| 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 | Last year's cycle (2026): $3,500; 2027: 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 | 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 | Wild Country2027: $5,200. Selected trek only, not a single umbrella tuition quote.; Mountain Desert2027: $8,795. Selected trek only, not a single umbrella tuition quote.; Paleontology2027: $4,400. Selected trek only, not a single umbrella tuition quote. (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 9–12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site | 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 | 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 | Ages 13–18; Residency: Applicants may come from the United States or abroad if they can lawfully travel to the program; no citizenship restriction is published; Requirement: Select the trek and its age/gender band: Prairie14-16 young men; Turquoise14-18 young women; Wild Country13-15; Mountain Desert16-18; Paleontology14-18.; Requirement: Confirm selected trek physical, consent, payment and travel terms.; Exclusion: Applicants outside a selected trek's age band; Exclusion: Applicants who cannot participate safely in the trek's essential physical and community activities with available supports; Exclusion: Applicants unable to attend the full residential dates; Exclusion: Applicants seeking a gender-specific Prairie or Turquoise placement who do not fit that trek's published grouping |
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| Session dates or duration | Catalog terms: 4 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 2 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 2–6 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 | Non-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 | Providence, Rhode Island, The Steel Yard industrial-arts campus | Thoreau, New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, American Southwest and Four Corners |
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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: 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 | Selection: Trek acceptance is based on the application and ability to participate fully; Pick Your Price selection does not affect admission. Capacity, fit, health and safety, and financial-aid availability can still limit placement. Application materials: For need-based aid: separate scholarship form, amount requested, household financial information, parent statement, and applicant written statement or video |
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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 2026-08-21Source 2 · checked 2026-08-21Source 3 · checked 2026-08-21 | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-12Source 2 · checked 2026-08-20Source 3 · checked 2026-08-20Source 4 · checked 2026-08-20Source 5 · checked 2026-08-20 |
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