| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | November 20, 2026 (2027 cycle) |
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| Cost | Last year's cycle (2026): $5,518; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | 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 | Last year's cycle (2026): U.S. family-income guarantee: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. U.S. students from families under $80,000 attended free in 2026.; Full/partial need-based aid and international aid: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Aid available where cost is a barrier; international aid considered case by case.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): Full or partial GSSE scholarship: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. All 2026 admitted students received one of the two scholarship types; future scholarship structure is not yet published.; 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): U.S. family-income guarantee: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. U.S. students from families under $80,000 attended free in 2026.; Full/partial need-based aid and international aid: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Aid available where cost is a barrier; international aid considered case by case.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): Full or partial GSSE scholarship: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. All 2026 admitted students received one of the two scholarship types; future scholarship structure is not yet published.; Room during the 2026 residential program: $0. Covered for 2026 participants; future-cycle terms are not announced.; Food during the 2026 residential program: $0. Covered for 2026 participants; optional personal snacks and souvenirs were not covered.; Required books and instructional materials for 2026: $0. Covered for 2026 participants; future-cycle terms are not announced.; 2027: 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) | Grades 10–12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site | Grades 10–11; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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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 | Ages 14–18; Residency: Students from the United States and abroad are eligible; international financial aid is case by case; Requirement: Be age 14-18 by the applicable program cutoff; Requirement: Have completed grade 9 or equivalent before the session; Requirement: Not be enrolled full time in a college or university by the program's first day; Requirement: Be available for the entire six-week residential session and comply with dormitory, curfew, visiting, safeguarding, and conduct rules; Requirement: Independently attempt the official application problem set and explain experiments, conjectures, proofs, and partial progress; Requirement: Submit the required recommendation, transcript, form, short answers, and any financial-aid documents; Requirement: Retain scratch work and be prepared to explain reasoning if originality is verified; Exclusion: Applicants outside the age/education window or already full-time college students at program start; Exclusion: Collaborative, copied, AI-assisted, internet-generated, uncited, or inadequately explained problem-set work; Exclusion: Applicants unable to reside for the full six weeks or follow residential/safety expectations; Exclusion: Assuming all eight problems must be solved or that prior advanced courses/research are required; Exclusion: Assuming selection guarantees aid, publication, conference presentation, college credit, recommendation, admission advantage, internship, or job | Residency: Attend a Tennessee high school; Tennessee residents receive highest priority; Requirement: Be a current high-school sophomore or junior, rising to grade 11 or 12 for the summer program; Requirement: Attend a high school in Tennessee; Requirement: Have at least a 3.5 GPA; Requirement: Complete at least one year of high-school laboratory science; Requirement: Complete at least one year of Algebra; Requirement: Be able to attend every class and activity for the full residential session; Exclusion: Students may attend only one Tennessee Governor's School during high school; Exclusion: Nonresident students at Tennessee high schools may apply but residents receive highest priority; Exclusion: Paper applications are not accepted; Exclusion: Job, camp, family, or other commitments that require missing GSSE activities are incompatible with participation |
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| Session dates or duration | Catalog terms: 4 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 6 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Starts June 6, 2027; Ends July 3, 2027; 4 weeks (2027 cycle) |
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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 | Boston, Boston University campus, Massachusetts | Knoxville, Tennessee |
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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: About 80 high-school students are selected through demonstrated mathematical thinking in the problem set, academic context, recommendation, transcript, and short answers. PROMYS does not publish the current applicant count or acceptance rate. Application materials: One recommendation | Selection: Approximately 180 students were selected for 2026 using academic records, recommendations, essays/personal statements, and program fit. Tennessee residents receive highest priority; no acceptance rate is published. Application materials: Two confidential teacher recommendations, preferably from science, math, or STEM teachers; Responses to two short essay prompts |
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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 2026-08-20Source 2 · checked 2026-08-20Source 3 · checked 2026-08-20Source 4 · checked 2026-08-20Source 5 · checked 2026-08-20Source 6 · checked 2026-08-20 | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-09Source 2 · checked 2026-10-09Source 3 · checked 2026-10-09Source 4 · checked 2026-08-21Source 5 · checked 2026-08-21 |
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