| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Cost | Last year's cycle (2026): $5,518; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): $1,044; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Financial aid | 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 | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Expenses and aid conditions | 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): Nonrefundable enrollment deposit: $100. Required after acceptance to reserve a spot; the page does not clearly say whether it reduces the tuition balance.; Required readings and course materials: $0. Available through Canvas with no additional course-material fee in 2026.; 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 9–12 (provider uses rising grades) | Grades 10–12 (provider uses rising grades) | Grades 8–11 (provider uses rising grades) |
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| Additional eligibility | 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: Domestic and international students may apply; Requirement: Be a rising high-school sophomore, junior, or senior; Requirement: Have at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA or international equivalent; Requirement: International applicants must provide a transcript and, when required, TOEFL iBT 80 or receive an individual exception; Requirement: Be prepared for five to ten hours of asynchronous work weekly per course; Exclusion: Rising freshmen are not listed as eligible; Exclusion: Permission is required to take more than one course; Exclusion: No more than three courses; Exclusion: Two advertised courses were cancelled | Requirement: Be a rising grade 9, 10, 11, or 12 student for the relevant summer cycle; Requirement: Have limited or no prior exposure to Chinese; Requirement: Be able to complete synchronous virtual pre-camp, the full residential component in Boone, and synchronous/asynchronous virtual post-camp work; Requirement: For the completed 2026 cycle, submit the online form and 150-200-word statement of interest while space remained; Exclusion: The 2026 session is complete and the stale form/page must not be used as a current application; Exclusion: Students seeking an advanced-Chinese program were not the target audience; Exclusion: Priority for Southern Appalachia was not stated as a universal residency guarantee or automatic admission; Exclusion: No applicant was guaranteed one of the 18 places, proficiency benchmark, college credit, placement, or home-school recognition |
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| Session dates or duration | Catalog terms: 4 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 4 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Format | In person | Online | Hybrid |
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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 | 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 | Worldwide online through American University's Canvas platform | Boone, North Carolina, Priority consideration: Southern Appalachia, especially western North Carolina and east Tennessee |
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| Selection and application | 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: Rolling eligibility and space review; early applicants had better course availability, but no overall acceptance rate was published. | Selection: Rolling admission to 18 places, with priority for Southern Appalachian students, especially western North Carolina and east Tennessee. No application count, acceptance rate, rubric, waitlist rule, or decision timeline is published. Application materials: 150-200-word statement of interest explaining why the student wants to participate |
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| Official sources | 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 2026-08-20 | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-20 |
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