| 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: Global Navigator Scholarship: From $500. Covers USD 500 through 100% of tuition based on financial need and merit; it does not cover airfare, passport/visa costs, or spending money.; Academic Merit Award: $500. Fixed tuition award with broader high-school eligibility and repeat-award restrictions.; 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: Nonrefundable application fee: $25. Due when the application is submitted.; Nonrefundable acceptance deposit: $1,000. Due within seven days of acceptance; the remaining balance is generally due April 15 or 30 days before departure for later confirmations.; Global Navigator Scholarship: From $500. Covers USD 500 through 100% of tuition based on financial need and merit; it does not cover airfare, passport/visa costs, or spending money.; Academic Merit Award: $500. Fixed tuition award with broader high-school eligibility and repeat-award restrictions.; 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) | Grades 9–12 (provider uses rising grades) | Grades 9–12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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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 | Citizenship: All nationalities may apply to programs; scholarship citizenship rules differ; Residency: U.S.-based and international high-school students may apply; Residency: Global Navigator need-based scholarship requires U.S. citizenship/permanent residency and U.S. residence; Requirement: Complete ninth grade before traveling; rising freshmen are ineligible; Requirement: Meet the chosen program's age, language, academic, health, mobility, and essential eligibility criteria; Requirement: Have a legal guardian complete required tasks; Requirement: Secure a passport valid for the required period and any destination visa; Requirement: Complete required health forms and disclose relevant support needs; Exclusion: Some language programs require prior language study; Exclusion: The need-based Global Navigator Scholarship is limited to eligible U.S.-resident citizens/permanent residents completing grades 9-11; Exclusion: Rising freshmen cannot travel; Exclusion: Program and scholarship capacity is limited; an application does not guarantee the first-choice destination | Ages 14–18; Requirement: On-campus description: rising junior, rising senior, or current senior with journalism experience; Requirement: Learn-from-home description: high-school student age 14-18; prior journalism experience useful but not required; Requirement: Be able to complete intensive reporting, interviews, research, writing, editing, and deadlines; Requirement: Obtain parent or guardian consent and satisfy any current residential, health, travel, and technology rules; Exclusion: The FAQ says students turning 18 before a session are ineligible, conflicting with the overview's current-senior and 14-18 language; confirm directly; Exclusion: Rising ninth graders were described as remote-only in the stale FAQ; Exclusion: No 2026 or 2027 cohort, eligibility boundary, capacity, or application is confirmed; Exclusion: Participation does not confer college credit |
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| Session dates or duration | Catalog terms: 4 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 3–4 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 2–3 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 | 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 | More than 40 advertised 2027 destinations; each program page defines the location and housing | Boston, Massachusetts, Greater Boston |
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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: Program and scholarship capacity varies. Scholarships are competitively reviewed using transcript, GPA, essays, teacher recommendation, and for need-based awards guardian financial information; no umbrella acceptance rate is published. Application materials: For scholarships: short essays and current-year transcript; For scholarships: one teacher recommendation from an unrelated teacher who taught the student for at least six months | Selection: The stale FAQ describes review and a decision within one week, but no current acceptance criteria, rate, capacity, or operating cycle is verified. Application materials: Teacher recommendation for on-campus applicants and international learn-from-home applicants under the stale FAQ |
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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 2026-08-21Source 2 · checked 2026-08-21Source 3 · checked 2026-08-21Source 4 · checked 2026-08-20 | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-21Source 2 · checked 2026-08-21Source 3 · checked 2026-08-21Source 4 · checked 2026-08-21 |
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