| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Cost | Last year's cycle (2026): $5,518; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): $700–$1,175; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| 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 | Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): 2026 SYP need-based, named and sponsored support: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Eligibility, value and covered expenses varied; several sponsored Pathways were no-cost, while other awards were partial or location-specific.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| 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 | Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): 2026 Exploration enrollment deposit: $150. Historical nonrefundable per-course deposit; Pathway applications required no deposit.; Course-specific lab/material fee: $0–$1,500. Historical published range among examples; many courses had no added fee, while Advanced Build: Gaming Computer added $1,500.; 2026 SYP need-based, named and sponsored support: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Eligibility, value and covered expenses varied; several sponsored Pathways were no-cost, while other awards were partial or location-specific.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Stipend or pay | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Eligibility | Grades 9–12 (provider uses rising grades) | Grades 9–12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site | Grades 6–11; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| 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 | Requirement: Apply according to grade entering in the fall; Requirement: Meet the selected course's Emerald, Magenta, or Indigo tier; Requirement: Provide qualifying recent test scores, prior CTD course history, or an admission portfolio; Requirement: Complete any course-specific academic prerequisites; Requirement: Demonstrate English proficiency through approved testing when required; Exclusion: Course eligibility varies and admission is not universally open; Exclusion: Grade-acceleration requests are rarely approved; Exclusion: International students may face separate language, visa, travel, and residential requirements | Requirement: Use the student's current or most recently completed grade, not the upcoming fall grade; Requirement: Select a course whose listed grade band includes that grade; Requirement: For a Pathway, complete its selective application and supplemental-document requirements; Requirement: Meet any program-specific citizenship, academic, health or safety requirement; Exclusion: Current grade-12 students, early-middle-college students and secondary-school graduates are ineligible; Exclusion: Some Pathways exclude international participants or impose U.S.-citizenship rules |
|---|
| Session dates or duration | Catalog terms: 4 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 1–3 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 1 week; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Format | In person | In person | In person |
|---|
| Housing and supervision | Residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site | Residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| 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 | Evanston, Illinois | Houghton, Michigan, Michigan Technological University campus; supervised live-in or commuter participation |
|---|
| 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: Course-dependent academic admission using CTD eligibility tiers; applicants qualify through test scores, prior CTD coursework, or portfolio review, and courses may fill. Application materials: Teacher recommendation for portfolio applicants | Selection: Standard Explorations enrolled in order received while seats remained. Pathways used grades, short responses and supplemental documents; no portfolio-wide applicant count or acceptance rate is published. Application materials: Unofficial transcript, short responses and a recommendation/certificate/other evidence where required by the Pathway |
|---|
| 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 2026-08-20 | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-21Source 2 · checked 2026-08-21Source 3 · checked 2026-08-21Source 4 · checked 2026-08-21Source 5 · checked 2026-08-21Source 6 · checked 2026-08-21Source 7 · checked 2026-08-21Source 8 · checked 2026-08-21Source 9 · checked 2026-08-20 |
|---|