| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Cost | Last year's cycle (2026): $899; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): $5,518; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): $1,299; 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): Application-fee and tuition waiver: $1,324. For 2026, 100% waivers were available with free/reduced-price lunch or Pell Grant documentation; Mason considered alternative hardship documentation case by case.; 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 ASSIP application processing fee: $25. Nonrefundable historical fee; full waiver available for documented financial need.; Application-fee and tuition waiver: $1,324. For 2026, 100% waivers were available with free/reduced-price lunch or Pell Grant documentation; Mason considered alternative hardship documentation case by case.; Commuting and local transportation: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Students were responsible for transportation; Mason shuttles between Fairfax and Manassas were free, and low-cost general parking was usually available to non-Mason interns.; 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 10–12 (provider uses rising grades) | Grades 9–12 (provider uses rising grades) | Grade 9 and above; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Additional eligibility | Ages 15–17; Requirement: For 2026, be a rising high-school sophomore, junior, or senior age 15-17; Requirement: Demonstrate academic performance, authentic media interest, and potential to benefit from and contribute to camp; Requirement: Be able to live in supervised shared university housing and remain on campus; Requirement: Submit original application responses without generative AI; Exclusion: Rising freshmen and current middle-school students were ineligible in 2026; Exclusion: Single rooms and alternative lodging were not permitted; Exclusion: Selection is competitive and the school cannot provide individual application feedback; Exclusion: The 2027 eligibility rules are 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 | Minimum age 15; Requirement: Be a high-school or undergraduate student and not have graduated from university before or during the internship; Requirement: Be at least 15 by the first program day for remote and computer-lab internships; Requirement: Be at least 16 by the first program day for any wet-lab placement involving chemical, biological, mechanical, or electrical hazards; Requirement: Commit to the full eight-week, 30-hour-per-week internship, required orientation, training, mentor schedule, and final symposium; Requirement: Select one to three prospective mentors whose research, format, campus, and preferred skills fit the applicant; Exclusion: Wet-lab age 16 is a safety requirement with no exceptions; Exclusion: Students may participate for at most two summer sessions; Exclusion: Minors cannot use Mason-arranged campus housing; Exclusion: Preferred mentor skills are not universal prerequisites, and the program has no universal minimum GPA; Exclusion: Admission does not guarantee a patent, publication, award, paid position, or continued research role |
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| Session dates or duration | Catalog terms: 1 week; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 4 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 8 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Format | In person | In person | In person / Online / Hybrid |
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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 | Non-residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Location | Phoenix, Arizona, ASU Downtown Phoenix campus and Gordon Commons residence hall | 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 | Fairfax, Manassas, Woodbridge, Virginia; mentor-specific remote and collaborating-institution placements |
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| Selection and application | Selection: Applications are reviewed for academic performance and media interest, with current juniors sometimes prioritized because of demand. The 2026 acceptance rate and 2027 capacity are not published on the current page. | 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 and mentor-matched. Review considers STEM coursework, GPA, experience, statements, mentor fit, and project needs; highly qualified applicants may be interviewed. No minimum GPA or overall acceptance rate is published. Application materials: Personal statements describing research interest, preparation, goals, and mentor fit; Possible mentor interview for highly qualified candidates |
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| Official sources | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-21Source 2 · 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 2026-08-21Source 2 · checked 2026-08-21Source 3 · checked 2026-08-21Source 4 · checked 2026-08-21 |
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