| 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 | 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 | Catalog terms: Global Navigator Scholarship: From $500. Covers USD 500 through 100% of tuition based on financial need and merit; it does not cover airfare, passport/visa costs, or spending money.; Academic Merit Award: $500. Fixed tuition award with broader high-school eligibility and repeat-award restrictions.; 2027: 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 | Catalog terms: Nonrefundable application fee: $25. Due when the application is submitted.; Nonrefundable acceptance deposit: $1,000. Due within seven days of acceptance; the remaining balance is generally due April 15 or 30 days before departure for later confirmations.; Global Navigator Scholarship: From $500. Covers USD 500 through 100% of tuition based on financial need and merit; it does not cover airfare, passport/visa costs, or spending money.; Academic Merit Award: $500. Fixed tuition award with broader high-school eligibility and repeat-award restrictions.; 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 6–12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site | Grades 9–12 (provider uses rising grades) | Grades 9–12 (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 | Citizenship: All nationalities may apply to programs; scholarship citizenship rules differ; Residency: U.S.-based and international high-school students may apply; Residency: Global Navigator need-based scholarship requires U.S. citizenship/permanent residency and U.S. residence; Requirement: Complete ninth grade before traveling; rising freshmen are ineligible; Requirement: Meet the chosen program's age, language, academic, health, mobility, and essential eligibility criteria; Requirement: Have a legal guardian complete required tasks; Requirement: Secure a passport valid for the required period and any destination visa; Requirement: Complete required health forms and disclose relevant support needs; Exclusion: Some language programs require prior language study; Exclusion: The need-based Global Navigator Scholarship is limited to eligible U.S.-resident citizens/permanent residents completing grades 9-11; Exclusion: Rising freshmen cannot travel; Exclusion: Program and scholarship capacity is limited; an application does not guarantee the first-choice destination |
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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: 3–4 weeks; 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 | More than 40 advertised 2027 destinations; each program page defines the location and housing |
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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: Program and scholarship capacity varies. Scholarships are competitively reviewed using transcript, GPA, essays, teacher recommendation, and for need-based awards guardian financial information; no umbrella acceptance rate is published. Application materials: For scholarships: short essays and current-year transcript; For scholarships: one teacher recommendation from an unrelated teacher who taught the student for at least six months |
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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 2026-08-21Source 3 · checked 2026-08-21Source 4 · checked 2026-08-20 |
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