| 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 | Catalog terms: Free attendance; check separate expenses; 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 | Catalog terms: ASP partial scholarship assistance: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Partial assistance is advertised; amount, eligibility, deadline, and availability require the current scholarship process.; 2027: 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 | Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: Earlier stated group registration fee: $95. One nonrefundable fee per registering group, not per participant. The current overview does not restate this amount; confirm whether it still applies.; Group transportation: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Groups provide transportation to the assigned center and a vehicle for each work crew; cost varies by origin and group.; ASP partial scholarship assistance: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Partial assistance is advertised; amount, eligibility, deadline, and availability require the current scholarship process.; 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 (provider uses rising grades) | Grade 9 when applying; summer rising grade is one higher | Grade 6 and above; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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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: Reside in Alamance County or attend a school in the Alamance-Burlington School System; Requirement: Be a current ninth grader when applying; later entry as a sophomore is not offered; Requirement: Reside in Alamance County or attend school in the Alamance-Burlington School System; Requirement: Be first-generation under Elon's definition and/or demonstrate financial need; Requirement: Show academic promise, character, hard work, growth, and a desire to pursue higher education; Requirement: Student and parent/guardian complete their own application sections; Requirement: If advanced, complete the essay, in-person group interview, and individual interview; Requirement: Commit to the complete residential summer sessions, monthly Saturday programming, and ongoing communication; Exclusion: Open-enrollment applicants outside the Alamance/ABSS service area; Exclusion: Students seeking to join after ninth grade; Exclusion: Partial summer attendance without program approval; Exclusion: Assuming participation guarantees Elon admission, another college admission, college funding, or a scholarship | Minimum age 11; Residency: No citizenship or state-residency restriction is stated; participants must travel with or join an eligible registered group serving in Central Appalachia; Requirement: Be at least age 11 and have completed sixth grade before service; Requirement: Register as part of a group of at least five or obtain approval to join an existing registered group; Requirement: Provide at least two adults age 19 or older for the group and maintain ASP's adult-to-youth supervision requirements; Requirement: Complete an approved background check if age 19 or older; Requirement: Provide a suitable vehicle for every work crew and transportation to and from the assigned center; Requirement: Commit to the full Sunday-afternoon-through-Saturday-morning week; Requirement: Complete all participant, guardian, health, emergency, conduct, safety, and group paperwork and payment requirements; Requirement: Participate respectfully in ASP's service, regional education, and faith-based programming; Exclusion: ASP does not currently host an unaccompanied individual volunteer on their own; Exclusion: Volunteers must have completed sixth grade before service and be at least 11; current sixth-graders may qualify for a 2027 summer trip after completing the school year.; Exclusion: A preferred week, state, center, homeowner, or project type is not guaranteed; Exclusion: Participants and groups supply transportation and may have costs beyond ASP's published fee; Exclusion: The trip does not confer employment, wages, academic credit, a licensed construction credential, college admission benefit, or guaranteed school-accepted service hours; Exclusion: Physical, tool, driving, dietary, disability, medication, and worksite accommodations must be confirmed directly with ASP and the group leader |
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| Session dates or duration | Catalog terms: 4 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 1 week; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Format | In person | 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 | 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 | Elon, Alamance County and Alamance-Burlington School System, North Carolina | Central Appalachia: eastern Kentucky, western North Carolina when served, northeastern Tennessee, southwest Virginia, and central or southern West Virginia |
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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: Competitive local cohort of fewer than 30 ninth graders per year; Elon does not publish applicant totals, acceptance rate, score weights, or a guaranteed academic threshold. Application materials: Essay for selected applicants; In-person group interview and individual interview for finalists | Selection: This is capacity- and group-based registration rather than a competitive individual admission. ASP matches registered crews to weeks, centers, and projects based on preferences, skill, need, supervision, and available space. |
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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 2026-08-20Source 4 · checked 2026-08-20 | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-12Source 2 · checked 2026-08-20Source 3 · checked 2026-08-20 |
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