University of California, Santa Cruz

A global research university, UC Santa Cruz is part of the world’s most celebrated system of public higher education, and stands among the most renowned institutions of higher learning.

A campus with world-class facilities, UC Santa Cruz provides unparalleled opportunities for students to learn through hands-on experience. Set in one of the most visually spectacular locations in higher education, the campus overlooks Monterey Bay and is just a short drive from Silicon Valley.

Since its founding in 1965, UC Santa Cruz has been on an unprecedented trajectory, producing transformative research and scholarship that serves society while graduating more than 160,000 students who are making their own contributions locally, regionally and globally. 

Through our 10 tight-knit residential colleges, undergraduate students get the experience of a small liberal arts college paired with the depth and rigor of a major research university – a rare combination among U.S. public universities.

UC Santa Cruz was invited to join the prestigious Association of American Universities in 2019, an achievement that underscores the excellence and impact of the campus’s research and graduate and undergraduate education. The campus shares the distinction of being the youngest AAU university and is one of only six AAU members also designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution.

UC Santa Cruz ranks as the No. 1 public university in the United States for highly cited researchers, according to Clarivate. The campus’s longstanding commitment to sustainability was underscored with Princeton Review ranking it the No. 6 Green College. 

UC Santa Cruz is committed to educational access and affordability, enrolling about 19,000 each year with thousands who are from low-income backgrounds and who will be the first in their families to earn four-year degrees. Among 2024-25 graduates, 53 percent borrowed nothing. Those who did graduated with an average debt of $18,772, well below national and public university averages.

Faculty include one Nobel Laureate, two of the University of California’s honored University Professors, 30 members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 17 members of the National Academy of Sciences, and 49 members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.