Dates & Deadlines

PROGRAM DATES

Opening Day 2026: Sunday, July 5, 2026

Closing Day 2026: Friday, July 31, 2026 (UCI, UCSD) 

Closing Day 2026: Saturday, August 1, 2026 (UCD, UCLA, UCM, UCSC)

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APPLICATION

• Online Application Opens: Wednesday, January 7, 2026, at 8:00 AM
• Online Application Closes Friday, February 6, 2026, at 5:00 PM and continues unsupported until 11:59 pm.
  • Completed online application, teacher recommendations, parent/guardian signature acknowledgment of liabilities, and non-refundable application fee must be submitted electronically by this deadline (or POSTMARKED by  February 7, 2026, if an item must be mailed)
• Optional financial aid application must be submitted and must be POSTMARKED on or before Saturday, February 7, 2026 - absolutely no extensions, recommend priority mail and tracking, and pre-paid postage is available.

ADMISSION

• Admissions Notifications for the COSMOS Program: March 26, 2026, 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 8, 2026, by 11:59 PM. 
• If ACCEPTED, a non-refundable one-third of the total program cost is due online or by mail (postmarked) by April 8, 2026
• The remaining non-refundable total program cost must be paid by Friday, April 17, 2026
• Official transcripts should be provided as soon as possible, but no later than June 1, 2026

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. Please see the table below for payment deadlines.
• The last batch of admitted students from the waitlist will be notified on May 27, 2026. The Offer and Payment Deadlines are the same dates for the final two batches. If admitted in either of those rounds, the program costs must be paid in full by credit card on the deadline listed below.

PROGRAM COSTS -- $5,518 (Non-refundable)  

(ALL financial communications MUST happen with a legal guardian.)

*** Times specific to credit card payments, checks must be postmarked by the dates noted ***

• $46 Application fee due by Friday, February 6, 2026, at 11:59 PM (unsupported after 5:00 PM)
  • Exceptions to this include check payments, which must be postmarked by February 6, and Pending Application Fee Waivers (to be paid/not paid as soon as Statewide receives and reviews the FA app)
     
• Initial payment of 1/3 of the total program cost due by the above corresponding admission dates at 11:59 PM (unsupported after 5:00 PM)

• The remaining cost (Non-refundable) is due by the above corresponding admission dates (unsupported after 5:00 PM)

•  For admitted students. Parents/guardians must acknowledge payment before the deadline.
  • The remaining amount of 2/3^rds of the program cost, less any Financial Aid awarded
  • All payments must be paid (or acknowledged in the application system if paying by check) no later than the deadline at 11:59 pm (to account for students admitted off the waitlist)
     
• All payments made by check must be postmarked on or before the deadline date.

Credit card payments are available. Please note that all online payments will add a 2.5% service fee.

For information on refund requests, please refer to our Refund Policy.

Refer to our Application and Payment Basics page for details on making payments.

REFUND REQUEST

• All  payments are NON-REFUNDABLE
  • Parents/guardians should contact Statewide with questions
• No refund will be given in the event of dismissal or voluntary departure from the program at any time.
• If the program must be canceled or switched to remote instruction, the campus and Statewide will determine if a refund (of any amount) will be given. (COSMOS will not profit from such program disruptions.)