Educational Fee Waivers

Granting of Educational Fee Waivers:

Academic fee waivers are granted to educational institutions whose curriculum relates specifically to the resources at Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Completed applications along with required documentation may be submitted via email. Email is required to expedite the process and save paper.

Email: [e-mail]

Fee waiver requests must be submitted at least six weeks before a scheduled visit to allow for consideration.

School groups or outings conducted for educational or scientific purposes by schools or other bona fide educational institutions can qualify for an entrance fee waiver if they submit a packet to the park documenting that they meet the following criteria:

Criteria #1 - Eligibility

Applicants must prove they are an academic institution by submitting one of the following types of documentation.

• A statement confirming educational or scientific tax exemption from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or the applicant's national, state, or local tax authority.

• A statement from an academic institution meeting one of these eligibility standards confirming that the group is visiting for the purpose of providing transferable academic credit based on a curriculum.

• A statement of accreditation or recognition as an academic institution from a legitimate international, national, regional, state, or local authority.

Criteria #2 - Educational Purpose

Applicants must provide a written statement verifying that the visit supports a specific curriculum for which academic credit is offered. This requirement can be met by submitting the course number and description and/or a copy of the catalog description for college courses or an outline of student work required for grades K-12.

Criteria #3 - Relevance of Park Resources or Facilities

Applicants must provide a written statement describing how specific park resources and facilities are relevant to the educational purpose of the visit. Course outlines, lesson plans, or a copy of the curriculum meet this requirement.

• A letter requesting waiver of entrance fees on official letterhead and signed by an official representative of the institution.
• A statement which relates the purpose of the proposed visit to resources unique and specific to Guadalupe Mountains National Park, accompanied by lesson plans, course descriptions, daily activity schedules, etc., which indicate planned educational use of those resources inside the park. Include number of people (chaperones and youth) in your statement.

Please send all questions about this process by email.

Fee Waiver Application Forms

Education Reservation Request Form

• Fillable Adobe Acrobat PDF File
  Sections 1, 2, and 5 must be completely filled out. Please include required documentation as attachments when emailing the park.

Bringing a group of twenty or more?

Additional restrictions and requirements apply.