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**United States Department of the Interior**

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

Death Valley National Park

PO Box 579

Death Valley, California 92328

**Academic Fee Waiver Application Guidelines**

The Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA), Public Law
108-447, provides the National Park Service statutory authority to allow
"outings conducted for non-commercial educational purposes by schools or
bona fide academic institutions" to obtain a waiver of park entrance
fees. Commercial enterprises are not eligible for fee waivers, but
school groups using a commercial vehicle for transportation only may
apply for a fee waiver.

**Fee Waiver Qualification Standards:**

Academic Fee Waivers (formally Educational Fee Waivers) are not granted
automatically. Applicant groups must submit an application and meet
criteria for approval of their request.

The National Park Service has established the following four criteria as
requirements for approval of an entrance fee waiver request. **Please
read carefully.**

1\. **Eligibility:** National or international applicants must prove
they are a school or bona fide academic institution by submitting one of
the following types of documentation:

-   A statement confirming educational or scientific tax exemption from
    the IRS or the applicant's national, state, or local tax authority;
    or

-   A statement, from a bona fide 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; or

-   A statement of accreditation or recognition as an educational
    institution from a legitimate international, national, regional,
    state, or local authority for the applicant's location.

2\. **Educational Purpose of the Visit:**

-   Applicants must provide a written statement (documentation)
    verifying that the visit supports a specific curriculum for which
    academic credit is offered. Documentation such as the course
    syllabus or a copy of the school's course catalog or handbook will
    satisfy this requirement.

3\. **Relevance of Park Resources or Facilities:**

-   To simply state the trip objectives are for "educational purposes"
    is insufficient. There must be a direct relationship between the
    purpose of the visit and the use of the park. Applicants must
    provide a written statement identifying the park resources and/or
    facilities that will be used to support the educational purpose of
    the visit, and how they are relevant to that purpose. A course
    outline, lesson plan, or copy of the course curriculum meets this
    requirement.

**Provide a detailed itinerary with the application:**

-   Applicants must provide an itinerary stating the date of arrival,
    areas to be visited each day the applicant is in the park, and the
    date of departure.

**Submission of Applications:**

-   The Fee Management Office must receive all applications for fee
    waivers at least one month in advance of the anticipated visit.

-   Applications that are incomplete may be denied.

Please mail or fax applications and all required documentation to:

Death Valley National Park

Fee Management Office, Fee Waivers

P.O. Box 579

Death Valley, CA 92328

Fax 760-786-2217

**Additional Information:**

-   Fee collection personnel are not authorized to grant fee waivers at
    the time of

> arrival. Groups arriving without an approved fee waiver will be
> charged an entrance fee.

-   When a planned visit is recreational, you enter as an "organized
    non-commercial" group.

-   Service, civic, and fraternal organizations e.g. Scouting, Rotary,
    Elks, etc. do NOT qualify for an Academic Fee Waiver, unless they
    meet the Fee Waiver Qualification Standards listed above.

-   Entrance fees for non-commercial organized groups are \$10.00 per
    person. Individuals 15 years of age and younger are exempt from
    entrance fees, all other individuals 16 years of age and older will
    be charged a per person entrance fee. America the Beautiful -- the
    National Parks and Federal Recreation Lands Pass, or Death Valley
    National Park Annual Pass holders and their immediate family
    (parents, spouse, and children) do not have to pay the per person
    entrance fee.

-   As they are already exempt, bona fide educational groups of children
    less than 16 years of age do not need a fee waiver, however a waiver
    is required for the free entry of adult chaperones. A reasonable
    number of chaperones, drivers, and teachers will be admitted free to
    accompany the students.

-   Pursuant to the FLREA, academic fee waivers are granted only for
    entrance fees and do not apply to Expanded amenity or camping fees.
    Group camping reservations may be made for the Furnace Creek
    Campground at [www.recreation.gov](http://www.recreation.gov/) or
    1-877-444-6777.

-   There is an additional fee waiver application to visit Scotty's
    Castle, and this can be granted after the initial waiver has been
    approved. Please contact the Castle directly to apply, specifying
    the date and time you would wish to take a tour of the facility.

For further assistance, contact the Fee Management Office at
760-786-3247,

or 760-786-3249.