The school will take place July 22 - August 4, 2018. The school will start at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL and will continue at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN after roughly one week. Students will be housed and transportation will be provided from lodging to the school. Lodging accommodations will be available starting July 21, 2018. Lectures and hands-on experiments will be held during normal working hours, but some experiments will be conducted during evening sessions. Social events will be arranged for participants.

The school accepts 60 applicants each year, targeting graduate students attending North American universities majoring in physics, chemistry, materials science, geosciences, engineering or related fields.

Graduate students who are accepted and attend the School receive transportation from their home institution or their current address, plus housing and meals at Argonne and Oak Ridge, as well as transportation between Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory. The Argonne Communications, Education and Public Affairs Division will arrange for travel so that students arrive at ANL on July 21 and depart from ORNL on August 4; staying longer cannot be reimbursed. If accepted, students are expected to attend the entire school. Students who travel via private automobile will be reimbursed in accordance with Argonne policy.  Individuals who reside within a 50-mile radius of either  laboratory will have reimbursements limited for travel to that location, as required by DOE rules.