| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Cost | Last year's cycle (2026): $5,518; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: $120–$315; 2027: 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 | 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 | 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 9–12 (provider uses rising grades) | Grades 8–11 (provider uses rising grades) | 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 | Requirement: Be a rising grade 9, 10, 11, or 12 student for the relevant summer cycle; Requirement: Have limited or no prior exposure to Chinese; Requirement: Be able to complete synchronous virtual pre-camp, the full residential component in Boone, and synchronous/asynchronous virtual post-camp work; Requirement: For the completed 2026 cycle, submit the online form and 150-200-word statement of interest while space remained; Exclusion: The 2026 session is complete and the stale form/page must not be used as a current application; Exclusion: Students seeking an advanced-Chinese program were not the target audience; Exclusion: Priority for Southern Appalachia was not stated as a universal residency guarantee or automatic admission; Exclusion: No applicant was guaranteed one of the 18 places, proficiency benchmark, college credit, placement, or home-school recognition | 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 |
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| Session dates or duration | Catalog terms: 4 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 5 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Format | In person | Hybrid | Online |
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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 | Non-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 | Boone, North Carolina, Priority consideration: Southern Appalachia, especially western North Carolina and east Tennessee | Online global cohort; individual enrollment currently unavailable in Vietnam |
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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: Rolling admission to 18 places, with priority for Southern Appalachian students, especially western North Carolina and east Tennessee. No application count, acceptance rate, rubric, waitlist rule, or decision timeline is published. Application materials: 150-200-word statement of interest explaining why the student wants to participate | Selection: Standard enrollment is first come, first served subject to age, technology, language, payment, and cohort capacity; no acceptance rate is published. |
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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 2026-08-20 | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-21Source 2 · checked 2026-08-21Source 3 · checked 2026-08-21 |
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