| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Cost | $2,499–$16,999 (2027 cycle) | Last year's cycle (2026): $5,518; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): $1,695–$2,195; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Financial aid | Limited scholarship assistance: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Primarily provided through mentoring organizations; individual scholarships are limited. (2027 cycle) | 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): 2026 qualifying competition-achievement discount: $100. One $100 completion-paid discount with proof for specified MATHCOUNTS National, USAJMO or USAMO achievements.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Expenses and aid conditions | Summer Discovery application fee: $100. Nonrefundable and not applied to tuition; scholarship applicants denied aid may receive it back subject to listed program exceptions.; Limited scholarship assistance: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Primarily provided through mentoring organizations; individual scholarships are limited. (2027 cycle) | 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 standard online placement test: $50–$100. Students not recently enrolled generally tested; scheduled-session fee rose closer to summer and was nonrefundable and nontransferable. A special session could cost $150.; 2026 qualifying competition-achievement discount: $100. One $100 completion-paid discount with proof for specified MATHCOUNTS National, USAJMO or USAMO achievements.; 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) | Grades 4–12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Additional eligibility | Residency: Domestic and international options are offered; destination and visa/entry requirements vary; Requirement: Be in grade 9-12 for the high-school offering; Requirement: Choose a campus and course matching the published grade and prerequisite rules; Requirement: Submit a complete application and $100 fee; Requirement: Meet program-specific health, conduct, housing and travel requirements; Requirement: Pay the updated 2027 deposit and balance after acceptance; Exclusion: Campus partnerships do not confer university student status or admission; Exclusion: Courses, grade ranges, dates, residential/commuter availability and academic prerequisites differ; Exclusion: The stale 2026 payment schedule is not a confirmed 2027 deadline; Exclusion: A certificate or recognition letter is not necessarily university credit or a transcript; Exclusion: Rolling review does not guarantee a preferred campus, course or roommate | 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: Be a rising fourth- through twelfth-grader for Math Challenges or a seventh- through twelfth-grader for Advanced Studies; Requirement: Provide accurate age, grade, math-course and official contest-score history; Requirement: Take an assigned placement test unless exempt as a recent IDEA MATH student; Requirement: Accept the academic team's final course placement; Requirement: Attend all live Eastern-time Zoom classes with camera and microphone on; Requirement: Complete homework and present mathematical solutions in class; Exclusion: The two summer tracks have different grade ranges, dates, course levels and prices; Exclusion: Registration alone does not complete enrollment; tuition must be paid in full; Exclusion: A preferred course is not guaranteed because placement, enrollment, staffing and capacity control offerings; Exclusion: Only enrolled students may enter the live Zoom classroom, and recording or photography is prohibited |
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| Session dates or duration | Catalog terms: 2–6 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 4 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): Starts June 28, 2026; Ends August 11, 2026; 5–6.43 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Format | In person | In person | Online |
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| Housing and supervision | 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 | Los Angeles, New Haven, Hanover, Ann Arbor, Washington, Berkeley, Austin, Santa Barbara, Philadelphia, Vancouver, Oxford, Cambridge, Multiple university campuses; residential and commuter options vary by listing | 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 | Live online in U.S. Eastern Time |
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| Selection and application | Selection: Qualified students are admitted first come on a rolling basis until program, course and housing capacity fills. Highly specialized partner programs may have additional selection rules. | 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: Placement is academic and capacity-limited rather than governed by a published acceptance rate. Likely class sizes were 6-12 in early prealgebra levels and 6-16 in others, with stated caps of 16 or 20. |
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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 2026-08-22 | 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 2026-08-20 |
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