| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Cost | Last year's cycle (2026): $3,900; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): $5,518; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): $1,299; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Financial aid | Unconfirmed — check official site | 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): Application-fee and tuition waiver: $1,324. For 2026, 100% waivers were available with free/reduced-price lunch or Pell Grant documentation; Mason considered alternative hardship documentation case by case.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Expenses and aid conditions | Unconfirmed — check official site | 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 ASSIP application processing fee: $25. Nonrefundable historical fee; full waiver available for documented financial need.; Application-fee and tuition waiver: $1,324. For 2026, 100% waivers were available with free/reduced-price lunch or Pell Grant documentation; Mason considered alternative hardship documentation case by case.; Commuting and local transportation: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Students were responsible for transportation; Mason shuttles between Fairfax and Manassas were free, and low-cost general parking was usually available to non-Mason interns.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Stipend or pay | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Eligibility | Grades 9–12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site | Grades 9–12 (provider uses rising grades) | Grade 9 and above; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Additional eligibility | Minimum age 14; Residency: Currently studying and residing in the United States; Requirement: Be at least 14 by program start; Requirement: Be a current high-school student; Requirement: Demonstrate good programming ability in Python, Java, C/C++, or another language; Requirement: Understand computer-science fundamentals; Requirement: Commit to the full-time six-week commuter or virtual schedule; Requirement: Provide one science, mathematics, or computer-science teacher reference; Exclusion: Applicants under 14 at program start; Exclusion: Applicants not currently studying and residing in the United States; Exclusion: Applicants unable to commit to the complete schedule; Exclusion: Applicants whose skills do not match available mentor projects | 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 15; Requirement: Be a high-school or undergraduate student and not have graduated from university before or during the internship; Requirement: Be at least 15 by the first program day for remote and computer-lab internships; Requirement: Be at least 16 by the first program day for any wet-lab placement involving chemical, biological, mechanical, or electrical hazards; Requirement: Commit to the full eight-week, 30-hour-per-week internship, required orientation, training, mentor schedule, and final symposium; Requirement: Select one to three prospective mentors whose research, format, campus, and preferred skills fit the applicant; Exclusion: Wet-lab age 16 is a safety requirement with no exceptions; Exclusion: Students may participate for at most two summer sessions; Exclusion: Minors cannot use Mason-arranged campus housing; Exclusion: Preferred mentor skills are not universal prerequisites, and the program has no universal minimum GPA; Exclusion: Admission does not guarantee a patent, publication, award, paid position, or continued research role |
|---|
| Session dates or duration | Catalog terms: 6 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 4 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 8 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Format | In person / Online | In person | In person / Online / Hybrid |
|---|
| Housing and supervision | Non-residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site | Residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site | Non-residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Location | Stony Brook, New York (commuter track), United States residency and study required; virtual track for students unable to commute | 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 | Fairfax, Manassas, Woodbridge, Virginia; mentor-specific remote and collaborating-institution placements |
|---|
| Selection and application | Selection: Mentors evaluate application strength and fit to limited project capacity; each accepted student receives a mentor assignment with the offer. Application materials: Essay of no more than two pages on a computing or data-analytics interest, motivation, programming skills, and past projects; One science, mathematics, or computer-science teacher recommendation submitted separately | 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: Competitive and mentor-matched. Review considers STEM coursework, GPA, experience, statements, mentor fit, and project needs; highly qualified applicants may be interviewed. No minimum GPA or overall acceptance rate is published. Application materials: Personal statements describing research interest, preparation, goals, and mentor fit; Possible mentor interview for highly qualified candidates |
|---|
| Official sources | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-20Source 2 · 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 2026-08-22Source 6 · checked 2026-08-22Source 7 · checked 2026-08-20 | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-21Source 2 · checked 2026-08-21Source 3 · checked 2026-08-21Source 4 · checked 2026-08-21 |
|---|