| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Cost | Last year's cycle (2026): $699–$2,500; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): $5,518; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): $899; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Financial aid | Last year's cycle (2026): Limited need-based scholarships: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Very limited; did not cover residential fees or international students. The separate GI Partners path listed eight Boston-area rising-senior awards below a household-income threshold.; 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 | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Expenses and aid conditions | Last year's cycle (2026): Residential housing and meals: $699–$2,097. USD 699 per week; included dormitory, three meals daily, supervision, and residential activities. Snacks excluded.; Seat deposit: $200–$500. USD 200 for one-week programs and USD 500 for three-week or remote programs; credited toward tuition.; Optional airport transportation: $50–$99. USD 50 departure one-way, USD 75 arrival one-way, or USD 99 round trip for 2026.; Optional linen rental: $50. Included sheets, pillowcase, and towel.; Limited need-based scholarships: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Very limited; did not cover residential fees or international students. The separate GI Partners path listed eight Boston-area rising-senior awards below a household-income threshold.; 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 | 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 6–12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site | Grades 9–12 (provider uses rising grades) | Grades 10–12 (provider uses rising grades) |
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| Additional eligibility | Requirement: Select a course matching the student's entering grade and readiness; Requirement: Three-week programs: normally enter grade 8 through college and complete competitive admission; Requirement: One-week programs: perform at grade level or above and register while space remains; Requirement: Pre-high-school programs: meet the specific middle-school grade band; Requirement: Remote students need a suitable device and synchronous availability; Requirement: International students must arrange travel status and pay in full before BLI issues an invitation letter; Exclusion: Not every course accepts every grade in the umbrella range; Exclusion: Three-week and remote acceptance is not guaranteed; Exclusion: Housing, single-room requests, scholarships, preferred campus, airport transport, and course capacity are not guaranteed; Exclusion: International students were ineligible for the general need-based aid described in the 2026 FAQ | 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 | Ages 15–17; Requirement: For 2026, be a rising high-school sophomore, junior, or senior age 15-17; Requirement: Demonstrate academic performance, authentic media interest, and potential to benefit from and contribute to camp; Requirement: Be able to live in supervised shared university housing and remain on campus; Requirement: Submit original application responses without generative AI; Exclusion: Rising freshmen and current middle-school students were ineligible in 2026; Exclusion: Single rooms and alternative lodging were not permitted; Exclusion: Selection is competitive and the school cannot provide individual application feedback; Exclusion: The 2027 eligibility rules are not yet confirmed |
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| Session dates or duration | Catalog terms: 1–3 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 4 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 1 week; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Format | In person / Online | In person | In person |
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| Housing and supervision | Residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site | Residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site | Residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Location | Boston, Massachusetts, Waltham, Massachusetts, Wellesley, Massachusetts, Weston, Massachusetts, Greater Boston | 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 | Phoenix, Arizona, ASU Downtown Phoenix campus and Gordon Commons residence hall |
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| Selection and application | Selection: Three-week and remote programs used competitive rolling review based on academic record, curiosity, subject commitment, perspective, and experience. One-week and pre-high-school programs were capacity-based registration. Application materials: Student-written application essay | 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 | Selection: Applications are reviewed for academic performance and media interest, with current juniors sometimes prioritized because of demand. The 2026 acceptance rate and 2027 capacity are not published on the current page. |
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| Official sources | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-21Source 2 · checked 2026-08-21Source 3 · checked 2026-08-21Source 4 · checked 2026-08-21Source 5 · 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 | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-21Source 2 · checked 2026-08-21 |
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