| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Cost | $5,793 (2027 cycle) | Catalog terms: Free attendance; check separate expenses; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | $3,445–$7,195 (2027 cycle) |
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| Financial aid | Need-based financial assistance for application and program costs: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Based on family income, family size and available COSMOS resources. (2027 cycle) | Unconfirmed — check official site | Sibling discount (5% of tuition): Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Discounts cannot be combined.; Educator-parent discount (10% of tuition): Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Requires proof of full-time employment as a primary or secondary educator.; Scholarships through partner organizations: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site (2027 cycle) |
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| Expenses and aid conditions | Application fee: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Non-refundable; fee waivers can be requested.; Need-based financial assistance for application and program costs: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Based on family income, family size and available COSMOS resources. (2027 cycle) | Catalog terms: Key and swipe-card deposit (Rutgers engineering program): $65. Check returned uncashed at the end of the program.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Application fee: $95. Non-refundable.; Enrollment deposit: $700; Sibling discount (5% of tuition): Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Discounts cannot be combined.; Educator-parent discount (10% of tuition): Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Requires proof of full-time employment as a primary or secondary educator.; Scholarships through partner organizations: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site (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) | Grade 12 (provider uses rising grades) | Grades 7–12 and first-year college (provider uses rising grades) |
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| Additional eligibility | Residency: California high school students only; Requirement: Open to rising grades 9–12; Requirement: Demonstrated academic excellence (a typical COSMOS student has a GPA of 3.5 or above) | Residency: New Jersey residents; Requirement: Open to rising grade 12; Requirement: Attend a public or private high school or be home-schooled, and have completed junior year before the program | Requirement: Open to rising grades 7–13; Requirement: High school trips: entering 9th grade through graduating 12th grade; Requirement: Middle school trip: entering 7th grade through graduating 8th grade |
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| Session dates or duration | Catalog terms: 4 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 3–4 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 1–3 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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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, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, San Diego, Santa Cruz, CA | Madison, Piscataway, NJ | Program-specific international and U.S. territory itineraries; current departures use Houston, New York, Miami or self-booked flights |
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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: Online application with one personal statement; One teacher recommendation (two recommended) | Selection: Selection occurs first within the high school and then at the host. Recent host sources report approximately 20%-25% admission among school nominees, with exact cohort size driven by facilities and funding. Application materials: Sciences program: two hand-signed teacher recommendations, one from a science teacher and one from a math teacher; Sciences program: two single-page essays; Engineering & Technology program: several application essays | Selection: Capacity- and fit-based enrollment rather than a single selective cohort. A completed application and payment reserve a space subject to trip availability, documentation, health and conduct requirements. |
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| Official sources | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-24Source 2 · checked 2026-10-24Source 3 · checked 2026-10-24Source 4 · checked 2026-08-22Source 5 · checked 2026-08-22Source 6 · checked 2026-08-22Source 7 · checked 2026-08-20 | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-24Source 2 · checked 2026-10-24Source 3 · checked 2026-10-24Source 4 · checked 2026-10-24Source 5 · checked 2026-08-20Source 6 · checked 2026-08-20Source 7 · checked 2026-08-20 | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-24Source 2 · checked 2026-10-24Source 3 · checked 2026-10-24Source 4 · checked 2026-08-20 |
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