| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Cost | Last year's cycle (2026): $1,875–$1,975; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): $2,400–$5,200; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): $5,518; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Financial aid | Last year's cycle (2026): Need-based tuition assistance: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Generally about 40%-90% of tuition; some awards included reduced deposit and a uniform bundle. Merit and Fritz Stansell terms differed.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: Need-based financial aid: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Available through the application for accepted, qualified students; award and amount are not guaranteed.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): 2026 need-based application and program assistance: Up to $5,564. Could assist with the $46 application fee and $5,518 program cost based on family income, family size and available funds; actual award not guaranteed.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Expenses and aid conditions | Last year's cycle (2026): 2026 nonrefundable deposit applied to tuition: $295. Payment authorization was required with application and charged only after space and arrangements were confirmed.; 2026 optional Central Camp minor: $99. Central Camp only.; 2026 required uniform: $90–$116. Two or three $26 polos plus one $38 sweater; confirm whether returning campers may reuse eligible items.; Need-based tuition assistance: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Generally about 40%-90% of tuition; some awards included reduced deposit and a uniform bundle. Merit and Fritz Stansell terms differed.; 2026 early arrival when approved: $110. Strongly discouraged and allowed only when necessary under published arrival limits.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: Enrollment deposit after acceptance: $1,000. Ordinarily secures the seat after acceptance unless BlueStamp approves alternate payment or financial-aid arrangements; confirm refund and balance terms for the new cycle.; Need-based financial aid: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Available through the application for accepted, qualified students; award and amount are not guaranteed.; Meals during the in-person program: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Lunch is generally not provided except a published Friday pizza lunch.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): 2026 COSMOS application fee: $46. Nonrefundable; pending fee-waiver review could change when or whether payment was required.; Credit-card transaction fee on program payments: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Approximately 2.5% when paying program costs by credit card; application fee exempt.; 2026 need-based application and program assistance: Up to $5,564. Could assist with the $46 application fee and $5,518 program cost based on family income, family size and available funds; actual award not guaranteed.; Full-financial-aid attendance deposit: $200. Required only for admitted students offered full aid and refunded to the legal guardian after successful completion.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Stipend or pay | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Eligibility | Grades 5–12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site | Grades 9–12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site | Grades 9–12 (provider uses rising grades) |
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| Additional eligibility | Residency: Blue Lake does not state a universal Michigan-residency restriction on the camp overview; international and travel requirements must be confirmed; Requirement: Be in an eligible grade for the selected session and camp division; Requirement: Choose an offered major, minor where required, and session with space; Requirement: Submit the family account application with deposit authorization; Requirement: Be able to participate in residential cabin life, daily instruction/rehearsal, and camp citizenship expectations; Requirement: Complete health, accommodation, payment, uniform, transportation, and family forms after enrollment; Exclusion: A general admission audition is not required; Exclusion: A scholarship or advanced-program award does not reserve a camp place; Exclusion: Grade eligibility differs by session and Camp Bernstein versus Central Camp | Requirement: Be entering grade 9, 10, 11, or 12 in the applicable summer; Requirement: Choose a published in-person, remote, or approved custom schedule and be available for its required live blocks; Requirement: Show motivation, self-direction, and willingness to solve open-ended engineering problems independently; Requirement: Submit an accurate application with requested short responses and references; Requirement: Attend the admissions interview; a parent or guardian participates in part of it; Requirement: Select an approved project with BlueStamp before the program and follow its budget, parts, tool, safety, and documentation rules; Requirement: For remote participation, have a feasible delivery address, workspace, internet connection, live-session availability, adult support where required, and lawful/safe tool access; Requirement: For in-person participation, arrange daily transportation and meals and comply with site pickup, conduct, safety, and minor-protection rules; Exclusion: Using the middle-school tuition, dates, priority rules, or hours for a high-school application; Exclusion: Assuming a live application form means 2027 dates, tuition, seats, or aid are announced; Exclusion: Expecting BlueStamp-provided in-person housing or daily lunch; Exclusion: Treating the project as a guaranteed invention, patent, publication, recommendation, internship, academic credit, award, or admission advantage; Exclusion: Missing required live time or attempting unsafe, unapproved, unlawful, or infeasible projects; Exclusion: Assuming a custom schedule, financial-aid award, fee reduction, project choice, replacement parts, international shipping, or refund is automatic | Residency: Attend high school in person in California; Requirement: Be rising into grade 9, 10, 11 or 12 for the program fall year; Requirement: Attend high school in person in California; Requirement: Demonstrate academic excellence and preparation for the selected STEM cluster; Requirement: Complete cluster-specific course prerequisites; Requirement: Live on the host UC campus for the full program; Requirement: Be a first-time COSMOS participant; Exclusion: Students not attending a California high school in person; Exclusion: Students who previously attended any COSMOS program; Exclusion: Applicants outside the rising-grade 9-12 range; Exclusion: Applicants unable to live on campus for the full program; Exclusion: Late application, supporting, payment or admission materials; Exclusion: Assuming a 3.5 GPA is an absolute statewide minimum rather than the published typical profile |
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| Session dates or duration | Catalog terms: 2 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 4 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Format | In person | In person / Online | In person |
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| Housing and supervision | Residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site | Non-residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site | Residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Location | Twin Lake, Michigan, Blue Lake Central Camp, Camp Bernstein | San Jose, California, In-person at 3800 Blackford Avenue in San Jose; live remote option may accept students elsewhere subject to time-zone and parts-shipping feasibility | Davis, California, Irvine, California, Los Angeles, California, Merced, California, San Diego, California, Santa Cruz, California, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UCLA, UC Merced, UC San Diego, UC Santa Cruz |
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| Selection and application | Selection: General camp enrollment is first-come based on grade/session fit and space. Scholarships and advanced programs add audition/portfolio, recommendation, achievement, and sometimes financial-need review. Application materials: No audition for ordinary admission; For scholarship/advanced programs only: audition video, portfolio or solo rating, arts-instructor details/recommendation, and financial documentation when applicable | Selection: Application and interview review occur in receipt order while seats remain. BlueStamp does not publish applicant counts, acceptance rates, aid rates, cohort size for the next cycle, or a guaranteed decision. Application materials: Admissions interview, including parent or guardian participation for the designated portion | Selection: Each of six campuses accommodates roughly 160-200 students, and clusters typically enroll 20-25 with a commonly reported 5:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Admissions are competitive and based on academic merit relative to the selected topic, but applicant count and statewide acceptance rate were not published. Application materials: One personal statement; One required teacher recommendation, with two recommended |
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| Official sources | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-20Source 2 · checked 2026-08-20Source 3 · checked 2026-08-20Source 4 · checked 2026-08-20Source 5 · checked 2026-08-20Source 6 · checked 2026-08-20 | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-20Source 2 · checked 2026-08-20Source 3 · checked 2026-08-20Source 4 · checked 2026-08-20 | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-22Source 2 · checked 2026-08-22Source 3 · checked 2026-08-22Source 4 · checked 2026-08-22Source 5 · checked 2026-08-22Source 6 · checked 2026-08-22Source 7 · checked 2026-08-20 |
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