| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Cost | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): $5,518; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Financial aid | Last year's cycle (2026): Need-based high-school assistance: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Available after acceptance and reviewed rolling; award amount is not guaranteed.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | 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 |
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| Expenses and aid conditions | Last year's cycle (2026): High-school enrollment deposit: $300. Nonrefundable, due within two weeks of acceptance and credited to tuition under current payment policy.; Need-based high-school assistance: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Available after acceptance and reviewed rolling; award amount is not guaranteed.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | 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 |
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| Stipend or pay | Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: Summer 2027 NIH SIP stipend: Unconfirmed — check official site; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Eligibility | Grades 9–12 (provider uses rising grades) | Grade 12 when applying; check the provider's rules for graduating seniors | Grades 9–12 (provider uses rising grades) |
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| Additional eligibility | Requirement: Be a current high-school student or recent graduate eligible for the selected program; Requirement: Complete at least one high-school science and one high-school mathematics course; Requirement: Meet SEA essential-eligibility and medical-clearance requirements; Requirement: For SEA Expedition, be a rising sophomore through recent graduate under the 2026 rule; Requirement: For Pre-College Marine Biology, be a rising junior, senior or recent graduate under the 2026 rule; Exclusion: Rising freshmen are considered only for separately offered virtual programs; Exclusion: Eligibility differs by named program; Exclusion: No prior sailing experience was required for SEA Expedition; Exclusion: The current site has not announced a Summer 2027 high-school cycle; Exclusion: Participation does not guarantee credit, publication, recommendation or admission | Minimum age 17; Citizenship: U.S. citizen; Citizenship: U.S. permanent resident; Residency: A graduating senior who is 17 on June 1, 2027 and turns 18 by September 30 must have a permanent home address within 40 miles of an NIH campus; Residency: Permanent residents must attend or be accepted by a U.S. educational institution; Requirement: Be enrolled at least half-time as a high-school senior when applying; Requirement: Graduate high school before the internship begins; Requirement: Be 18 by September 30, 2027 and satisfy the special local-residence rule if still 17 on June 1; Requirement: Provide proof of health insurance; Requirement: Be available for a full-time research position during work hours; Exclusion: Students in grades 9-11 are not eligible through this SIP rule; Exclusion: The program is unavailable to applicants who are neither U.S. citizens nor permanent residents; Exclusion: Summer classes or other daytime responsibilities are incompatible with the full-time position; Exclusion: Family employment at NIH may trigger nepotism restrictions; Exclusion: Application does not guarantee PI contact, interview, funding or placement | 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 |
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| Session dates or duration | Catalog terms: 2–3 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 4 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Format | In person / Online | In person | In person |
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| Housing and supervision | Residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site | Non-residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site | Residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Location | Woods Hole, Woods Hole, Massachusetts; Cape Cod Bay and Gulf of Maine aboard SSV Corwith Cramer; virtual offerings when separately announced | Bethesda, NIH campuses; exact campus and research group vary by placement | 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 |
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| Selection and application | Selection: Programs have 20-25 places and use holistic review of academics, reference, motivation and goals. SEA Expedition and Pre-College applicants interview; admission and first-choice program are not guaranteed. Application materials: Short-answer essays; Admissions interview for SEA Expedition or Pre-College | Selection: There is no centralized selection. Individual NIH PIs search applications, interview candidates, choose interns and supply funding; satisfying minimum eligibility does not guarantee a match. Application materials: Personal statement describing research experience, interests, goals and SIP fit | 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 |
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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 2026-08-22 | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-22Source 2 · checked 2026-08-22 | 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 |
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