University of California-Santa Cruz — College Profile

About

The University of California, Santa Cruz is renowned for its progressive spirit, world-class research, and a breathtaking campus nestled within coastal redwood forests overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It excels across the sciences and humanities, boasting premier programs in astronomy and astrophysics, marine biology, environmental studies, and computer game design. Student life is defined by an eco-conscious, collaborative culture structured around a unique residential college system that divides the university into ten distinct, smaller learning communities. Complete with its famous Banana Slug mascot, UCSC offers an unconventional yet academically rigorous experience deeply committed to sustainability and social justice.

Wikipedia:The University of California, Santa Cruz is a public land-grant research university in Santa Cruz, California, United States. It is one of the ten campuses in the University of California system. Located on Monterey Bay, on the edge of the coastal community of Santa Cruz, the main campus lies on 2,001 acres (810 ha) of rolling, forested hills overlooking the Pacific Ocean. As of Fall 2024, its ten residential colleges enroll some 17,940 undergraduate and 1,998 graduate students. Satellite facilities in other Santa Cruz locations include the Coastal Science Campus and the Westside Research Park and the Silicon Valley Center in Santa Clara, along with administrative control of the Lick Observatory near San Jose in the Diablo Range and the Keck Observatory near the summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii.

Location

Santa Cruz, CA, 95064-1011 · City campus

✈

Nearest airport from college

SJC · San Jose

26 mi away

Open in Google Maps

Cost & aid

Cost of attendance

In-stateOut-of-state

Tuition & fees$16,005$50,205

Housing & food (on campus)$19,948$19,948

Books & supplies$1,192$1,192

Cost of attendance$41,179$87,807

Average net price$17,890Not published

Out-of-state prices

Tuition & fees$50,205

In-state: $16,005

Housing & food (on campus)$19,948

Books & supplies$1,192

Cost of attendance$87,807

In-state: $41,179

Average net priceNot published

In-state: $17,890

Source: U.S. College Scorecard · published total: financialaid.ucsc.edu

How it’s made up · out-of-state, 2026-27

University of California-Santa Cruz’s own figures for 2026-27, newer than the 2024-25 federal figures above, so the amounts differ.

Housing$15,120

Food$6,837

Books & supplies$1,212

Personal expenses$2,727

Transportation$993

Total published by the school$87,807

Source: financialaid.ucsc.edu · checked Sep 28, 2026

Net price by family income · in-state students, 2023-24

$0–30k

$8,717

$30–48k

$10,613

$48–75k

$14,418

$75–110k

$18,986

$110k+

$33,323

Your family's actual price → University of California-Santa Cruz net price calculator

Source: U.S. College Scorecard

Outcomes

Completion

Within 6 yrs

75%

Entered 2017–18

Within 4 yrs

61%

Back for yr 2

88%

Transferred

8 yrs after starting · first-time, full-time students

78% graduated · 8% transferred · 13% left or unknown · none still enrolled

Earnings · measured 2020 & 2021

6 yrs after entry$49,716

10 yrs after entry$68,396

Debt

Median at graduation$16,666

Monthly payment$177

Middle 50% owe$8.9k–$25.5k

90th percentile$29,410

Green marks a figure above the typical Doctoral University: 70% graduate within 6 yrs, $63,395 earned 10 yrs after entry.

Admissions

Getting in · applied for fall 2024

Admit rate

66%

Test policy

Not required

Per College Scorecard

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Essay prompts

If University of California-Santa Cruz asks for supplemental essays, the prompts are in the school's application.

Student Body

Gender

Men 47%Women 53%

Who enrolls

Faculty ratio

22 : 1

Pell grant

32%

First-gen

37%

Family income

$42,014

Independent

10%

Age at entry

20.0

Part-time

Race & ethnicity

White

31%

Hispanic

29%

Black

Asian

24%

Two or more

Non-resident

Unknown

Varsity sports

NCAA Division III without football · EADA 2024-25

Basketball
Men's · Women's
Golf
Women's
Soccer
Men's · Women's
Swimming and Diving (combined)
Men's · Women's
Tennis
Men's · Women's
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
Men's · Women's
Volleyball
Men's · Women's

Programs & Earnings

Bachelor's degrees by annual completions · 4yr national median earnings

Median earnings, all programs · measured 2020 & 2021

After 6 yrs

$49,716

After 10 yrs

$68,396

Computer Science658

Psychology, General499

Business/Managerial Economics280

Biology, General215

Sociology192

Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences178

Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services175

Film/Video and Photographic Arts173

Natural Resources Conservation and Research167

Economics159

Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology153

Political Science and Government141

Design and Applied Arts132

Non-Professional Legal Studies126

Computer Engineering125

Anthropology124

Type your major above to highlight and detail relevant programs.

Institutional

Resources

Endowment

$165M

Full-time faculty

85%

Faculty salary

$17,994/mo

Teaching spend

$13,595

per student

Federal loans

28%

Classification

Carnegie type

Doctoral University

Research activity

R1 — very high research

$218M research spending · 204 research doctorates a year

Undergraduate profile