visas are required for entrance to the US, so we suggest that you direct any visa related questions to your local embassy or consulate.  We can't make any special exceptions to our tuition refund policies for any problems related to visa issuance as we still incur the same costs no matter the cause of a cancelation, so if there is uncertainty as to your visa status or whether or not you will have a visa in time for camp we strongly suggest that you consider enrolling in our optional Tuition Protection Plan.

• My child does not meet the listed grade level requirements for a session, but they are very advanced.  May I enroll my child in a program for students in higher grade levels (middle school student in a high school program)?

  Our entering grade level requirements are set by our larger department at Stanford and we have no flexibility to grant exceptions, so no, you may not enroll a middle school stduent into a high school program.  We clearly list the grade level requirements for all of our programs on our schedule and program pages, and additionally during the camp enrollment process.

• Financial Assistance

  Need based financial aid for tuition only is available for students who can demonstrate both need and talent.  Financial aid awards are not available for international students. Contact the SNFI office for more information.

• Rules & Responsibilities

  All SNFI attendees and families are expected to be familiar with our rules & responsibilities and must sign these agreements prior to attending camp.  You may read our rules and responsibilities here.