| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Cost | Catalog terms: Free attendance; check separate expenses; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | $5,793 (2027 cycle) | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Financial aid | Unconfirmed — check official site | Need-based financial assistance for application and program costs: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Based on family income, family size and available COSMOS resources. (2027 cycle) | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Expenses and aid conditions | Unconfirmed — check official site | Application fee: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Non-refundable; fee waivers can be requested.; Need-based financial assistance for application and program costs: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Based on family income, family size and available COSMOS resources. (2027 cycle) | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Stipend or pay | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: Summer I fellowship award/stipend: $4,000; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site; Catalog terms: Summer II fellowship award: $4,000; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Eligibility | Grades 11–12 (provider uses rising grades) | Grades 9–12 (provider uses rising grades) | Grades 10–12 when applying; check the provider's rules for graduating seniors |
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| Additional eligibility | Minimum age 16; Residency: Attend a Northern California high school (public, charter, private or homeschool); Requirement: Open to rising grades 11–12; Requirement: At least 16 years old by the start of the workshop; Requirement: Students who are 18 at the start must be U.S. citizens; Requirement: Cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher; Requirement: Science GPA of at least 3.5; Requirement: Biology and Chemistry, or Integrated Science Series I and II, completed by the end of the current school year; Requirement: Eligible to access LLNL under Section 3112 of the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, which generally bars citizens of China, Russia, Iran and North Korea without dual U.S. citizenship or permanent residence | Residency: California high school students only; Requirement: Open to rising grades 9–12; Requirement: Demonstrated academic excellence (a typical COSMOS student has a GPA of 3.5 or above) | Requirement: Open to students currently in grades 10–12 when applying; Requirement: Family annual income must not exceed 300% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, documented by a 1040, free/reduced lunch, SNAP/WIC, TRIO participation or SAT/ACT fee-waiver eligibility; Requirement: Must have completed at least one high school chemistry course; Requirement: Must demonstrate an interest in science and/or chemistry; Requirement: Students under 18 need a parent or guardian's permission; Requirement: In the 2026 cycle, graduating high school seniors were also eligible |
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| Session dates or duration | Last year's cycle (2026): Starts July 13, 2026; Ends July 24, 2026; 2 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 4 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 8–10 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Format | In person | In person | In person / Online |
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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 | Non-residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Location | Livermore, CA | Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, San Diego, Santa Cruz, CA | Participating university, government, and industry research sites; virtual projects may also be offered |
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| Selection and application | Selection: Applications are competitive and space is limited; LLNL publishes no acceptance rate or guaranteed cohort size on the official page. Application materials: Letter of recommendation from a Biology or Chemistry teacher | 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: Online application with one personal statement; One teacher recommendation (two recommended) | Selection: Local coordinators select among financially and academically eligible applicants based on performance, science interest, full-summer availability, site capacity/budget, safe commute, and mentor/project fit. ACS publishes no single current acceptance rate. |
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| Official sources | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-24 | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-24Source 2 · checked 2026-10-24Source 3 · checked 2026-10-24Source 4 · checked 2026-08-22Source 5 · checked 2026-08-22Source 6 · checked 2026-08-22Source 7 · checked 2026-08-20 | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-24Source 2 · checked 2026-10-24Source 3 · checked 2026-08-20 |
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