| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | February 1, 2027 (2027 cycle) | 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 | Last year's cycle (2026): $7,450; 2027: 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 | Last year's cycle (2026): Limited need-based scholarship: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Amount and criteria require inquiry; 2027 availability unannounced.; 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 | Catalog terms: On-campus boarding: $0. Funders cover boarding in the latest published cycle; room type, deposit, damage, linen, accessibility, and early-arrival terms await the next cycle.; Program food: $0. Funders cover food; exact meal plan, snacks, travel-day meals, allergies, and dietary accommodations are not published for 2027.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): 2026 application fee: $100. Nonrefundable.; Limited need-based scholarship: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Amount and criteria require inquiry; 2027 availability unannounced.; 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) | Grades 10–11 when applying; summer rising grade is one higher | Grades 10–12; 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: Current Texas high-school student; Requirement: Be a current high-school sophomore or junior during the application cycle; Requirement: Demonstrate interest in business, accounting, and/or leadership development; Requirement: Present a strong academic record and personal achievement in context; no universal GPA cutoff is published; Requirement: Complete the official online application, transcript, activities and leadership section, essay or essays, and recommendation by the announced deadline; Requirement: Be available for the entire six-day residential program, family orientation, dorm stay, classes, team work, case competition, networking, and closing activities; Requirement: Be prepared to work respectfully with students of varied backgrounds and follow UT, McCombs, housing, minor, conduct, safety, privacy, and academic-integrity rules; Exclusion: Students who are not current high-school sophomores or juniors under the next cycle's classification rule; Exclusion: Missing or late required transcript, essay, recommendation, activity, leadership, consent, or verification materials; Exclusion: Inability to attend the full residential session without an approved accommodation; Exclusion: Assuming first-generation status, hardship, identity, Texas residence, strong grades, early application, or accounting experience guarantees selection; Exclusion: Treating the encouragement of first-generation and hardship-affected applicants as an exclusion of other backgrounds; Exclusion: Using unverified third-party 2027 dates or deadline as official; Exclusion: Assuming participation confers UT or McCombs admission, academic credit, scholarship, internship, or employment | Requirement: Be a rising 10th-12th grader; Requirement: Show academic motivation, maturity, and genuine business/entrepreneurship interest; Requirement: Attend the full two-week residential session; Requirement: Provide proof of required immunizations before attendance; Requirement: Complete all application and teacher-recommendation materials; Exclusion: Program is noncredit; Exclusion: 2026 applications are closed; Exclusion: Enrollment is not complete until full payment within 10 days of acceptance; Exclusion: 2027 eligibility and health requirements may change |
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| Session dates or duration | Catalog terms: 4 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 1 week; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): Starts July 5, 2026; Ends August 1, 2026; 2 weeks; 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 | Austin, Texas, University of Texas at Austin campus and scheduled Austin or corporate program sites | Berkeley, California; international applicant pool |
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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: McCombs describes desired qualities but publishes no current applicant count, cohort size, acceptance rate, fixed GPA cutoff, identity quota, geographic quota, scoring rubric, interview process, or waitlist policy. Historical cohort figures must not be treated as a future guarantee. Application materials: One or more essays following the current prompts and word limits; One letter of recommendation from an eligible recommender under current instructions | Selection: About 50 students annually; B-BAY reports a 10% acceptance rate for its 2026 high-school sessions. Application materials: One cohesive essay up to 500 words addressing three Haas prompts; Two-minute video essay by Google Drive or unlisted YouTube link; Two teacher recommendation forms, at least one from a core-subject teacher |
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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 2026-10-10Source 2 · checked 2026-08-20Source 3 · checked 2026-08-20 | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-22Source 2 · checked 2026-08-22Source 3 · checked 2026-08-22Source 4 · checked 2026-08-20 |
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