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University of California-Santa Cruz

University of California-Santa Cruz is a public university in a small city in the Santa Cruz, CA metro with 17,812 students and a 66% acceptance rate.

Santa Cruz, California · Public · City, small · 17,812 students · R1 research university

NCAA Division III · Division III Independents

Admission rate

66%

of applicants admitted

Average net price

$17,890

per year, after grants

Graduation rate

75%

within 6 years

Freshman retention

90%

return for sophomore year

Median earnings

$68,396

10 years after entry

Students

17,812

total enrollment

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS) · data snapshot October 2, 2026 · Updated October 2, 2026

First-year deadlines, 2026–27

PlanEntry termDeadline
Regular decision
The standard deadline, with answers in spring. Not binding.		FallNovember 30, 2026

Plans are listed in calendar order. What the plans mean

Source: catalog.ucsc.edu · checked September 30, 2026

What families actually pay

Average yearly net price after grants, in-state students, by family income

$0–30,000$8,717
$30,001–48,000$10,613
$48,001–75,000$14,418
$75,001–110,000$18,986
Over $110,000$33,323

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education, College Scorecard · data snapshot October 2, 2026

AP credit

Most-taken exams, lowest score that earns credit
ExamMin scoreUniversity of California-Santa Cruz courseCredits
Calculus AB366 4 MATH 11A, 19A MF
Calculus BC368 8 MATH 11A, 19A MF
Biology320 8 SI
Chemistry325 8 SI
United States History307 8 AH&I
Psychology385 4 PE-H
Statistics390 4 SR
Macroeconomics335 4 PE-H
Show all 41 exams and every score level
ExamMin scoreCourseCredits
Calculus AB366 4 MATH 11A, 19A MF
Calculus BC368 8 MATH 11A, 19A MF
Calculus BC48 MATH 11A, 11B, 19A, 19B MF
Biology320 8 SI
Biology58 BIOL 20A, BIOE 20B SI
Chemistry325 8 SI
Chemistry48 CHEM 3A, 3B SI
United States History307 8 AH&I
Psychology385 4 PE-H
Psychology44 PSYC 1 PE-H
Statistics390 4 SR
Statistics44 STAT 5, PSYC 2, SOCY 3B SR
Macroeconomics335 4 PE-H
Macroeconomics44 ECON 2 PE-H
Microeconomics334 4 PE-H
Microeconomics44 ECON 1 PE-H
Environmental Science340 4 PE-E
European History343 8 CC
Human Geography3534 credits
Art History313 8 IM
Music Theory3758 credits
African American Studies310 4 CRES 68 ER
Art and Design: 2-D Art and Design315 8 ART 10D IM
Art and Design: 3-D Art and Design316 8 ART 10E IM
Comparative Government and Politics358 4 CC
Computer Science: A331 8 CSE 10 MF
Computer Science: A48 CSE 5J MF
Computer Science: Principles332 8 CSE 10 MF
Drawing314 8 PR-C
Drawing48 ART 20L PR-C
English: Language and Composition336 8 ELWR
English: Literature and Composition337 8 ELWR
Government and Politics: United States3574 credits
History: Modern World393 8 CC
Language and Culture: Chinese3288 credits
Language and Culture: French3488 credits
Language and Culture: German3558 credits
Language and Culture: Italian3628 credits
Language and Culture: Japanese3548 credits
Language and Culture: Spanish3878 credits
Language: Latin360 8 TA
Literature and Culture: Spanish389 8 TA
Mathematics: Calculus BC (AB Subscore)369 4 MATH 11A, 19A MF
Mathematics: Precalculus365 0 MATH 3 MF
Physics: 1383 8 SI
Physics: 2384 8 SI
Physics: C Electricity and Magnetism382 4 SI
Physics: C Electricity and Magnetism44 PHYS 6C, 6N SI
Physics: C Electricity and Magnetism54 PHYS 5C, 5N SI
Physics: C Mechanics380 4 SI
Physics: C Mechanics44 PHYS 6A, 6L MF
Physics: C Mechanics54 PHYS 5A, 5L MF
Research323 0 ELWR
Seminar322 0 ELWR

Source: degreeprogress.ucsc.edu · checked September 19, 2026

Biggest majors

MajorGraduates
Computer Science653
Psychology448
Business/Managerial Economics304
Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology179
Film/Video and Photographic Arts, Other158
Game and Interactive Media Design147
Cognitive Science142
Biology/Biological Sciences141
Show the other 53 majors
Environmental Studies134
Computer Engineering127
Political Science and Government121
Sociology121
Comparative Literature113
Computer/Information Technology Services Administration and Management, Other105
Legal Studies104
Economics103
Anthropology101
History93
Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography92
Art/Art Studies92
Biomedical Sciences76
Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education73
Ecology71
Physical Sciences65
Mathematics55
Geology/Earth Science52
Bioinformatics50
Electrical and Electronics Engineering49
Hispanic-American, Puerto Rican, and Mexican-American/Chicano Studies44
Molecular Biochemistry43
Philosophy39
Chemistry38
Art History, Criticism and Conservation38
Physics37
Linguistics36
Neuroscience35
Astrophysics34
Ethnic Studies34
Applied Mathematics30
Computer Engineering, Other27
Community Organization and Advocacy26
Women's Studies26
Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture26
Environmental Science25
Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts24
International Public Health/International Health19
Econometrics and Quantitative Economics18
Applied Linguistics15
Computational Mathematics11
Plant Sciences10
Music Performance10
International Economics9
Biotechnology7
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services, Other6
Spanish Language and Literature6
Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics5
Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering4
Science Teacher Education/General Science Teacher Education3
Archeology2
Microbiology1
American/United States Studies/Civilization1

Bachelor’s graduates, first major, most recent year · Source: U.S. Dept. of Education, IPEDS · data snapshot October 2, 2026

Ranked programs

Where University of California-Santa Cruz ranks in the top 25 on our top-programs lists, best rank first. How we rank programs

Sports and campus life

Men’s varsity · NCAA Division III, Division III Independents

Basketball, Soccer, Swimming and Diving (combined), Tennis, Track and Field and Cross Country (combined), Volleyball

Women’s varsity · NCAA Division III, Division III Independents

Basketball, Golf, Soccer, Swimming and Diving (combined), Tennis, Track and Field and Cross Country (combined), Volleyball

ROTC

Air Force, Army

Faith groups

Hillel, InterVarsity, Newman Connection

Also

Study abroad

Greek life

5% of men in fraternities · 6% of women in sororities · 5% of undergraduates overall (Common Data Set 2022–23)

Sources: U.S. Dept. of Education athletics data (EADA), Common Data Set (Greek life), connection.newmanministry.com · checked September 4, 2026 · data snapshot October 2, 2026

The place

Setting

City, small

Federal locale classification

Metro area

Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA

262,406 people

Big-city metro (1 million+)

No

More about the place

Nearest airport

Norman Y Mineta San Jose International (SJC)

Nearest hub airport

Norman Y Mineta San Jose International (SJC)

Walkability

EPA walkability index 10.2 of 20

Elevation

675 ft

Time zone

Pacific

January low

41°F

July high

74°F

Annual snowfall

0.0 in

Days at 90°F or higher

6 per year

One-bedroom fair market rent

$2,970 per month

Sources: U.S. Dept. of Education (IPEDS locale), U.S. Census metro estimates, NOAA climate normals, HUD fair market rents, EPA walkability · data snapshot October 2, 2026

Colleges nearby

Straight-line distance between campuses

Similar colleges

Public, city campus, NCAA Division III, similar size