| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Cost | Last year's cycle (2026): $3,900; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): $5,518; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): $1,270; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Financial aid | Last year's cycle (2026): Need-based scholarship assistance: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Requires a financial-need application and supporting documents; amount and availability are not guaranteed.; 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 | Last year's cycle (2026): Berkeley Summer Sessions financial aid for non-matriculated students: $0. Summer Sessions states that financial aid is not available to non-matriculated students. External funding is not addressed.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Expenses and aid conditions | Last year's cycle (2026): Nonrefundable application fee: $60. A fee waiver can be requested.; Need-based scholarship assistance: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Requires a financial-need application and supporting documents; amount and availability are not guaranteed.; 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 | Last year's cycle (2026): Summer 2026 high-school registration fee: $585. Applied to high-school Summer Sessions students, including online enrollment. Historical completed-cycle amount.; First-time document-management fee: $73. One-time by student status and degree level; may not apply if previously paid in the same applicable status.; Summer 2026 application fee: $25. Nonrefundable historical completed-cycle fee.; Berkeley Summer Sessions financial aid for non-matriculated students: $0. Summer Sessions states that financial aid is not available to non-matriculated students. External funding is not addressed.; 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; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site | Grades 9–12 (provider uses rising grades) | Up to grade 12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Additional eligibility | Requirement: Be a current high-school student or recent graduate before beginning college; Requirement: Earn As and Bs in high-school math and science; Requirement: Complete Algebra II; Requirement: Complete trigonometric functions and right-triangle problem solving; Requirement: Complete one full year of high-school chemistry and/or physics including lab, or meet the published AP substitution; Requirement: Attend daily live Eastern Time classes and complete about 28 hours of weekly coursework; Requirement: Meet English-proficiency documentation rules if a foreign national; Exclusion: The course is not an introductory low-commitment camp; Exclusion: Older students receive priority when space is limited; Exclusion: Students without required math/science preparation may not be ready or admitted; Exclusion: Lab-kit delivery deadlines and customs constraints can narrow international participation | 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 | Minimum age 16; Residency: Summer public/pre-college access can include domestic and international students who meet UC Berkeley Summer Sessions rules; Requirement: Be a high-school student age 16 or older by the applicable Summer Sessions date, or qualify through another visiting/non-matriculated student category; Requirement: Students ages 16-17 must use the Pre-College Scholars application; high-school students age 18+ use the Visiting Student process; Requirement: Meet any English-language, identity-verification, technology, payment, privacy, and international-student requirements; Requirement: Select the correct lower-division section and complete enrollment before capacity and add deadlines; Requirement: Be prepared for a two-unit UC Berkeley academic workload, asynchronous online study, readings, video lectures, peer engagement, assignments, and optional live events; Exclusion: This is not a grades 10-11-only Jacobs Institute Design Lab; Exclusion: The summer public-access rule does not make Fall or Spring Berkeley courses open to high-school students; Exclusion: Students younger than 16 did not qualify for the 2026 Pre-College Scholars pathway; Exclusion: Enrollment does not guarantee the separate Berkeley Changemaker certificate, a portfolio, prototyping, mentorship, recommendation, internship, admission, or transfer-credit acceptance |
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| Session dates or duration | Catalog terms: 5 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 4 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 6 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Format | Online | 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 | Non-residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Location | Worldwide synchronous participation, subject to Eastern Time attendance and lab-kit shipping/customs feasibility | 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 | Fully online and asynchronous summer course, with optional live sessions scheduled at varied times |
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| Selection and application | Selection: Completed applications are academically reviewed. Rising juniors and seniors are typical, talented rising sophomores may be considered, and older students receive priority when space is limited. Programs can fill before final deadlines; no acceptance rate is published. Application materials: Required 175-225-word motivation essay; Optional 100-125-word context essay; One math/science/engineering/robotics/computer-science teacher recommendation in English | 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: Course enrollment depends on Summer Sessions eligibility, application completion, section availability, and enrollment capacity. The official pages do not publish an admissions rubric, applicant count, acceptance rate, cohort size, GPA threshold, recommendation, or interview. |
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| Official sources | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-21Source 2 · checked 2026-08-21Source 3 · checked 2026-08-21Source 4 · checked 2026-08-21Source 5 · checked 2026-08-21Source 6 · checked 2026-08-21Source 7 · 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 | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-20Source 2 · checked 2026-08-20Source 3 · checked 2026-08-20Source 4 · checked 2026-08-20Source 5 · checked 2026-08-20Source 6 · checked 2026-08-20Source 7 · checked 2026-08-20 |
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