Financial Aid

ABOUT
Applying for financial assistance is optional, and availability depends on the success of our annual fundraising and on the sustainability of financial aid for students in need. All decisions and distributions of any financial assistance are handled centrally as a single process for all applicants, regardless of which campus they apply to. Financial aid funds are the result of generous foundations, corporations, and individual donors who care about the success of COSMOS students. For more information about donating or learning about our donors, visit our giving site. 

HOW MUCH OF THE PROGRAM COST DOES FINANCIAL AID COVER?
Providing access to admitted students is critical to our mission in serving the State of California. Financial assistance to support application and attendance is available to students in cases of demonstrated individual financial need, and the requirements are described in the application portal. The amount of support for individuals may vary from year to year depending on, e.g., available financial COSMOS resources and assessment of the submitted documentation for individual families. COSMOS, therefore, cannot provide a definite rubric for how much assistance will be awarded to individuals for the upcoming program. However, for reference, an admitted student in 2023 typically received full coverage of the cost (attendance fee) if the annual, prior-year family income (with no itemized tax deductions) was less than $85,000. Higher family income levels, up to $150,000, could similarly result in partial assistance. It is reemphasized that these numbers are not necessarily applicable to the upcoming program and that each application is individually reviewed based on the requested information. Only complete financial assistance applications meeting the requirements and submission deadline will be considered.

WILL A FINANCIAL AID APPLICATION AFFECT ADMISSION?
No! The admission review of applications is entirely detached from the review of applications for financial assistance.

Please refer to the application portal for details on how to apply for financial assistance.