| 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 | Catalog terms: $2,990; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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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 | Catalog terms: Partial need-based scholarships (limited): Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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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 | Catalog terms: Application fee: $100. Refunded only if the student is not accepted; Optional Saturday field trip: $100; Partial need-based scholarships (limited): Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site; 2027: 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) | Grade 12 (provider uses rising grades) | Grades 9–12 when applying; check the provider's rules for graduating seniors |
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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 students currently in grades 9–12 when applying |
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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 | Last year's cycle (2026): Starts June 28, 2026; Ends July 25, 2026; 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 | West Lafayette, IN |
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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: The 2026 application documented gifted/talent indicators and course placement depended on eligibility and availability. Confirm the next-cycle process; no acceptance rate is published. Application materials: Historical 2026 instructions: One-to-two-page motivation essay or alternative media statement for new students; Historical 2026 instructions: Exactly two qualifying documents from transcript, IQ testing, achievement testing, teacher/mentor recommendation or talent-involvement documentation |
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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 2026-10-24 |
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