| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | January 31, 2027 (2027 cycle) | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Cost | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Financial aid | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Expenses and aid conditions | Last year's cycle (2026): Historical new-applicant application fee: $75. Nonrefundable; returning students could request a waiver code under 2026 rules.; Historical program deposit: $275. Nonrefundable and credited toward the student's total bill.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | 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 10–12 (provider uses rising grades) | Grade 11 (provider uses rising grades) | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Additional eligibility | Minimum age 13; Citizenship: Domestic and international applicants under separate rules; Requirement: Be a rising high-school sophomore, junior, senior, or graduating senior; Requirement: Hold an unweighted GPA of at least 3.0 or obtain approval through the GPA Exception Appeal route; Requirement: Select a first- and second-choice three-credit course and satisfy course prerequisites; Requirement: Carry health insurance and submit the required documentation; Requirement: Attend the entire three-week program and complete college-level work; Requirement: International applicants must satisfy English-proficiency and immigration/document rules; Exclusion: Domestic applicants under age 13 under 2026 rules; Exclusion: Prior participants dismissed from the program; Exclusion: International students requiring an F-1/I-20 from the program for campus study; UMD directs them to online and does not issue an I-20; Exclusion: Use of a B visa for campus study; Exclusion: Applicants unable to commute for a standard campus course or meet all synchronous attendance requirements | Residency: Resident of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; Requirement: Be a rising high-school senior; Requirement: Complete junior year immediately before the programme; Requirement: Secure two classroom-teacher recommendations from different PGSS core subjects; Requirement: Secure a school-counselor recommendation; Requirement: Be able to attend the complete residential session; Exclusion: Students who are not Pennsylvania residents are ineligible; Exclusion: Recommendations from overlapping core subjects do not satisfy the two-subject rule; Exclusion: Incomplete or late applications are not reviewed | Ages 10–17; Requirement: Meet the session-specific age band: historically 12-17 for two-week sessions and 10-17 for one-week sessions; Requirement: Complete registration, payment and all required parent or guardian, health, physical, medication and release forms; Requirement: Meet the next cycle's swimming, snorkeling, SCUBA and activity-specific safety requirements; Requirement: Arrange travel and follow the residential arrival, departure, equipment and conduct policies; Exclusion: The official program uses age bands; Exclusion: Ten- and eleven-year-olds were eligible only for one-week residential sessions in 2026; Exclusion: Optional SCUBA was not offered in the one-week 2026 sessions; Exclusion: Registration and course preferences do not guarantee acceptance, space, a selected course or SCUBA participation |
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| Session dates or duration | Catalog terms: 3 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Starts June 27, 2027; Ends July 31, 2027; 5 weeks (2027 cycle) | Catalog terms: 1–2 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Format | Hybrid | In person | In person |
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| Housing and supervision | 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 | College Park, Maryland, University of Maryland campus commuter option or 100% online | Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, Pennsylvania | Big Pine Key, Florida Keys, Florida |
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| Selection and application | Selection: Competitive and space-limited, with applications reviewed first-come, first-served after requirements are met. Early applicants are more likely to receive their first course choice; no overall acceptance rate is published. Application materials: No essay or recommendation under the 2026 application | Selection: PGSS describes a statewide application and admission process but the current official pages publish neither cohort size, applicant count nor acceptance rate. Application materials: Narrative essay introducing the applicant and explaining interest in PGSS; Topical essay about a significant influence on scientific interest or a proud achievement; Two recommendations from classroom teachers in different PGSS core subject areas; One school-counselor recommendation | Selection: Space, acceptance and course assignment standards are not published for 2027; course placement depends on age, prior attendance, preference and availability. Application materials: Separate scholarship form, essay, recommendation and financial documentation if 2027 aid is offered |
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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 2026-08-22 | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-09Source 2 · checked 2026-08-22 | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-22Source 2 · checked 2026-08-22Source 3 · checked 2026-08-22Source 4 · checked 2026-08-22Source 5 · checked 2026-08-22 |
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