How can my school apply to participate in UA?
Spring, 2023 Announcement:
Due to an unprecedented surge in use of UA vouchers this year, UA has made the difficult decision to suspend its voucher program for the rest of the school year (effective immediately through June 30th, 2023).
UA recognizes this will cause hardship and disappointment in our community. We deeply regret the inconvenience to our UA families and schools, whom we work hard to support.
UA is committed to providing access to our partner institutions, and our partner institutions are committed to providing access to groups and families. However, there are no alternate sources of funding for UA vouchers at this time.
We will continue to update the events happening at each institution, as each institution offers free or reduced hours. Please see the chart below for each institution's detailed policies.
| American Museum of Natural History | New York residents (with ID): The amount you pay for General Admission only is up to you. (Minimum $.01 per person) https://www.amnh.org/plan-your-visit |
| Bronx Zoo | Free tickets available for Wednesdays, sign up online starting Monday, restrictions apply. https://ticketing.wcs.org/webstore/shop/viewItems.aspx?cg=WEDBZ&c=BXWED |
| Brooklyn Botanic Garden | Families can reserve free Community Tickets for any day of the week. See https://www.bbg.org/visit/hours under the heading " Free Admission Opportunities". BBG will accept Student + 3 vouchers through the end of June. |
| New York Hall of Science | Free Friday Community Hours 2pm-5pm https://nysci.org/visit |
| New York Aquarium | Free Wednesdays after 3pm. To reserve tickets, sign up online starting Monday, restrictions apply. https://nyaquarium.com/shop/ticket-options |
| New York Botanical Garden | Free Wednesdays 10–11am https://www.nybg.org/community-access-discount-programs/ |
| Queens Botanical Garden | Free admission at all times Dec. 16 through March 31. April 1- Dec. 15 free hours every Wednesday from 3-6pm and Sundays from 9-11am. https://queensbotanical.org/hours_admission/ |
| Staten Island Zoo | Free Wednesdays 2pm - 4:45pm http://www.statenislandzoo.org/plan-your-visit/admission-rates/ |
How schools apply to join UA
The UA School Application will be available in mid-May. The application must be completed by a school administrator. The application link will be available at https://myua.amnh.org.
At present, UA is primarily a middle school (grades 6, 7, 8) program. However, UA Elementary (grades 3, 4, 5) can be applied for. Each (UA Middle, and UA Elementary) have dedicated applications, and a separate application is required for each. Schools wishing to be considered for participation in UA Elementary must complete an elementary school UA application, and schools wishing to be considered for UA middle school must complete a middle school UA application.
The application process:
- The school administrator submits a UA school application that includes accurate contact information for the teachers who wish to participate. The application can be found at https://myua.amnh.org
- Each teacher (must teach science content) listed on the school application will then be sent an invitation to submit a UA teacher application. This will be automatically sent to each teacher listed on the school application. Email addresses must be
- Once the application process is closed, UA will contact you with further information regarding participation. Receipt of BOTH UA school and UA teacher applications are required to be considered for participation.
PLEASE NOTE THE UA ELEMENTARY AND/OR MIDDLE SCHOOL APPLICATION MUST BE COMPLETED BY A PRINCIPAL OR AP; UA is a school-based program that requires the participation of the school’s administration, the science teachers, and the parent coordinator. UA asks that a majority of or the school’s science team (including CTT & special education teachers) apply to participate.
Deadline for School Applications: August 1*
Deadline for Teacher Applications: August 15
*Applications received after August 1, 2021 will be marked as late, but will still be reviewed for admission.