| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Cost | Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): $5,518; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Financial aid | 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 | 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 | Last year's cycle (2026): 2026 enrolment deposit: $600. Paid with the application to hold space; future amount and refund terms must be checked.; 2026 non-refundable application fee: $99–$199. Started at $99 and increased to $149 and $199 at later application waves.; 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 8–12 when applying; check the provider's rules for graduating seniors | Grades 9–12 (provider uses rising grades) | Grades 9–12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Additional eligibility | Residency: Practical participation requires travel to Cornell's Ithaca campus; no formal geographic restriction is published; Requirement: Be in grade 8-12 for the current program; Requirement: Register for the Fall 2026 module by November 1 and indicate attendance for November 7 and 14; Requirement: Attend the scheduled on-campus lesson sequence; Requirement: Engage cooperatively in advanced mathematical questioning and problem solving; Exclusion: Students outside the announced grade band; Exclusion: Applicants unable to attend the on-campus dates; Exclusion: Additional topic-specific readiness restrictions if a future module publishes them | 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: For high-school programmes, have completed eighth grade before the session; Requirement: Normally hold at least a 3.0 GPA or local equivalent; Requirement: Meet campus/course-specific age, health and prerequisite rules; Requirement: International applicants must demonstrate English proficiency; Requirement: Be available for the complete selected session; Exclusion: The aggregate listing does not mean every course is available at every campus; Exclusion: Most host universities do not run, sponsor or endorse the programme; Exclusion: Participation does not confer university admission or generally stated college credit; Exclusion: The 2026 season is closed |
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| Session dates or duration | Catalog terms: 2 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 4 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 1–2 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Format | In person | In person | In person / Online |
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| Housing and supervision | Non-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 | Ithaca, New York, Cornell University Malott Hall campus | 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 | New York, Berkeley, Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle, Washington, Durham, New Haven, Oxford, Multiple campus locations; options change by year |
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| Selection and application | Selection: No current competitive screen, capacity rule, or prerequisite is published beyond grades 8-12 and module registration; future topic-specific limits may apply. Application materials: The visible form does not request a recommendation letter or transcript; later form pages were not submitted or inspected | 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: Applicants were reviewed against grade, GPA and programme-fit requirements, with decisions normally in 5-7 business days. Capacity was course/session-specific and could close early; no applicant or acceptance totals are published. Application materials: English-proficiency interview or accepted evidence for international applicants |
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| Official sources | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-09Source 2 · checked 2026-10-09Source 3 · checked 2026-10-09Source 4 · checked 2026-08-20Source 5 · checked 2026-08-20Source 6 · 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 2026-08-22Source 2 · checked 2026-08-22Source 3 · checked 2026-08-22 |
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