| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Cost | Last year's cycle (2026): $3,900; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): $6,450–$9,950; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | $5,793 (2027 cycle) |
|---|
| Financial aid | Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): 2026 need-based tuition discount: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. 10-80% discount online or 10-50% San Francisco; no full rides; parents' prior 12 months of income statements required. 2027 availability TBC.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Need-based financial assistance for application and program costs: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Based on family income, family size and available COSMOS resources. (2027 cycle) |
|---|
| Expenses and aid conditions | Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): 2026 enrollment deposit: $700. Nonrefundable, credited toward tuition, and due within 14 days of acceptance.; 2026 need-based tuition discount: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. 10-80% discount online or 10-50% San Francisco; no full rides; parents' prior 12 months of income statements required. 2027 availability TBC.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Application fee: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Non-refundable; fee waivers can be requested.; Need-based financial assistance for application and program costs: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Based on family income, family size and available COSMOS resources. (2027 cycle) |
|---|
| Stipend or pay | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Eligibility | Grades 9–12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site | Grades 9–12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site | Grades 9–12 (provider uses rising grades) |
|---|
| Additional eligibility | Minimum age 14; Residency: US; Requirement: Open to grades 9–12; Requirement: Must be 14 or older by the start of the program; Requirement: Good programming skills (Python, Java, C/C++ or other) and an understanding of computer science fundamentals; Requirement: Must be currently studying and residing in the United States; Requirement: Able to commit to the full commuter or virtual program schedule | Requirement: Be a high-school student/teen applicant; Requirement: Commit full time to the four-week program and team startup work; Requirement: Show interests, passions, initiative, drive, problem solving, and collaboration in the application; Requirement: No prior business or coding knowledge is required; Requirement: Residential students must live in program housing; no commuter option was offered in 2026; Exclusion: The current pages do not publish an exact age range, grade-by-grade rule, citizenship restriction, visa service, English-proficiency standard, or 2027 eligibility terms; Exclusion: A priority-list signup does not confer admission; Exclusion: Admission and financial aid are reviewed separately; no full-ride aid was offered in 2026 | Residency: California high school students only; Requirement: Open to rising grades 9–12; Requirement: Demonstrated academic excellence (a typical COSMOS student has a GPA of 3.5 or above) |
|---|
| Session dates or duration | Last year's cycle (2026): Starts June 29, 2026; 6 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 4 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 4 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Format | In person / Online | In person / Online | In person |
|---|
| 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 |
|---|
| Location | Stony Brook, NY | San Francisco, Berkeley, San Francisco Bay Area residential program hosted at UC Berkeley in 2026, Online worldwide | Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, San Diego, Santa Cruz, CA |
|---|
| Selection and application | Selection: Mentors evaluate application strength and fit to limited project capacity; each accepted student receives a mentor assignment with the offer. Application materials: Essay (maximum 2 pages) on a computing or data analytics interest, programming skills and past projects; Teacher recommendation letter (science, math or computer science) | Selection: Leangap reviews applicants for fit using motivation, initiative, collaboration, problem solving, skills, and impact. Each 2026 format was limited to 40 seats, but no applicant count or acceptance rate is published. Application materials: Parents' income statements for the prior 12 months when requesting need-based aid | 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: Online application with one personal statement; One teacher recommendation (two recommended) |
|---|
| Official sources | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-24Source 2 · checked 2026-10-24Source 3 · checked 2026-10-24 | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-21Source 2 · checked 2026-08-21Source 3 · checked 2026-08-21Source 4 · checked 2026-08-20 | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-24Source 2 · checked 2026-10-24Source 3 · checked 2026-10-24Source 4 · checked 2026-08-22Source 5 · checked 2026-08-22Source 6 · checked 2026-08-22Source 7 · checked 2026-08-20 |
|---|