| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Cost | $5,793 (2027 cycle) | Last year's cycle (2026): $2,000; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | $2,500–$5,800 (2027 cycle) |
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| Financial aid | Need-based financial assistance for application and program costs: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Based on family income, family size and available COSMOS resources. (2027 cycle) | Last year's cycle (2026): Need-based tuition waiver or reduction: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Limited; applicants state their projected shortfall.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Limited financial aid: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Apply with the Financial Aid Application. (2027 cycle) |
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| Expenses and aid conditions | Application fee: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Non-refundable; fee waivers can be requested.; Need-based financial assistance for application and program costs: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Based on family income, family size and available COSMOS resources. (2027 cycle) | Last year's cycle (2026): Need-based tuition waiver or reduction: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Limited; applicants state their projected shortfall.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Application fee: $70. Non-refundable.; Limited financial aid: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Apply with the Financial Aid Application. (2027 cycle) |
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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 10–11 when applying; summer rising grade is one higher | Grades 7–12 (provider uses rising grades) |
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| Additional eligibility | Residency: California high school students only; Requirement: Open to rising grades 9–12; Requirement: Demonstrated academic excellence (a typical COSMOS student has a GPA of 3.5 or above) | Requirement: Open to students currently in grades 10–11 when applying; Requirement: AltFinance track: current juniors only, with Pre-Calculus completed or in progress | Requirement: Open to rising grades 7–12; Requirement: Course minimums vary: Physics of the Electric Guitar is for rising 8th graders and older, Fun with DNA is for rising 7th and 8th graders, and the Piano Program is for intermediate and advanced pianists ages 11-18 |
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| Session dates or duration | Catalog terms: 4 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): Starts July 18, 2026; Ends July 31, 2026; 1 week; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Starts June 27, 2027; Ends July 24, 2027; 1–4 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, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, San Diego, Santa Cruz, CA | Washington, DC | Lakeville, CT |
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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: Online application with one personal statement; One teacher recommendation (two recommended) | Selection: Howard describes several tracks as selective or highly selective and publishes track maximums from 20 to about 50 for many offerings, but does not publish total applications or acceptance rates. | Selection: Rolling, course-specific admission; Hotchkiss does not publish a program-wide acceptance rate. Application materials: Two teacher recommendations |
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| Official sources | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-24Source 2 · checked 2026-10-24Source 3 · checked 2026-10-24Source 4 · checked 2026-08-22Source 5 · checked 2026-08-22Source 6 · checked 2026-08-22Source 7 · checked 2026-08-20 | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-24 | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-24Source 2 · checked 2026-10-24Source 3 · checked 2026-10-24Source 4 · checked 2026-10-24Source 5 · checked 2026-10-24Source 6 · checked 2026-10-24Source 7 · checked 2026-10-24Source 8 · checked 2026-10-24Source 9 · checked 2026-10-24Source 10 · checked 2026-10-24Source 11 · checked 2026-10-24Source 12 · checked 2026-08-21Source 13 · checked 2026-08-21 |
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