University of California - Santa Cruz Campus

A public land grant research university in Santa Cruz, California, USA, the University of California, Santa Cruz ranks among the Top 50 America's best colleges for research. The campus size of this university is 2,000 acres. UC Santa Cruz is famous for its education and innovation in many fields like Feminist Studies, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Marine Science and Policy, Linguistics, etc. As per U.S. News, UC Santa Cruz ranking in 2026 is #88 in the USA. It also ranks at #34 among National Universities in advancing social mobility.

The total no. of students enrolled at this UC Santa Cruz in Fall 2025 is 19,775. As per the stats for 2025, the University of California, Santa Cruz acceptance rate for Indian students is around 73%.

UC Santa Cruz is one of the five members of the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU) also designated as Hispanic-serving institution and an Asian American and Native American Islander-serving institution. A few of things to know about the University of California, Santa Cruz are-

History

UC Santa Cruz was founded in 1965. Then, in 2019, UC Santa Cruz was elected to the Association of American Universities (AAU). Then, in 2010, this university opened its $35 million Digital Arts Research center.

• 25 researchers associated with UC Santa Cruz have earned a spot in the Highly Cited Researchers 2025 list. 
• From Oct 1, 2026, international UG applicants will be able to apply for UC Santa Cruz. 

A public land grant research university in Santa Cruz, California, USA, the University of California, Santa Cruz ranks among the Top 50 America's best colleges for research. The campus size of this university is 2,000 acres. UC Santa Cruz is famous for its education and innovation in many fields like Feminist Studies, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Marine Science and Policy, Linguistics, etc. As per U.S. News, UC Santa Cruz ranking in 2026 is #88 in the USA. It also ranks at #34 among National Universities in advancing social mobility.

The total no. of students enrolled at this UC Santa Cruz in Fall 2025 is 19,775. As per the stats for 2025, the University of California, Santa Cruz acceptance rate for Indian students is around 73%.

UC Santa Cruz is one of the five members of the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU) also designated as Hispanic-serving institution and an Asian American and Native American Islander-serving institution. A few of things to know about the University of California, Santa Cruz are-

History

UC Santa Cruz was founded in 1965. Then, in 2019, UC Santa Cruz was elected to the Association of American Universities (AAU). Then, in 2010, this university opened its $35 million Digital Arts Research center.

Acknowledging the academic achievements of the students, The University of California Santa Cruz provides Campus Merit Scholarships. International students are offered the Dean’s Award scholarship. Note that for financial aid, Indian students are not eligible. Details about UC Santa Cruz scholarships are given below-

Dean’s Scholarship at the University of California Santa Cruz-

• International students are eligible for Dean’s Scholarship

• First-year students receive awards ranging from $12,000-$60,000 paid evenly over the four years (Around INR 11.5 L - INR 58 L)

The UCSC a number of UG and PG programs to Indian students. With around 74 Undergraduate majors and 66 postgraduate programs, the University of California popular programs vary across fields of Art, Engineering, Physical, and Biological Sciences.

UC Santa Cruz Top Programs

Some of the University of California, Santa Cruz popular courses are Masters in Applied Economics and Finance and MS in Computer Science Engineering. The duration of the Undergraduate course offered by UCSC is usually 4 years. The duration of PG courses offered by the University of California Santa Cruz varies as per what the student opts.

Online Courses at UC Santa Cruz

Few of the online courses (partnered with CourseEra) at UC Santa Cruz are Agile Software Development with Python, AI Agent Architecture with Model Context Protocol, AI, Empathy and Ethics, etc.

The University of California offers multiple well-known alumni who have done very well in various fields such as a renowned director, CEO of BuzzFeed, Actress and Comedian, and many more. Famous alumni of UCSC are Cary Joji Fukunaga, a famous American filmmaker who has acted greatly in movies such as No time to Die, Jane Eyre, and others. Another well-known alumnus is Bret Samuel.

Notable Alumni	Profession	Picture
Andy Samberg	American Actor, Comedian, and Musician
Maya Rudolph	American Actress
Susan Wojcicki	Former CEO of YouTube
Rebecca Romijin	American Actress & Former Model
Avika Schaffer	American Actor, Filmmaker
Jonah Peretti	Co-Founder & CEO of Buzzfeed

The University of California Santa Cruz placement rate stands at 91%, this means out of 100 students, around 91 students secured employment. University of California Santa Cruz also provides a wide range of on-campus internships too.

ROI After Education from UC Santa Cruz

According to Payscale.com, the average graduate salary of UC Santa Cruz graduate is USD 91k (INR 87 LPA) annually. The tuition fee at this university is around INR 30 L - INR 61 L.

Top Employers

A few of the top employers at UC Santa Cruz are listed below:

• Google
• Apple
• Amazon
• Meta
• Deloitte
• Microsoft
• Cisco
• NVIDIA

Check details about the Popular Job Sectors in the USA

The University of California, Santa Cruz cost per year for UG students is USD 86,898 (Around INR 83 L). This is inclusive of the tuition fees and living expenses. Out of this, UC Santa Cruz tuition fees is USD 17,490 (Around INR 16.8 L). Whereas, for PG courses, the tuition fees can be around INR 30 L - INR 61 L.

Cost of Living at UC Santa Cruz

For 2026-27, the living expenses for UG students at UC Santa Cruz will be as follows-

• 25 researchers associated with UC Santa Cruz have earned a spot in the Highly Cited Researchers 2025 list. 
• From Oct 1, 2026, international UG applicants will be able to apply for UC Santa Cruz. 

Students seeking admission to University of California - Santa Cruz Campus have apply via the university's application system. The application fee for international UG students is USD 95 (Around INR 9k). The application fee for international PG studentsis USD 155 (Around INR 14.8k).

UC Santa Cruz Application Deadlines 2026

The aplication deadlines are given below for the Undergraduate courses of UC Santa Cruz-

UC Santa Cruz Admission Requirements 2026

Some of the documents that Indian students have to submit for the University of California, Santa Cruz admission are-

• Transcripts
• IELTS / TOEFL
• SOP
• LOR
• CV

Postgraduate Admission Requirements

A Bachelor's degree or an equivalent degree is required for admission to UC Santa Cruz. Those who have a 3-year degree should have a PG Diploma, Master's degree or a higher degree.

Undergraduate Admission Requirements

Indian students who want to apply to UC Santa Cruz must have passed high school. SAT / ACT scores are not accepted by this university. Coursework in the subjects are also required and the details for this are given below-

When it comes to University of California - Santa Cruz Campus rankings, it has an overall ranking of #59 in the USA and #284 in the world as per Shiksha Popularity rankings. Subject rankings are given below-

By Other Ranking Bodies

Apart from Shiksha Popularity ranking, QS has also ranked the university globally. UC Santa Cruz ranking in the QS World rankings is #458 in 2026. University of California - Santa Cruz Campus ranking stood at #181 by THE in 2026, globally.

UC Santa Cruz offers 10 residential colleges and 150+ organizations for students to get actively involved in along with multiple campus events. UC Santa Cruz campus is located at the North end of Monterey Bay on the Central California Coast.