| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Cost | Catalog terms: $2,990; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | $5,793 (2027 cycle) | Last year's cycle (2026): Free attendance; check separate expenses; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Financial aid | Catalog terms: Partial need-based scholarships (limited): Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site; 2027: 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 | Catalog terms: Application fee: $100. Refunded only if the student is not accepted; Optional Saturday field trip: $100; Partial need-based scholarships (limited): Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site; 2027: 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) | Last year's cycle (2026): Residential lodging: $0. Covered by STARTALK funding for accepted students.; Meals during the residential camp: $0. Covered by STARTALK funding for accepted students.; 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 when applying; check the provider's rules for graduating seniors | Grades 9–12 (provider uses rising grades) | Grades 9–12 (provider uses rising grades) |
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| Additional eligibility | Requirement: Open to students currently in grades 9–12 when applying | 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 rising grades 9–12; Requirement: Limited or no prior exposure to Chinese; Requirement: Priority consideration for students from the Southern Appalachian region, especially Western North Carolina and East Tennessee |
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| Session dates or duration | Last year's cycle (2026): Starts June 28, 2026; Ends July 25, 2026; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 4 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): Starts June 15, 2026; Ends July 3, 2026; 3 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Format | In person | In person | 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 | Residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Location | West Lafayette, IN | Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, San Diego, Santa Cruz, CA | Boone, NC |
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| Selection and application | Selection: The 2026 application documented gifted/talent indicators and course placement depended on eligibility and availability. Confirm the next-cycle process; no acceptance rate is published. Application materials: Historical 2026 instructions: One-to-two-page motivation essay or alternative media statement for new students; Historical 2026 instructions: Exactly two qualifying documents from transcript, IQ testing, achievement testing, teacher/mentor recommendation or talent-involvement documentation | 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: 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: Statement of interest (150-200 words) |
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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 2026-10-24 |
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