Santa Cruz, CA · Public
65.8%
Acceptance rate
$16,607
Avg net price
17,812
Enrollment
| All fields, 2024-25Bachelor’s 4,655Master’s 392Doctoral 233 |
| Bachelor’s 802Master’s 118Doctoral 32 |
| Bachelor’s 730Master’s 33Doctoral 12 |
| Bachelor’s 654Master’s 33Doctoral 40 |
| Bachelor’s 422Master’s 34Doctoral 25 |
| Bachelor’s 292Master’s 17Doctoral 12 |
| Bachelor’s 258Master’s None reportedDoctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s 237Master’s 24Doctoral 16 |
| Bachelor’s 205Master’s 17Doctoral 42 |
| Bachelor’s 178Master’s 18Doctoral 6 |
| Bachelor’s 173Master’s 4Doctoral 9 |
| Bachelor’s 140Master’s None reportedDoctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s 114Master’s None reportedDoctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s 102Master’s 53Doctoral 4 |
| Bachelor’s 95Master’s 5Doctoral 7 |
| Bachelor’s 79Master’s 19Doctoral 13 |
| Bachelor’s 76Master’s 2Doctoral 2 |
| Bachelor’s 45Master’s 2Doctoral 1 |
| Bachelor’s 31Master’s None reportedDoctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s 22Master’s None reportedDoctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s 0Master’s 3Doctoral 12 |
| Bachelor’s 0Master’s 0Doctoral 0 |
| Bachelor’s 0Master’s None reportedDoctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s None reportedMaster’s 10Doctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s None reportedMaster’s 0Doctoral None reported |
NCAA program details
NCAA program
University of California, Santa Cruz
- Primary division
- Division III
- Primary conference
- Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference
Projected sponsored sports17
Athletic participation
312 unique student-athletes · 13 varsity teams
UC Application
FAFSA, Dream App due Mar 2
· Apply with the UC application
Published on-campus price, 2024–25
- Tuition
- $13,146
- Required fees
- $2,859
- Food and housing
- $19,948
- Books and supplies
- $1,192
- Other expenses
- $6,902
- Total
- $44,047
- $37,2972019–2019–20
- $39,1372020–2120–21
- $37,8582021–2221–22
- $38,7122022–2322–23
- $40,3062023–2423–24
- $44,0472024–2524–25
Net price by family income, 2022–23
Students of all incomes paid $16,607 on average. Grants and scholarships covered the rest of the cost.
Net price covers first-time, full-time students who received federal aid and paid in-state tuition.
Need-based aid, 2024–25
- First-years with need-based aid
- 50%
- Average share of need met
- 85.8%
- Average need-based grant
- $26,954
- Required forms
- FAFSA and State aid form
Sources
- IPEDS Institutional Characteristics · National Center for Education Statistics · 2025–26
- IPEDS Admissions · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024–25
- College Scorecard · U.S. Department of Education · 2025-10-03
- Application process · College websites · 2026–27
- NCAA Projected Sports Sponsorship by School · National Collegiate Athletic Association · 2025–26
- Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act · U.S. Department of Education · 2024–25
- Common Data Set · Reporting institutions · 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26
- IPEDS Completions · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024–25
- IPEDS Student Charges · National Center for Education Statistics · 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25
Every figure below is read directly from University of California-Santa Cruz’s own reported data, with no scores, ratings, or estimates added. Derived from 5 Common Data Set filings (2021–22 to 2025–26).
University of California-Santa Cruz admitted of applicants, a admit rate. Of those, enrolled, a yield, across 5 years of Common Data Set filings.
No early admission plans appear in University of California-Santa Cruz's Common Data Set filing.
The enrolled class is roughly international, and about of its domestic students come from out of state. University of California-Santa Cruz admits in-state applicants at 71.2%, out-of-state applicants at 84.1%, and international applicants at 72.4%.
Enrolled first-years by geography
4,599 first-years
Admit odds by pool
Test scores are not used in admission. Submission shares describe only students who chose to submit.
University of California-Santa Cruz’s enrolled first-years averaged a high-school GPA, among the 99.3% who submitted one.
High-school GPA
shares of all enrolled first-years
Average 3.87
University of California-Santa Cruz rates 4 factors "very important." Each column reads strongest first.
Academic
- Rigor of secondary school record
- Very important
- Academic GPA
- Very important
- Application essay
- Very important
- Class rank
- Not considered
- Standardized test scores
- Not considered
- Recommendation(s)
- Not considered
Nonacademic
- State residency
- Very important
- Extracurricular activities
- Important
- Talent / ability
- Important
- Character / personal qualities
- Important
- First generation
- Important
- Geographical residence
- Important
- Volunteer work
- Considered
- Work experience
- Considered
- Interview
- Not considered
- Alumni/ae relation
- Not considered
- Religious affiliation/commitment
- Not considered
- Level of applicant's interest
- Not considered
University of California-Santa Cruz leaves 2 Common Data Set answers blank — each one hidden below with what it would tell you.
Without the rank spread of enrolled students, there’s no top-of-class signal to place a transcript against.
Without the GPA spread, a family can’t see where their transcript lands within the class.
Does disclose: Admissions factor grid (C7) · Students admitted off the waitlist (C2)
University of California-Santa Cruz's net price after grant aid, by family income. of first-years received need-based aid. The school meets of demonstrated need, split into .
What aid recipients pay, by income
net price
Each figure averages only families who received federal aid in that income band (College Scorecard); $16,607 across all aid recipients. Aid share: 2,178 of 4,373 first-years in the 2024–25 Common Data Set.
How need-based aid is determined
Cost of attendance − expected family contribution = demonstrated need
Forms a family files to be considered
Merit aid reached of the class, or of enrolled first-years. For international applicants, University of California-Santa Cruz offers merit aid only: nonresidents received aid, averaging .
University of California-Santa Cruz admitted students off the waitlist, about of the class.
89.7% of University of California-Santa Cruz’s first-years return for a second year and 74.5% graduate within six. Median earnings ten years out are against of median federal debt, roughly a earnings-to-debt ratio.
Sources
- Common Data Set · Reporting institutions · 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26
- College Scorecard · U.S. Department of Education · 2025-10-03