| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | February 1, 2027 (2027 cycle) |
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| Cost | Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): $5,518; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: Free attendance; check separate expenses; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Financial aid | Catalog terms: ASP partial scholarship assistance: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Partial assistance is advertised; amount, eligibility, deadline, and availability require the current scholarship process.; 2027: 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 | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Expenses and aid conditions | Catalog terms: Earlier stated group registration fee: $95. One nonrefundable fee per registering group, not per participant. The current overview does not restate this amount; confirm whether it still applies.; Group transportation: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Groups provide transportation to the assigned center and a vehicle for each work crew; cost varies by origin and group.; ASP partial scholarship assistance: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Partial assistance is advertised; amount, eligibility, deadline, and availability require the current scholarship process.; 2027: 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 | 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 |
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| Stipend or pay | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Eligibility | Grade 6 and above; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site | Grades 9–12 (provider uses rising grades) | Grades 10–11 when applying; summer rising grade is one higher |
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| Additional eligibility | Minimum age 11; Residency: No citizenship or state-residency restriction is stated; participants must travel with or join an eligible registered group serving in Central Appalachia; Requirement: Be at least age 11 and have completed sixth grade before service; Requirement: Register as part of a group of at least five or obtain approval to join an existing registered group; Requirement: Provide at least two adults age 19 or older for the group and maintain ASP's adult-to-youth supervision requirements; Requirement: Complete an approved background check if age 19 or older; Requirement: Provide a suitable vehicle for every work crew and transportation to and from the assigned center; Requirement: Commit to the full Sunday-afternoon-through-Saturday-morning week; Requirement: Complete all participant, guardian, health, emergency, conduct, safety, and group paperwork and payment requirements; Requirement: Participate respectfully in ASP's service, regional education, and faith-based programming; Exclusion: ASP does not currently host an unaccompanied individual volunteer on their own; Exclusion: Volunteers must have completed sixth grade before service and be at least 11; current sixth-graders may qualify for a 2027 summer trip after completing the school year.; Exclusion: A preferred week, state, center, homeowner, or project type is not guaranteed; Exclusion: Participants and groups supply transportation and may have costs beyond ASP's published fee; Exclusion: The trip does not confer employment, wages, academic credit, a licensed construction credential, college admission benefit, or guaranteed school-accepted service hours; Exclusion: Physical, tool, driving, dietary, disability, medication, and worksite accommodations must be confirmed directly with ASP and the group leader | 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 |
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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: 1 week; 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 | Central Appalachia: eastern Kentucky, western North Carolina when served, northeastern Tennessee, southwest Virginia, and central or southern West Virginia | 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 |
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| Selection and application | Selection: This is capacity- and group-based registration rather than a competitive individual admission. ASP matches registered crews to weeks, centers, and projects based on preferences, skill, need, supervision, and available space. | 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 |
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| Official sources | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-12Source 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 2026-08-22Source 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 |
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