| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | February 9, 2027 (2027 cycle) |
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| Cost | Last year's cycle (2026): $5,518; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | 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): Local SAME Post sponsorship: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Posts may pay half or more, but award amounts and availability vary and are 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 | Last year's cycle (2026): Reservation payment after selection: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Selected campers paid half the applicable registration fee to hold a place.; Local SAME Post sponsorship: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Posts may pay half or more, but award amounts and availability vary and are not guaranteed.; Travel to the camp region: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Participant responsibility; pickup from the camp's designated closest airport was available under the published travel process.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | 2027 selected-student processing fee: $100 (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 10–12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site | Grade 11; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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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 15; Citizenship: United States citizenship required; Requirement: Be enrolled in high school and at least 15 years old on arrival; Requirement: Have completed freshman year for most camps; have completed sophomore year for the Army camp; Requirement: Plan to pursue engineering, architecture or a related STEM degree or career; Requirement: Demonstrate leadership, teamwork, good character and physical ability to participate; Requirement: Provide proof of medical insurance and required health information; Requirement: Confirm the selected camp's GPA rule; official pages variously describe 3.2 as a minimum or highly recommended; Exclusion: The 2026 application and camps are closed; Exclusion: Non-U.S. citizens are not eligible under the published criteria; Exclusion: The Army camp does not accept students who have not completed sophomore year; Exclusion: A student may attend only one SAME camp; Exclusion: Camp placement, top-choice placement and SAME Post sponsorship are not guaranteed; Exclusion: Full-week attendance is required | Requirement: Rising12inSummer2027; AlgebraII/IntegratedMathandGeometry; ACTMath25orSATMath590; no citizenship/GPA restriction inferred. |
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| Session dates or duration | Catalog terms: 4 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 1 week; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Starts July 11, 2027; Ends July 16, 2027 (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, 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 | Honolulu, Vicksburg, Jacksonville, Colorado Springs, Camp Lejeune, Port Hueneme, Hawaii, Mississippi, Florida, Colorado, North Carolina, California | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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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: Each camp generally serves 40-80 students. SAME Posts review applicants and nominate or sponsor candidates, but SAME publishes no overall applicant count or acceptance rate. | Application materials: Onlineapplication, highschooltranscript, math/science teacher references and videoessay; references and scores dueMarch5,2027. |
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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 2026-08-22 | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-09 |
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