| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | February 1, 2027 (2027 cycle) |
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| Cost | Last year's cycle (2026): $5,518; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | $3,445–$7,195 (2027 cycle) | Catalog terms: Free attendance; check separate expenses; 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 | Last year's cycle (2026): Early new-enrollment tuition discount: $500. For new 2027 Teen Summer Trip enrollment by August 31, 2026; this is a discount, not a cash award.; Conditional alumni, sibling and educator discounts: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Published rates are 20% alumni by August 31, 5% sibling and 10% educator, subject to eligibility and program terms.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | 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 | Last year's cycle (2026): Application fee: $95. Nonrefundable.; Teen Summer Trip enrollment deposit: $700. Applied under enrollment terms; refundable through December 31, 2026 for early 2027 enrollment, then subject to cancellation rules.; Program accommodation: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Included in tuition; accommodation type varies by itinerary.; Three program meals daily: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Included in tuition; airport meals before and after the trip are excluded.; Round-trip airfare and excluded travel costs: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Airfare is not included. Passport, visa, baggage, airport transfer and insurance expenses may also apply.; Early new-enrollment tuition discount: $500. For new 2027 Teen Summer Trip enrollment by August 31, 2026; this is a discount, not a cash award.; Conditional alumni, sibling and educator discounts: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Published rates are 20% alumni by August 31, 5% sibling and 10% educator, subject to eligibility and program terms.; 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 | Grades 9–12 (provider uses rising grades) | Grades 9–12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site | Grades 10–11 when applying; summer rising grade is one higher |
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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 | Requirement: Entering grade 9 through graduating grade 12 for high-school trips; Requirement: Meet selected itinerary's health, mobility, conduct and travel requirements; Requirement: Submit health history and licensed-physician exam; Requirement: Obtain passport, visa and destination entry documents when required; Requirement: Parent or guardian completes under-18 enrollment and releases; Exclusion: Middle-school trips are separate products; Exclusion: Trip acceptance and safe participation remain subject to health, conduct, documentation and capacity review; Exclusion: Not every trip offers the same service, language or academic experience | 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: 4 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 1–3 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 | 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 | Program-specific international and U.S. territory itineraries; current departures use Houston, New York, Miami or self-booked flights | Austin, Texas, University of Texas at Austin campus and scheduled Austin or corporate program sites |
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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: Capacity- and fit-based enrollment rather than a single selective cohort. A completed application and payment reserve a space subject to trip availability, documentation, health and conduct requirements. | 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 2026-08-22Source 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 2026-08-22Source 2 · checked 2026-08-22Source 3 · checked 2026-08-22Source 4 · checked 2026-08-20 | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-10Source 2 · checked 2026-08-20Source 3 · checked 2026-08-20 |
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