| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | May 3, 2027 (2027 cycle) | Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Cost | Last year's cycle (2026): $5,518; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| 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 |
|---|
| 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): 2027 application fee: $70. Application fee only; 2027 programme tuition and course extras remain unknown.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Stipend or pay | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Eligibility | Grades 9–12 (provider uses rising grades) | Grades 10–11 when applying; summer rising grade is one higher | Grades 9–12 when applying; check the provider's rules for graduating seniors |
|---|
| 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 | Minimum age 15; Requirement: Be a current high-school sophomore or junior; current ninth graders, seniors and graduates are ineligible.; Requirement: Be at least 15 by the session start and have a minimum 3.0 GPA.; Requirement: Meet any course and international English-proficiency requirements.; Exclusion: Current ninth graders, current twelfth graders, high-school graduates, or students younger than 15 at session start; Exclusion: Treating Pre-Med Institute or Summer College dates, prices, credit, or requirements as the two-week Pre-College Program; Exclusion: Assuming 2026 dates, course list, tuition, deadline, or aid terms apply in 2027; Exclusion: Using report cards or progress notes instead of a transcript; Exclusion: International applicants without the required English evidence; Exclusion: Commuters without metro Atlanta living arrangements or reliable daily travel; Exclusion: Assuming completion grants Emory credit, a grade, degree progress, recommendation, scholarship, Emory admission, or selective-college admission | Citizenship: Historical 2026 rule: International students may attend subject to U.S. entry requirements; Requirement: Historical 2026 rule: Be currently enrolled in grade 9, 10, 11 or 12 when registering; Requirement: Historical 2026 rule: Submit a motivation essay or approved alternative-media statement if new; Requirement: Historical 2026 rule: Submit exactly two accepted forms of academic or talent-area evidence if new; Requirement: Historical 2026 rule: Meet at least two documented gifted/talent indicators; Requirement: Historical 2026 rule: Live under Purdue's supervised residential-camp rules; Exclusion: Historical 2026 rule: The $1,495 rate applies to a different residential/commuter track, not PULSAR; Exclusion: Historical 2026 rule: Returning students are exempt from the essay and qualifying documentation; Exclusion: Historical 2026 rule: Admission and first-choice course placement are not guaranteed; Exclusion: Historical 2026 rule: International participants arrange and pay for their own transportation and immigration compliance |
|---|
| Session dates or duration | Catalog terms: 4 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 2 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Format | In person | In person | Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Housing and supervision | Residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| 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 | Atlanta, Georgia, Emory University campus; residential or metro-Atlanta commuter option | Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| 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 review of complete applications until classes fill. Emory reports average enrollment around 400 and average class size 14 but publishes no current applicant count or acceptance rate. Application materials: Two recommendations | 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 |
|---|
| 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 2026-10-09Source 2 · checked 2026-10-09Source 3 · checked 2026-10-09Source 4 · checked 2026-08-20 | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-12 |
|---|