| 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 | Last year's cycle (2026): $6,700–$10,050; 2027: 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 | Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): Philadelphia student Summer Academy scholarship: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Limited to qualifying Philadelphia School District public/charter students; not offered to other domestic or international students.; 2027: 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 | Last year's cycle (2026): 2026 campus housing for out-of-state students: $0. The program paid housing for out-of-state students; the application required participants to live on campus. Terms for Utah residents were not published.; 2026 meal plan for out-of-state students: $0. The program paid the meal plan for out-of-state students; terms for Utah residents were not published.; Travel support for participants outside Salt Lake City: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Support availability is official, but award amount, eligible expenses and reimbursement rules were not published.; Approved national-conference participation: $0. All conference expenses could be covered for participants approved for the optional opportunity.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): 2026 nonrefundable application fee: $100. Waived for eligible Philadelphia public/charter applicants.; 2026 nonrefundable enrollment deposit: $1,500. Part of, not additional to, total tuition.; Philadelphia student Summer Academy scholarship: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Limited to qualifying Philadelphia School District public/charter students; not offered to other domestic or international students.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Stipend or pay | Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): 2026 participant compensation: 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) | Grades 11–12 when applying; check the provider's rules for graduating seniors | Grades 9–11 when applying; summer rising grade is one higher |
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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 | Requirement: High-school applicants must complete junior year before the program begins, or college applicants must be current freshmen or sophomores; Requirement: Be in good academic standing; Requirement: Demonstrate interest in health sciences and biomedical cancer research; Requirement: Commit to the full ten-week program for approximately 40 hours every week; Requirement: Live on the University of Utah campus and follow residential and laboratory policies; Requirement: Complete required laboratory and online training, weekly meetings and events, surveys, and the closing symposium; Exclusion: High-school students who have not completed junior year before the program starts; Exclusion: College students beyond the first or second undergraduate year under the published 2026 rules; Exclusion: Applicants unable to attend the entire program or meet the full-time commitment; Exclusion: Assuming citizenship or permanent residence is mandatory merely because the application collects that information | Requirement: Current grade 9–11 during the application year; Requirement: Competitive applicants generally have at least a 3.5 high-school GPA; Requirement: Some academies require specific prior coursework and a syllabus; Requirement: International applicants meet English-proficiency requirements or qualify for a waiver; Exclusion: The academies are non-credit; do not confuse them with Penn's credit-bearing Pre-College programs; Exclusion: Scholarships are limited to eligible Philadelphia public/charter students; Exclusion: Admission to a summer academy is not admission to Penn |
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| Session dates or duration | Catalog terms: 4 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 10 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): Starts July 11, 2026; Ends August 1, 2026; 2–3 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Format | In person | In person | In person |
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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 | Salt Lake City, Utah, University of Utah campus, Huntsman Cancer Institute | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, University of Pennsylvania campus |
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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: Huntsman uses an application, transcript, personal statement and reference and may place applicants on a waitlist. Current cohort size, applicant count, acceptance rate and selection rubric are not published. Application materials: One-page single-spaced personal statement addressing career goals, personal background, relevant skills and interest in STEM | Selection: Rolling holistic admission until individual academies fill; Penn publishes no acceptance rate. Application materials: Three numbered essays, each no more than 400 words; One program-specific recommendation on organizational/institutional letterhead |
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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 2026-08-22Source 2 · checked 2026-08-22 | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-22Source 2 · checked 2026-08-22Source 3 · checked 2026-08-22 |
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