University of California, Santa Cruz
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 in 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.
At a glance
- Acceptance rate: 66%
- Average net price: $18,059
- Undergraduate enrollment: 19,258
- Graduation rate (150%): 75%
- Graduation rate (200%): 79%
- 8-year Outcome Measures award rate: 80%
- Student to faculty ratio: 22:1
- Median earnings (10 years): $68,396
- Median earnings (8 years): $59,302
- Median earnings (6 years): $49,716
- Control: Public
- Locale: City, small
- Calendar: Quarter
- City: Santa Cruz, CA
Majors and programs
The most common programs at UCSC include Computer Science, Psychology, Business Economics.
- Computer Science (653 bachelor's) · median earnings $123,422 4 years after graduation · median debt $16,499
- Psychology (448 bachelor's) · median earnings $59,948 4 years after graduation · median debt $18,902
- Business Economics (304 bachelor's) · median earnings $82,064 4 years after graduation · median debt $16,519
- Cell Biology (179 bachelor's) · median earnings $69,849 4 years after graduation · median debt $18,534
- Film (158 bachelor's) · median earnings $45,815 4 years after graduation · median debt $15,692
- Game and Interactive Media Design (147 bachelor's) · median earnings $66,333 4 years after graduation
- Cognitive Science (142 bachelor's) · median earnings $72,125 4 years after graduation · median debt $18,981
- Biology (141 bachelor's) · median earnings $65,036 4 years after graduation · median debt $20,500
- Environmental Studies (134 bachelor's) · median earnings $55,240 4 years after graduation · median debt $18,487
- Computer Engineering (127 bachelor's) · median earnings $124,641 4 years after graduation · median debt $23,434
Degree mix: Business 11%, Engineering 9%, Computer Science 33%, Health 1%, Biological Sciences 28%, Psychology 17%, Communication 0%, Other 1%.
Award levels offered: Bachelor's, Master's, Doctoral.
Cost
UCSC students from families earning $0 to $30,000 pay about $8,717 a year after aid.
- Net price, $0 to $30,000: $8,717
- Net price, $30,001 to $48,000: $10,613
- Net price, $48,001 to $75,000: $14,418
- Net price, $75,001 to $110,000: $18,986
- Net price, $110,001 and above: $33,323
- In-state tuition and fees: $16,005
- Out-of-state tuition and fees: $50,205
- Books and supplies: $1,192
- On-campus room and board: $19,948
- Off-campus room and board: $19,560
- Off-campus with family: $8,657
- Typical cost of attendance: $41,179
- Sticker vs net gap: 56%
- Students receiving any aid: 100%
- Pell Grant recipients: 32%
- Federal loan recipients: 28%
- Average institutional grant: $10,857
- Average federal loan: $5,732
- Median debt at graduation: $16,666
Admissions
UCSC admits 66% of applicants. Of students admitted, 9% enrolled.
- Applications: 71,722
- Admitted: 47,186
- Enrolled: 4,383
- Yield (first-choice signal): 9%
Who actually goes here
- Undergraduates: 19,258
- Women: 51%
- Commuter share (estimated): 51%
- Part-time undergraduates: 3%
- Age 25 and older: 4%
- Graduate students: 1,944
- Graduation rate: 75%
- Come back after freshman year: 88%
- First-generation: 37%
Faculty and campus
- Full-time faculty: 60%
- Student to faculty: 22:1
- Professor salary: $217,542
- Associate professor salary: $152,208
- Assistant professor salary: $126,404
- On-campus housing capacity: 9,423
- Study abroad: Available
- Online programs: Available
Common questions
What is the UCSC acceptance rate? UCSC admits 66% of applicants, based on the latest IPEDS admissions file.
How much does UCSC cost? Students from families earning $0 to $30,000 pay about $8,717 a year after aid. Average net price is $18,059.
What majors does UCSC offer? Popular programs include Computer Science, Psychology, Business Economics, Cell Biology, Film.
What is the average salary after UCSC? Median earnings 10 years after entry are $68,396 for Title IV aid recipients in College Scorecard.
What is the UCSC graduation rate? In the IPEDS Outcome Measures cohort, 80% earned an award within eight years. The first-time, full-time 150% graduation rate is 75%.
Scorecard earnings and debt cover Title IV aid recipients, not cash-pay or private-loan students. University of California, Santa Cruz official site: https://ucsc.edu.