| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Cost | Catalog terms: $120–$315; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): $5,518; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): $3,500; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| 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 | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| 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 | 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 | Unconfirmed — check official site | Grades 9–12 (provider uses rising grades) | Grades 9–12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Additional eligibility | Ages 14–17; Residency: Worldwide except locations where AFS cannot currently enroll individuals; Vietnam is explicitly unavailable on the present form; Requirement: Be age 14-17 on the cohort start date; turning 18 during the program is allowed; Requirement: Have sufficient English to read content, use forums, and join live discussions, unless enrolling in an explicitly offered Spanish cohort; Requirement: Have a computer, smartphone, or other compatible device with webcam and microphone plus stable internet; Requirement: Be available for the full five weeks and four facilitated sessions; Requirement: Obtain parent or guardian permission when legally required and pay the applicable tuition; Exclusion: Under 14 or over 17 on the program start date; Exclusion: Individual students currently residing in Vietnam under the present enrollment notice; Exclusion: Submission of the interest form does not guarantee a seat; eligibility, payment, and capacity still apply; Exclusion: A certificate does not constitute academic credit, language certification, school admission, employment, or an in-person exchange | 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 | Ages 14–18; Requirement: Be age 14-18 under the published 2026 youth-camp rule; Requirement: Be available for both weeks and the daily 10:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. schedule; Requirement: Complete the youth-camp application and registration requirements; Requirement: Follow shop-safety, enrollment, attendance, and no-weapons policies; Exclusion: The 2026 session is over and out of stock; Exclusion: Weapons, including knives, daggers, swords, and axes, may not be fabricated in class; Exclusion: The grade range is inferred from the youth age band; age 14-18 is the controlling published rule; Exclusion: 2027 eligibility is not yet confirmed |
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| Session dates or duration | Catalog terms: 5 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 4 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 2 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Format | Online | In person | In person |
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| 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 |
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| Location | Online global cohort; individual enrollment currently unavailable in Vietnam | 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 | Providence, Rhode Island, The Steel Yard industrial-arts campus |
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| Selection and application | Selection: Standard enrollment is first come, first served subject to age, technology, language, payment, and cohort capacity; no acceptance rate is published. | 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: The course has limited shop capacity and the 2026 listing sold out. The application asks about motivation and making experience, but no acceptance rate or formal scoring rubric is published. Application materials: Short personal statements about motivation, desired outcomes, and a recent making challenge |
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| Official sources | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-21Source 2 · checked 2026-08-21Source 3 · checked 2026-08-21 | 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 2026-08-21 |
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