| Application deadline | 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 |
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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): Need-based fee and participant-travel assistance: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. SSP committed to cover 100% of demonstrated need; exact award depends on family circumstances and may include participant airfare or other required travel.; 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 application fee: $0. Completely free to apply.; Need-based fee and participant-travel assistance: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. SSP committed to cover 100% of demonstrated need; exact award depends on family circumstances and may include participant airfare or other required travel.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Stipend or pay | Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): Lost-wages stipend: $3,000; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Eligibility | Grades 9–12 (provider uses rising grades) | Grade 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 | Ages 15–18; Requirement: Be a current high-school junior; Requirement: Be at least 15 and not yet 19 during all program dates; Requirement: Complete for credit and a grade by June any high-school physics plus precalculus; Requirement: If the school does not offer physics, complete calculus for credit and a grade by June instead; Requirement: Commit exclusively to the entire assigned residential session; Exclusion: Current freshmen, sophomores and seniors; Exclusion: Self-study used in place of the required graded coursework; Exclusion: Applicants unable to attend the complete assigned session; Exclusion: Applying to more than one SSP project in the same cycle |
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| Session dates or duration | Catalog terms: 4 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 5 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Format | 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 |
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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 | Albion, Milledgeville, McMinnville, River Falls, Waterville, Bethlehem, Galesburg, 2026 campus assigned after admission; campus list can change by cycle |
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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: Admission is limited and holistic. SSP reported about 700 participants admitted across every 2026 track, but did not publish Astrophysics application totals or a track-specific acceptance rate. Application materials: One required recommendation from a current school math or science educator; Optional second recommendation, preferably from a math or science educator |
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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 2026-08-22Source 3 · checked 2026-08-22Source 4 · checked 2026-08-22Source 5 · checked 2026-08-20 |
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