| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Cost | Last year's cycle (2026): $5,518; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | 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 | Catalog terms: ASP partial scholarship assistance: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Partial assistance is advertised; amount, eligibility, deadline, and availability require the current scholarship process.; 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 | Catalog terms: Earlier stated group registration fee: $95. One nonrefundable fee per registering group, not per participant. The current overview does not restate this amount; confirm whether it still applies.; Group transportation: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Groups provide transportation to the assigned center and a vehicle for each work crew; cost varies by origin and group.; ASP partial scholarship assistance: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Partial assistance is advertised; amount, eligibility, deadline, and availability require the current scholarship process.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | 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) | Grade 6 and above; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site | Grades 8–11 (provider uses rising grades) |
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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 | Minimum age 11; Residency: No citizenship or state-residency restriction is stated; participants must travel with or join an eligible registered group serving in Central Appalachia; Requirement: Be at least age 11 and have completed sixth grade before service; Requirement: Register as part of a group of at least five or obtain approval to join an existing registered group; Requirement: Provide at least two adults age 19 or older for the group and maintain ASP's adult-to-youth supervision requirements; Requirement: Complete an approved background check if age 19 or older; Requirement: Provide a suitable vehicle for every work crew and transportation to and from the assigned center; Requirement: Commit to the full Sunday-afternoon-through-Saturday-morning week; Requirement: Complete all participant, guardian, health, emergency, conduct, safety, and group paperwork and payment requirements; Requirement: Participate respectfully in ASP's service, regional education, and faith-based programming; Exclusion: ASP does not currently host an unaccompanied individual volunteer on their own; Exclusion: Volunteers must have completed sixth grade before service and be at least 11; current sixth-graders may qualify for a 2027 summer trip after completing the school year.; Exclusion: A preferred week, state, center, homeowner, or project type is not guaranteed; Exclusion: Participants and groups supply transportation and may have costs beyond ASP's published fee; Exclusion: The trip does not confer employment, wages, academic credit, a licensed construction credential, college admission benefit, or guaranteed school-accepted service hours; Exclusion: Physical, tool, driving, dietary, disability, medication, and worksite accommodations must be confirmed directly with ASP and the group leader | Requirement: Be a rising grade 9, 10, 11, or 12 student for the relevant summer cycle; Requirement: Have limited or no prior exposure to Chinese; Requirement: Be able to complete synchronous virtual pre-camp, the full residential component in Boone, and synchronous/asynchronous virtual post-camp work; Requirement: For the completed 2026 cycle, submit the online form and 150-200-word statement of interest while space remained; Exclusion: The 2026 session is complete and the stale form/page must not be used as a current application; Exclusion: Students seeking an advanced-Chinese program were not the target audience; Exclusion: Priority for Southern Appalachia was not stated as a universal residency guarantee or automatic admission; Exclusion: No applicant was guaranteed one of the 18 places, proficiency benchmark, college credit, placement, or home-school recognition |
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| Session dates or duration | Catalog terms: 4 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 1 week; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Format | In person | In person | Hybrid |
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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 | Central Appalachia: eastern Kentucky, western North Carolina when served, northeastern Tennessee, southwest Virginia, and central or southern West Virginia | Boone, North Carolina, Priority consideration: Southern Appalachia, especially western North Carolina and east Tennessee |
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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: This is capacity- and group-based registration rather than a competitive individual admission. ASP matches registered crews to weeks, centers, and projects based on preferences, skill, need, supervision, and available space. | Selection: Rolling admission to 18 places, with priority for Southern Appalachian students, especially western North Carolina and east Tennessee. No application count, acceptance rate, rubric, waitlist rule, or decision timeline is published. Application materials: 150-200-word statement of interest explaining why the student wants to participate |
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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 2026-10-12Source 2 · checked 2026-08-20Source 3 · checked 2026-08-20 | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-20 |
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