Application Guidelines

From eligibility criteria to the lottery, here’s everything you need to know about applying to Camp Michigania.

Application Guidelines

From eligibility criteria to the lottery, here’s everything you need to know about applying to Camp Michigania.

Eligibility

In order to apply to attend Michigania, there must be one eligible applicant per unit. This individual is the primary camper. If your party needs more than one unit, separate eligible applicants must apply for each unit, and your entire party can apply collectively as a group. Note: Spouses, significant others, partners, or any eligible applicants who will be in the same unit are not allowed to apply separately.

To be eligible to submit an application, the primary camper must be 18 years of age or older and meet at least one of the following criteria:

Be an alum of the University of Michigan (attended for at least one semester in a degree-granting program) with an active Alumni Association membership.
Be a non-alum with a Life Membership that was obtained prior to Jan. 1, 2023.
Be a current University of Michigan faculty/staff member or retiree with an active Alumni Association membership.
Be faculty with emeritus status as assigned by the University of Michigan with an active Alumni Association membership.

To enjoy the benefit of Michigania, every adult over the age of 18 who is not currently enrolled in a college or university must be a current member of the Alumni Association prior to attending.

While Summer Camp is open to participants of all ages, there are limitations for our specialty programs:

Fall Colors: Adults only (18 and older)
Winter Camp: Adults and children 5 and older

Additional Application Information

Multiple parties (related or unrelated) may apply as a group. Each party applying for a unit within a group must complete a separate application and contain at least one eligible applicant as defined above.

A group application will give you one lottery entry for Michigania. If a group application is selected, all parties in the group will be confirmed. If a group application is not selected, the parties in the group will be placed individually on the waitlist after all waitlisted “single” families.

New for 2023, groups must appoint a primary party to apply for the lottery first. That primary eligible applicant will add email addresses for the primary applicant in each party during their application. Those additional parties will receive a unique link to apply as a part of that group application. The week choices will be pre-filled for all parties who receive that unique link.

The maximum number of parties that may apply as a group is limited to 4. This means that the primary party applicant can add up to 3 additional parties to their group.

Summer Camp

Applications for the lottery for summer will open on Jan. 16, 2023.
The application period for lottery eligibility will be open until Jan. 25, 2023.
Applicants will be alerted of their application status within 2 weeks of the lottery period closing.
The application will remain open after the lottery process, and new applicants will be added to the waitlist for desired weeks.
Any units being held will be released to the waitlist on March 1, 2023. Should no waitlist remain for a given week, new applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
Beginning on March 15, 2023, non-eligible applicants will be able to apply should space remain.

Fall Colors

Applications for Fall Colors open annually on July 1.
Due to high demand, a lottery may be utilized. If needed, the drawing will occur at the beginning of September for applications received by Sept. 1, and all applicants will be notified of their status by Sept. 15.
For applications received after Sept. 1, confirmations will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

Winter Camp

Applications for Winter Camp open annually on Sept. 1.
Due to high demand, a lottery may be utilized. If needed, the drawing will occur in mid-November for applications received by Nov. 15, and all applicants will be notified of their status by Nov. 30.
For applications received after Nov. 15, confirmations will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

The lottery will run within one week of the lottery application period closing. We give ourselves a week to clean up any application or data discrepancies and give applicants time to correct them. Once the data is ready, the lottery takes seconds to run. It is an automated process, and applicants will be alerted of their status within days of the lottery running.

Inventory Allocation

All Campers

New Campers

Camp Director's Discretion

In an effort to allow more alums the opportunity to experience Michigania, we are allocating 15% of the reservation inventory each week for new campers. If we do not fill the 15% weekly allotment during the lottery process, that space will be held for new campers until March 15, 2023. If those spots are still not filled by that time, we will open them to waitlisted families. If there is no waitlist, that space will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

In addition to the 15% reserved for new campers, 5% of the reservation inventory will be allocated for Camp Director’s discretion. This space may include, but is not limited to, Camps Council members, Faculty Forum speakers, and donors who have provided significant support to Michigania in the past. It is important to note that an individual is not able to make a donation in order to receive priority access — it is based only on past giving.

If an individual or group application is not selected for any of their week choices, they will be placed on the waitlist in the order determined by the lottery process. All primary applicants will be alerted of their place on the waitlist upon the initial run of the lottery and on a monthly basis following the initial run of the lottery.

At this time, there is no priority booking for future years of Michigania for anyone who is waitlisted. We are taking this time to assess demand and waitlist sizes to make sure we are not committing to something we may not be able to deliver.

Before Confirmations

Cancellations received prior to confirmations being sent will receive a full refund, less a $50 processing fee.

After Confirmations

Cancellation of a confirmed reservation is determined by how far away your booked date is, with the refund amount depending on the amount of time away from this date.

Cancellation of a confirmed reservation:
- 30 or more days before the reservation date, the camper is entitled to a full refund but will forfeit the deposit.
- Under 30 days, but before 14 days, the camper is entitled to a 50% refund.
- Under 14 days, the camper is not entitled to a refund for cancellation.
Removal of a camper from a confirmed reservation:
- After May 15, there will be a $100 fee per camper removed, unless replaced with another camper, in which case there is no charge.

Contact Camp

Resources

Accommodations
Application Guidelines
Dining
Navigating Michigania
What to Bring
What to Know

Getaways

Summer Camp
Black History Month
Women’s Wellness Weekend
Fall Colors
Winter Camp
Cabin Rental