| Application deadline | February 15, 2027 (2027 cycle) | February 12, 2027 (2027 cycle) |
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| Cost | Unconfirmed — check official site | $600 (2027 cycle) |
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| Financial aid | Unconfirmed — check official site | 2027 need-based scholar-fee waiver: $0–$600. Limited waivers may be requested by students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch who do not have a sponsor. (2027 cycle) |
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| Expenses and aid conditions | Unconfirmed — check official site | 2027 need-based scholar-fee waiver: $0–$600. Limited waivers may be requested by students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch who do not have a sponsor. (2027 cycle) |
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| Stipend or pay | 2027 paid internship: Unconfirmed — check official site (2027 cycle) | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Eligibility | Unconfirmed — check official site | Grade 10; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Additional eligibility | Minimum age 16; Residency: Residence in San Diego County and attendance at a county high school in the most recent semester.; Requirement: At least 16 by June 14, 2027, with a GPA of at least 2.75 and completed biology coursework; chemistry is preferred. Students under 18 need a work permit. | Residency: Missouri resident attending high school in Missouri or homeschooled in Missouri; Requirement: Be a current tenth grader during nomination for summer participation as a rising junior; Requirement: Receive a nomination from a counselor, teacher, principal, or other school official, except eligible homeschool self/family nomination; Requirement: Fit within the school's MSA nomination allotment; Requirement: Provide three-semester unweighted GPA and an accepted standardized aptitude or IQ score; Requirement: Demonstrate leadership, creativity, intellectual curiosity, problem solving, initiative, and likely benefit; Requirement: Commit to the full three-week residential Academy without planned absence; Exclusion: Students and families may not self-nominate outside homeschool settings; Exclusion: Incomplete nominations are not considered; Exclusion: Parents and guardians cannot write recommendation letters; Exclusion: MSA provides neither grades nor academic credit; Exclusion: Nomination does not guarantee selection, course choice, roommate choice, fee waiver, college scholarship, or admission advantage |
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| Session dates or duration | Starts June 14, 2027; Ends August 6, 2027 (2027 cycle) | Starts June 13, 2027; Ends July 3, 2027; 3 weeks (2027 cycle) |
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| Format | In person | In person |
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| Housing and supervision | Unconfirmed — check official site | Residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Location | Unconfirmed — check official site | Columbia |
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| Selection and application | Application materials: UKG application, resume, unofficial transcript, recommendation and short questions. No prior laboratory experience required. Interviews March–April; status in April. | Selection: School nomination allotments limit the pool, a statewide committee evaluates academic and qualitative criteria, and about 330 scholars are expected in 2027. MSA does not publish a current nomination count or acceptance rate. Application materials: Two PDF recommendation letters, at least one from a teacher and none from parents or guardians; Two named PDF essays of 300-350 words responding to the current character-identification and social-issue prompts |
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| Official sources | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-09Source 2 · checked 2026-10-09Source 3 · checked 2026-10-09 | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-12Source 2 · checked 2026-08-22Source 3 · checked 2026-08-22Source 4 · checked 2026-08-22Source 5 · checked 2026-08-20 |
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