Admit rate has ranged 47%–65% over the last 5 years — notably volatile. Source: IPEDS via Urban Institute.
Acceptance & SAT from Common Data Set / IPEDS; net price, earnings & graduation from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~1–2 years — verify with the school.
UC Santa Cruz is the UC system's most idiosyncratic campus—a redwood-shrouded haven for interdisciplinary thinkers, countercultural spirits, and tech-savvy creatives. With top-ranked programs in computer science and astrophysics alongside a legacy of radical activism, it balances Silicon Valley career pipelines with a distinctly NorCal vibe of organic farms and ocean-view hiking trails. The 10 residential colleges foster tight-knit communities, though the social scene leans more toward D&D campaigns than Greek life.
Admission requirements
Test-blind — scores not considered
Required
High school transcript
Grade point average
College-prep program
TOEFL (non-native English)
Source: IPEDS Admissions survey (2022) via Urban Institute. Covers formal factors only — it does not reflect essays, extracurriculars, or other holistic criteria.
More details
Undergrad enrollment
17,940
In-state tuition
$16,005
Out-of-state tuition
$50,205
Top Majors
Computer Science (13%), Psychology (10%), Business Economics (6%)
Notable Alumni
Andy Samberg (Actor), Kathryn Sullivan (Astronaut), Marc Okrand (Inventor of Klingon)
Acceptance Rate
66%
4-Year Graduation Rate
60%
Outcomes & value
Outcomes & value
Median earnings (10 yr)
$68,396
Value (earnings ÷ net price)
3.8×
Median debt at graduation
$16,666
Graduation rate
75%
First-year retention
88%
Reducing loan balance (3 yr)
75%
Pell (lower-income) share
67%
First-generation share
37%
Endowment / student
$9,195
Top-earning majors
Median earnings by field of study (highest credential), ~2 years after completion.
Computer Engineering$79,150
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering$69,338
Computer Science$63,530
Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management$60,185
Business/Managerial Economics$51,607
Biomedical/Medical Engineering
Campus & location
Campus safety
On-campus violent crimes (2024)
51
Per 1,000 students
2.84
On-campus criminal offenses classed as violent (murder/non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) for the most recent reported year. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education Campus Safety and Security (Clery Act). Counts reflect what’s reported to the school, and urban campuses often report more partly due to non-student incidents nearby — read alongside campus size and setting, not as a standalone safety verdict.
Climate
Pleasant days / yr
192
Summer high
74°F
Winter low
44°F
Annual rain
34.9"
Natural-hazard risk
Relatively High
Pleasant days counts days per year with a mean temperature of 55–75°F, a high at or below 90°F, a low at or above 45°F, and little precipitation — a transparent comfort measure, not a weighting we invented. Computed from Open-Meteo ERA5 daily history (2019–2023). Natural-hazard risk is the county’s composite rating from the FEMA National Risk Index.
Deep dive — research, future-scholar output & economic mobility▾
Research output
Institutional h-index
1,091
Scholarly works
76,526
Institutional research volume and impact from OpenAlex. The h-index reflects large research universities and will be low for teaching-focused liberal-arts colleges — not a measure of undergraduate quality.
Future-scholar output
Science & engineering PhDstop 46 nationally
Humanities & social-science PhDstop 49 nationally
Share of this school’s graduates who go on to earn research doctorates (2010–20), by national rank and per-capita yield (NSF institutional-yield ratio). A signal of a research-oriented student culture — not a causal promise, since it partly reflects who enrolls. Only top producers appear. Source: NSF NCSES, Baccalaureate Origins of U.S. Research Doctorate Recipients.
Economic mobility
Mobility rate
Quick answers
What is the acceptance rate at University of California-Santa Cruz?
University of California-Santa Cruz's acceptance rate is approximately 66% (Santa Cruz, CA), based on the most recent figures we compiled from public and primary sources.
How much does University of California-Santa Cruz cost?
At University of California-Santa Cruz, the average net price (after aid) is about $17,890 per year. Actual cost varies with financial aid and residency.
How many undergraduates attend University of California-Santa Cruz?
University of California-Santa Cruz enrolls approximately 17,940 undergraduate students.
Where is University of California-Santa Cruz located?
University of California-Santa Cruz is located in Santa Cruz, CA.
Admissions
UC Santa Cruz admits about two-thirds of applicants (66% Acceptance rateThe share of applicants a college admits in a given year. A 10% acceptance rate means it admits about 1 in 10 applicants. per US News), making it one of the more accessible UC campuses. The middle 50% of admitted freshmen boast high school GPAs between 3.76 and 4.16, with 55% holding a perfect 4.0. Notably, UCSC—like all UC schools—no longer considers SAT/ACT scores in admissions. Transfer students must complete 60+ semester units of UC-transferable coursework. The YieldThe share of admitted students who actually choose to enroll. Colleges watch it closely, which is why some weigh how interested you seem. rate (percentage of admitted students who enroll) is a modest 9.3%, suggesting many applicants treat it as a safety school within the UC system.
UCSC's 74 majors lean into its strengths in STEM and interdisciplinary studies. Computer science dominates (13% of 2024 graduates), followed by psychology (10%) and business economics (6%). The campus is renowned for:
Earnings = median of students working ~10 years after entry; debt = median of graduates. Value divides 10-yr earnings by one year’s net price — read it as earnings per dollar of annual cost, not a full lifetime ROI; it favors lower-cost schools. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~2 years and reflect all students, not your intended major.
$48,823
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other$47,260
Economics$44,356
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings). Figures cover graduates who received federal aid and lag ~2 years; not all programs report data.
2.8%
Bottom → top quintile
38%
From bottom quintile
7%
Mobility rate = the share of students who both start in the bottom household-income quintile and reach the top quintile; bottom → top is that chance conditional on starting at the bottom. Source: Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Cards (Chetty, Friedman, Saez, Turner & Yagan). Reflects 1980–82 birth cohorts, so it’s directional, not current.
Astrophysics: Home to Lick Observatory and close ties to NASA Ames
Game Design: A top-ranked program blending CS and art
Environmental Studies: Leveraging its forested campus and coastal location
Unique offerings include three-year degree pathways (10% of students graduate early) and an emphasis on undergraduate research—over half of students work with faculty on projects. The residential college system assigns students to themed communities (like Rachel Carson for environmentalists or Crown for engineers), each with its own gen-ed requirements.
Life at UCSC revolves around its breathtaking 2,000-acre campus—think hiking trails through redwoods, banana slugs on paths, and ocean views from the library. The vibe is famously laid-back but intellectually intense:
Housing: 10 residential colleges host themed events (think stargazing at Cowell or hackathons at Crown)
Social Scene: Minimal Greek life (just 3% join frats/sororities); more likely to find students at the on-campus farm or midnight screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Activism: A LegacyAn applicant whose parent (or sometimes other close relative) attended the college. Some schools give a small edge to legacy applicants. of protests (the campus was founded during Vietnam War demonstrations) continues with frequent rallies on climate justice and housing rights
Downsides? The isolated hilltop location means limited off-campus nightlife, and the "UC Socially Dead" nickname persists—though students insist you just need to seek out niche clubs like the Quidditch team or analog photography collective.
UCSC grads land squarely in the middle of UC outcomes: median earnings of $36,427 one year post-graduation (rising to $72K+ by mid-career), with 48% making ≤$40K initially. The three-year graduation rate leads the UC system at 10%, thanks to intensive advising and summer sessions. Long-term, alumni cluster in:
Tech: 30% work in Silicon Valley (Apple, Google, Netflix)
Research: Strong pipeline to UC grad schools
Public Service: Nonprofits and education (reflecting the campus's activist roots)
The career center publishes starkly transparent data—including that 15% of grads are initially underemployed—which fuels student demands for more vocational courses.
At $17,975 Net priceWhat a family actually pays after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the sticker price — usually far less than the published cost. (after aid), UCSC is pricier than CSUs but cheaper than private peers. Key stats:
Financial Aid: 72% of students receive grants (average $19,569), 62% take loans
UC Blue and Gold Plan: Covers full tuition for families earning <$80K
Hidden Costs: Housing is the real budget-buster—the waitlist for dorms tops 1,000, forcing many into Santa Cruz's brutal rental market
Pro tip: The Net Price Calculator shows how aid packages shift dramatically based on family income—from near-free attendance for low-income students to $40K+ for wealthier families without Merit aidScholarship money awarded for achievements like grades, talents, or test scores — not based on your family's financial need. (which UCSCs rarely offers).
UCSC defies easy categorization: It's where future game designers take poetry workshops with Pulitzer finalists, where astrophysics majors protest telescope funding cuts, and where the mascot (Sammy the Banana Slug) embodies a rejection of cutthroat competition. The campus thrives on contradictions—a public Ivy with a stoner reputation, a tech feeder that teaches Marxist theory, a nature retreat minutes from Silicon Valley. For students who want rigorous academics without cutthroat pre-professionalism (and don't mind hiking uphill to class), it's a one-of-a-kind choice.
University of California-Santa Cruz logo · sourceAbout UC Santa Cruz – UC Santa Cruz · sourceUniversity of California, Santa Cruz - Wikipedia · sourceDiscover UC Santa Cruz | UCEAP Reciprocity System · source
