University of California, Santa Cruz

The University of California, Santa Cruz is a public university founded in 1965. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 17,812 (Fall 2023) on a 2,000-acre campus. The academic calendar is based on quarters. UC Santa Cruz is ranked 84th among national universities in the 2025 edition of Best Colleges. In-state tuition and fees are $15,983 and out-of-state tuition and fees are $50,183.

UC Santa Cruz is one of 10 schools in the state's university system where residence life defines the student experience. Nearly 100% of incoming freshmen live on campus and choose one of 10 residential colleges to join. These small groups have their own campus locations, as well as unique buildings and programs. Kresge College, for example, has an organic garden where students can take classes; students who are members of the College of the Nines community are often active in volunteer activities and the college's alternative spring break trip. Students living in the residence halls are limited to 15 overnight guests during the academic year, with a maximum of three nights per stay. Students also have the option of staying in single recreational vehicles in the Camper Park, a unique student community where they live in home-like vehicles maintained by the college with shared bathrooms and lounges.

There are over 25 miles of hiking and jogging trails on campus, as well as over 150 student clubs and organizations. Only about 1% of students are members of the university's small Greek system. UC Santa Cruz's athletic teams are NCAA Division III independent competitors. The athletes are cheered on by the Banana Slug." The "Banana Slug" is a non-traditional yellow clay creature that has been named one of the best mascots in the country. Students can also visit the Grateful Dead's Dead Central, which the Grateful Dead donated to UCLA, or tour the beach town of Santa Cruz on Monterey Bay. There are rides and games on the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and swimming, sailing and kayaking on the bay. Students can ride Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District buses for free with their student ID. For longer trips, Monterey is 45 miles from the school and San Francisco is 75 miles away.

The academic prowess of this public research institution looks especially to the skies. The school is nationally known for its astronomy and space science programs. Other creative programs include a major in computer game design, and UCSF was the first school in the University of California system to offer this degree. Women engineers are especially prominent at UCSF; the school has one of the highest percentages of graduate degrees in engineering offered to women. Notable alumni include Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Dana Priest, National Public Radio radio producers Nikki Silva and Davia Nelson (known as the "Kitchen Sisters"), as well as the often-recognized as Amanda Amanda Quick and Jayne Castle, a romance novelist who writes under the pseudonyms Jayne Ann Krentz.