| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | January 22, 2027 (2027 cycle) |
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| Cost | Last year's cycle (2026): $5,518; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: Free attendance; check separate expenses; 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 |
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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 | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Stipend or pay | Unconfirmed — check official site | 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 | Minimum age 16; Citizenship: U.S. citizen or national, or otherwise eligible to work in the United States; Residency: Intended for North Texas high-school students; exact county, school, commute, or Texas-residence boundary is not published on the current page; Requirement: Be currently enrolled in high school and classified as a junior at application; Requirement: Be at least 16 years old by June 1 before the summer program; Requirement: Be a U.S. citizen or national or otherwise eligible to work in the United States; Requirement: Have no prior research experience under the program's controlling definition; Requirement: Demonstrate strong academic achievement and interest in science or medicine; Requirement: Be able to commute reliably to UT Southwestern for the entire eight-week, nonresidential program; Requirement: Work safely and professionally in an assigned biomedical research laboratory with a faculty host; Requirement: Complete employment or stipend onboarding, minor consent, health, immunization, safety, conduct, privacy, data, intellectual-property, and laboratory requirements; Requirement: Present research results at the end of the summer and present the experience at the student's home school; Exclusion: Students who are not current high-school juniors; Exclusion: Applicants who will be younger than 16 on June 1; Exclusion: Applicants who cannot demonstrate U.S. citizenship, nationality, or legal work eligibility; Exclusion: Students with prior research experience under STARS policy; Exclusion: Applicants seeking clinical care, patient contact, physician shadowing, or a residential program; Exclusion: Inability to attend the full eight weeks or commute safely and reliably to the assigned Dallas laboratory; Exclusion: Assuming strong grades, interest, North Texas residence, or an early application guarantees a funded place |
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| Session dates or duration | Catalog terms: 4 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 8 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 | Non-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 | Dallas, Texas, UT Southwestern biomedical research laboratories; North Texas applicant focus; nonresidential |
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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: Participation is limited by funding. UT Southwestern names superior academic achievement and strong science or medicine interest as positive factors but does not publish the current applicant count, funded places, acceptance rate, GPA cutoff, review rubric, lab-match method, or waitlist policy. Application materials: Transcript, essays, activity list, resume, teacher or counselor information, recommendation, or interview only if the new application explicitly requires them |
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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 2026-10-09Source 2 · checked 2026-08-20 |
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