| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Cost | Last year's cycle (2026): $3,645–$3,995; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): $5,518; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Financial aid | Last year's cycle (2026): PCSE full or partial merit/need grant: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Available for 2026 through a separate application due March 31; award amounts varied and the deadline has passed.; PCSE-to-CCS undergraduate scholarship: $4,000. Eligible completers receive $1,000 per year for up to four years after admission and full-time enrollment at CCS, subject to satisfactory academic progress.; 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 |
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| Expenses and aid conditions | Last year's cycle (2026): Minimum seat-reservation deposit: $300. The deposit was the minimum payment toward tuition, not an additional fee.; PCSE full or partial merit/need grant: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Available for 2026 through a separate application due March 31; award amounts varied and the deadline has passed.; PCSE-to-CCS undergraduate scholarship: $4,000. Eligible completers receive $1,000 per year for up to four years after admission and full-time enrollment at CCS, subject to satisfactory academic progress.; 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 |
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| Stipend or pay | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Eligibility | Grades 9–12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site | Grades 9–12 (provider uses rising grades) |
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| Additional eligibility | Residency: Open to high school students from the United States and internationally; Requirement: Be enrolled in high school; Requirement: Choose one available studio concentration; Requirement: Be prepared for intensive college-level studio work; Requirement: Residents must follow residence-hall rules, conduct standards, and curfew; Requirement: International students needing a visa must coordinate with CCS International Student Services; Exclusion: No public age cutoff is stated; Exclusion: Specific concentrations may fill or move to a waitlist; Exclusion: A portfolio is not stated as a universal admission requirement for standard paid registration | 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 |
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| Session dates or duration | Catalog terms: 2.86–3 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 4 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Format | 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 |
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| Location | Detroit, Michigan | 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 |
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| Selection and application | Selection: Standard paid registration appears capacity-based by studio concentration, with seat counts and waitlists shown in the registration system. Separate merit/need and sponsored fellowship scholarships are competitively awarded; CCS does not publish a universal PCSE acceptance rate. | 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 |
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| Official sources | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-21Source 2 · checked 2026-08-21Source 3 · 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 |
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