| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Cost | Last year's cycle (2026): $3,500; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): $5,518; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): $1,875–$1,975; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Financial aid | 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 | 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 |
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| Expenses and aid conditions | 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 | 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 |
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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 9–12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site | Grades 9–12 (provider uses rising grades) | Grades 5–12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Additional eligibility | Ages 14–18; Requirement: Be age 14-18 under the published 2026 youth-camp rule; Requirement: Be available for both weeks and the daily 10:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. schedule; Requirement: Complete the youth-camp application and registration requirements; Requirement: Follow shop-safety, enrollment, attendance, and no-weapons policies; Exclusion: The 2026 session is over and out of stock; Exclusion: Weapons, including knives, daggers, swords, and axes, may not be fabricated in class; Exclusion: The grade range is inferred from the youth age band; age 14-18 is the controlling published rule; Exclusion: 2027 eligibility is not yet confirmed | 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 | 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 |
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| Session dates or duration | Catalog terms: 2 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 4 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 2 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Format | In person | In person | In person |
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| Housing and supervision | Non-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 | Providence, Rhode Island, The Steel Yard industrial-arts campus | 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 | Twin Lake, Michigan, Blue Lake Central Camp, Camp Bernstein |
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| Selection and application | Selection: The course has limited shop capacity and the 2026 listing sold out. The application asks about motivation and making experience, but no acceptance rate or formal scoring rubric is published. Application materials: Short personal statements about motivation, desired outcomes, and a recent making challenge | 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: 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 |
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| Official sources | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-21Source 2 · checked 2026-08-21Source 3 · checked 2026-08-21 | 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 2026-08-20Source 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 |
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