PROGRAM OVERVIEW
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
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COSMOS is a highly competitive four-week summer residential Pre-College Program that is designed for high school students who have shown an aptitude for academic and professional careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects. Talented and motivated students who have completed grades 8-12 can take advantage of this program to work with distinguished faculty, researchers, and scientists in cutting-edge facilities. They will delve into advanced STEM topics that go beyond the courses typically offered in California high schools. COSMOS aims to nurture students’ interests, skills, and awareness of education and career opportunities in STEM fields through challenging curricula that are both hands-on and lab-intensive.
** COSMOS plans for an in-person 2024 program. If unforeseen circumstances arise, the program may temporarily switch to remote instruction to ensure affected students can complete it.*
Key Program elements
Key Program elements
COSMOS students participate in a selected “cluster”, with each cluster addressing advanced topics in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, ranging from a variety of engineering disciplines, biomedical sciences, computer science, ecology, marine science, materials science, mathematics, physics and astronomy, robotics, game theory, & more.
who can apply
who can apply
California State Students Only
Only students who physically reside in California during the 2024 activities are eligible to attend COSMOS 2024. Students must further be able to receive packages to their US residence prior to the start of the program.
Rising 8th graders (will be in 9th grade in Fall 2024) through rising 11th graders (will be in 12th grade in Fall 2024). Please contact the Statewide COSMOS office with questions about student residency status for application purposes.
Dates and Deadlines: https://cosmos-ucop.ucdavis.edu/app/main/page/dates-deadlines
Fees and Tuition: https://cosmos-ucop.ucdavis.edu/app/main/page/fees-and-tuition
requirements
requirements
Students who have demonstrated an aptitude for academic and professional careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects.
Students apply to one of the four University of California's COSMOS campuses — UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC San Diego, and UC Santa Cruz. While each campus employs the best practices in STEM education, each program's curriculum builds on the unique teaching and research expertise of its faculty and host campus. Each campus can only accommodate about 160-200 participants, so the selection is competitive.
A typical COSMOS student has a GPA of 3.5 or above. In addition, students must have achieved academic excellence.
Students are REQUIRED to live on campus for the duration of the program to receive the completed diploma and be considered COSMOS Alumni.
In making admission decisions, we consider the following factors:
Grades, especially in math and science courses
Math/science teacher recommendations
Response to one personal essay question
Program dates
Program dates
Opening Day 2024: Sunday, July 7, 2024
Closing Day 2024: Friday, August 2, 2024 (UCD, UCSC)
Closing Day 2024: Saturday, August 3, 2024 (UCI, UCSD)
deadlines
deadlines
Online Application Opens: Wednesday, January 10, 2024, at 8:00 AM
Online Application Closes: Friday, February 9, 2024, at 5:00 PM and continues unsupported until 11:59 pm.
Financial Aid: Optional financial aid application must be submitted and must be POSTMARKED on or before Saturday, February 10, 2024 - absolutely no extensions, recommend priority mail and tracking, and pre-paid postage is available.
Application process
Application process
Completed online application, including one personal statement;
One teacher recommendation is required, two recommended (STEM teachers preferred, others accepted)
Unofficial transcripts should be uploaded directly to the application prior to submission and should be created after January TBA, 2024, at 8:00 AM when the application opens (please check program website)
8th and 9th graders must also submit a copy of their 7th and 8th-grade report card, respectively
Parent/guardian's e-signature (s) in the parent portal (Parent/guardian signature acknowledgment of liabilities)
Application fee--payable online with a credit card or check; see below for details
Pay non-refundable application fee must be submitted electronically by this deadline (or POSTMARKED by February 10. 2024, if an item must be mailed)
admission notification & waitlist
admission notification & waitlist
ADMISSION
Admissions Notifications for the COSMOS Program: March 28, 2024, at 5:00 PM (Note: Statewide and Helpdesk support will be closed after notifications are sent and will reopen the following Monday at 9:00 am EDT)
Offer Acceptance or Decline (no response is considered "offer declined") to COSMOS due April 10, 2024, by 11:59 PM.
IF ACCEPTED, a non-refundable deposit (one-third of the tuition) is due online or by mail (postmarked) by April 10, 2024
The remaining non-refundable two-thirds of the tuition must be paid by Friday, April 19, 2024
Official transcripts should be provided as soon as possible but no later than June 1, 2024
WAITLIST:
Students admitted from the waitlist will be notified on the following days, and offers to attend COSMOS must be accepted by the Offer Deadline by 11:59 PM (including the non-refundable deposit). Please see the table below.
The last batch of admitted students from the waitlist will be notified on May 29, 2024. The Offer and Tuition Deadlines are the same dates for the final two batches. If admitted in either of those rounds, the deposit and remaining tuition must be paid in full by credit card on the tuition deadline.
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