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USNCO Study Camp

The USNCO Study Camp, run by the American Chemical Society, is a two-week camp at the University of Maryland open only to the top 20 scorers on the national exam. The four strongest campers form the US team for the International Chemistry Olympiad, and the national exam and camp are limited to US citizens and green card holders.

Citizens or green-card holders
Cost not published

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Size and selectivityTop 20 on the national exam

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Eligibility: Citizens or green-card holders
Cost: Cost not published
Latest deadline: By invitation

USNCO Camp at a Glance

Host: The U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO) program of the American Chemical Society (ACS); the camp is held at the University of Maryland, College Park, with faculty from its Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Field: Chemistry olympiad: theory and lab training to select the US team for the International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO)
Grades and age: Students in grades 9 to 12 may take part in local selection; the national exam is open to high school students graduating no earlier than the spring of the competition year who are under 20 on July 1 of that year
Citizenship and residency: Local section exams have no citizenship requirement; the national exam, from which campers are chosen, is limited to US citizens and legal permanent residents (green card holders). IChO gold medalists may not compete again, and a student who attends the physics, math or biology olympiad camp in the same summer may not attend the chemistry camp.
Cost: No camp fee information was found in publicly available official materials; invited students should follow the ACS's instructions.
Dates and format: Two weeks at the University of Maryland, College Park. The 2026 camp ran May 31 to June 13, with the traveling team announced at a banquet on June 12; IChO 2026 took place in Uzbekistan from July 10 to 19.
Application dates: No application. The path runs from an ACS local section exam to a section nomination for the national exam, and the top 20 on the national exam are invited to camp. In 2026 the national exam was given between April 10 and 19; registration and dates for local exams are set by each section.
Application materials: No application; the top 20 scorers on the national exam are invited. Each local section may nominate no more than two students per high school for the national exam, and former campers qualify automatically without counting against that limit.
Size and selectivity: Twenty students attend each year, and the four strongest performers at camp form the US IChO team. A June 2026 University of Maryland chemistry department news story confirmed 20 finalists at that year's camp.

Verified against official pages on 2026-10-06 · acs.org/education/olympiad.html

About USNCO Camp

The USNCO Study Camp is the final stage of the American Chemical Society’s U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO). It runs for two weeks at the University of Maryland, College Park, led by faculty from the university’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. The 2026 camp ran May 31 to June 13, and the four strongest campers formed the US team for the International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO), held in Uzbekistan in July.

There is no application. Students in grades 9 to 12 first take a local exam through an ACS local section, which then nominates students for the national exam, up to two per high school per section; the top 20 on the national exam are invited to camp. The national exam is limited to US citizens and green card holders who are under 20 on July 1. No camp fee information was found in publicly available official materials.

ACS rules also bar a student who attends the physics, math or biology olympiad camp in the same summer from attending the chemistry camp. For students with a chance in several subjects, this means choosing one focus for that year.

How to Apply to USNCO Camp

Each local section may nominate no more than two students per high school for the national exam. At schools with many competitors, a student needs to place in the school's top two on the local exam.
A student who attends the physics, math or biology olympiad camp in a given summer cannot attend the chemistry camp that summer. Students with a chance in several subjects should choose a main focus early.
Having taken AP Chemistry does not affect eligibility. The national exam has multiple-choice, problem-solving and lab practical parts, so practice lab problems along with theory.

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USNCO Camp: Frequently Asked Questions

How does an Irvine student enter chemistry olympiad selection?

Through the ACS local section that covers the student's high school. ACS rules say students may compete only in the section where their high school is located, and each section may nominate no more than two students per high school for the national exam. An Irvine student can start by asking a school chemistry teacher how the school registers.

Can a student in Irvine on a student visa reach the chemistry camp?

Not as far as the camp. Local exams are open to students in grades 9 to 12, but the national exam is limited to US citizens and green card holders, and campers are invited from the top 20 on that exam.

Does the chemistry camp charge a fee?

No camp fee information was found in publicly available official materials. The camp is organized by the ACS USNCO program, and invited students should follow the ACS's instructions.

Can an Irvine student aim for both the physics and chemistry camps?

A student can take the exams on both paths but can attend only one of the camps in the same summer. ACS rules state that a student who attends the physics, math or biology olympiad camp that summer may not attend the chemistry camp.

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Sources3 sources · checked 2026-10-06

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