| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Cost | $5,793 (2027 cycle) | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Financial aid | 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) | Need-based tuition discount: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. 10–80% off online tuition or 10–50% off San Francisco tuition; no full-ride scholarships; parents' income statements for the last 12 months are required. (2027 cycle) | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Expenses and aid conditions | 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) | Non-refundable deposit (counts toward tuition): $700. Due within 14 days of acceptance; the remaining tuition is charged 14 days after the deposit.; Need-based tuition discount: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. 10–80% off online tuition or 10–50% off San Francisco tuition; no full-ride scholarships; parents' income statements for the last 12 months are required. (2027 cycle) | 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) | Unconfirmed — check official site | Grades 9–12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Additional eligibility | 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) | Ages 14–17; Requirement: Must currently be in high school; not open to college students or other adults | 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: 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 / Online | 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, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, San Diego, Santa Cruz, CA | Berkeley, CA | 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: Online application with one personal statement; One teacher recommendation (two recommended) | 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 last 12 months (financial aid applicants) | 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 2026-10-24Source 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 | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-24Source 2 · checked 2026-10-24Source 3 · checked 2026-10-24Source 4 · checked 2026-10-24Source 5 · checked 2026-08-21Source 6 · 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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