Additional Resources

Application Resources for interested students, parents, and teachers

If you are interested in applying to attend an upcoming COSMOS summer program, or if you are simply seeking more detailed information about our program’s application process, please visit the COSMOS Application website.

Similar Programs

COSMOS is one of many academic enrichment programs, and we encourage every student with the aptitude and interest in pursuing a higher education in science, math, technology, or engineering to do so, whether on a UC campus, or not. Below are a few programs, though many others exist!

Camp SEA Lab offers summer camps for ages 8-17! We have three exciting options to choose from: day camps, residential camps, and Voyage Seaward. Explore the wonders of the Monterey Bay through hands-on marine science education with our knowledgeable, fun and experienced educators, and immerse yourself in the ocean during snorkeling, surfing, kayaking, boogie boarding and more!

The Galaxy Explorer program provides high school students with an opportunity for hands-on, fun community service work while giving them a chance to develop their job skills, increase their STEM knowledge, and enhance public speaking. The program is a year round commitment and Galaxy Explorers are required to participate in a minimum of 12 hours of enrichment per month.

Johns Hopkins University, Center for Talented Youth-Summer Programs, study on a college campus with scholars who share your love of learning. Our summer courses bring together students in grades 2–12 from around the world to take on challenging, advanced subjects.

iD Tech Camps is America’s #1 Technology camp. Students ages 7-17 create 2D and 3D Video Games, mod games, design websites, learn programming, robotics, and more. Located at universities nationwide including Stanford University, UC Berkeley, and more!!

At Lawrence Hall of Science residential summer camps, the mountains, forests, and seashore become exciting places to explore science in ways not possible inside a classroom. As UC Berkeley’s science museum and center for K–12 education, LHS knows how to combine the best hands-on, inquiry-based STEM activities with what students love most about summer camp.

A prestigious educational outreach program, PUF educates, empowers, and prepares students of all ages for an outstanding college education and success in STEM careers. Its programs drive our students into becoming high achievers and are recognized by President Bill Clinton, the International Computer Science Institute, the United Nations, the National Computer Science Teachers Association, and numerous other Silicon Valley institutions and tech companies.

PROMYS is a six-week summer program at Boston University designed to encourage strongly motivated high school students to explore in depth the creative world of mathematics in a supportive community of peers, counselors, research mathematicians, and visiting scientists.  Professor Glenn Stevens, the Director of PROMYS, founded the program in 1989 together with other Boston University faculty.

The Sally Ride Science Junior Academy summer program offers science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) workshops for students entering 3rd-12th grade. During these workshops, students assume the roles of space explorer, marine biologist, computer programmer and more as they immerse themselves in hands-on projects. Top-notch STEAM instructors lead these workshops, serving as both teachers and role models. These summer workshops also incorporate real-life stories of vibrant women conducting research in each field. Their examples inspire students and help make STEAM careers more accessible.

SIP is a summer-long (10 week) research internship program for high school students in STEM fields. UCSC faculty, graduate students, and post-doctoral researchers provide one-on-one mentoring to these high-school interns. The research projects are real in that they are not made up just for the high-school students; instead students are inserted into existing research projects here at UCSC.

The Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR) is an eight-week program in which high school students from diverse backgrounds are invited to perform basic research with Stanford faculty, postdoctoral fellows, students and researchers on a medically-oriented project. The goals of the program include increasing interest in biological sciences and medicine in high school students, helping students to understand how scientific research is performed, and increasing diversity of students and researchers in the sciences.

The Summer Science Program offers teens an exhilarating and inspiring immersion into hands-on experimental science. Working in teams of three, participants complete a real research project, each team collecting and analyzing original data. Afterward, they join a worldwide network of 2,500+ alumni of all ages.

SUMaC leads participants on a journey in advanced mathematics through lectures, guided research, and group problem solving online and in-person at Stanford.

UC Santa Cruz, Summer Session, supports current UCSC students in timely graduation while simultaneously opening UCSC enrollment to our entire community. Our broad summer curriculum is designed for UCSC students to continue making degree progress. We also welcome high schoolers and visitors from other colleges to our world-class research university.

Vision Tech provides science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) learning opportunities for kids & teens. Vision Tech’s technology programs offer a collaborative learning environment that motivates students to learn new STEM skills and allows them to feel empowered to become the next generation of developers, game designers, coders, entrepreneurs, and engineers.

OTHER K-12 programs offered by the University of California Office of the President (UCOP)

The University of California’s role in the education of California students is embedded in its founding mission. UC strives to make higher education accessible to as many of California’s K–12 students as possible, regardless of their financial or family backgrounds. By supporting educators, partnering with schools, and engaging with students and their families, UC helps students build a foundation for success in college and career.

Visit their website for the list of programs: CLICK HERE