University of California-Santa Cruz
Public four-year university in Santa Cruz, CA that costs an average of $18,549 a year after financial aid, admits 66% of applicants and graduates 74% of full-time students.
Net price / year
$18,549
Acceptance rate
66%
Graduation rate
74%
Earnings after 10 yrs
$73,362
PublicSmall city17,940 undergraduates
Cost of University of California-Santa Cruz
| Total cost of attendance (per year) | $43,867 |
|---|---|
| Tuition and fees, in-state | $16,585 |
| Tuition and fees, out-of-state | $54,187 |
| Housing and food (on campus) | $20,929 |
| Books and supplies | $1,256 |
| Average net price after aid | $18,549 |
Net price by family income
| Family income | Average net price / year |
|---|---|
| $0–30,000 | $9,973 |
| $30,001–48,000 | $10,713 |
| $48,001–75,000 | $13,446 |
| $75,001–110,000 | $18,220 |
| $110,001+ | $35,350 |
Net price is what students actually pay after grants and scholarships (in-state students). Get your own estimate with University of California-Santa Cruz's net price calculator ↗.
Admissions
| Acceptance rate | 66% |
|---|---|
| Test scores | Neither required nor recommended |
Graduation, earnings and debt
| Graduation rate | 74% |
|---|---|
| First-year retention | 88% |
| Median earnings 6 years after enrolling | $57,492 |
| Median earnings 10 years after enrolling | $73,362 |
| Rank in California (earnings) | 54th of 129 similar colleges |
| Median debt of graduates | $15,000 |
| Typical monthly loan payment | $170 (10-year plan) |
| Students with Pell grants | 34% |
| Students with federal loans | 27% |
Majors and programs at University of California-Santa Cruz
Earnings one year after graduation and median debt, by program. Click a program for details and comparisons.
Bachelor's degree programs (60)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Engineering | 280 | $103,729 | $18,146 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 80 | $84,803 | $20,999 |
| Computer Science | 1,314 | $82,863 | $15,482 |
| Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology | 109 | $74,517 | $18,211 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | 9 | $72,918 | — |
| Physics | 79 | $72,553 | — |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management | 199 | $65,266 | $14,083 |
| Business/Managerial Economics | 587 | $59,361 | $13,500 |
| Chemistry | 92 | $56,661 | $13,850 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | 107 | $55,437 | $15,000 |
| Economics | 292 | $52,535 | $14,500 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | 100 | $52,133 | $15,000 |
| Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences | 364 | $47,445 | $15,000 |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences | 83 | $45,764 | $18,032 |
| Community Organization and Advocacy | 57 | $43,689 | $13,000 |
| Political Science and Government | 308 | $43,393 | $14,500 |
| Non-Professional Legal Studies | 241 | $41,760 | $13,803 |
| Mathematics | 154 | $41,374 | $14,250 |
| Sociology | 363 | $40,718 | $13,500 |
| Cognitive Science | 268 | $40,140 | $12,000 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 34 | $39,769 | — |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | 239 | $39,295 | $14,006 |
| Biology | 436 | $39,216 | $15,000 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 335 | $35,486 | $14,020 |
| History | 201 | $35,042 | $15,000 |
| Behavioral Sciences | — | $34,890 | $13,000 |
| Philosophy | 100 | $33,889 | $15,000 |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology | 319 | $31,819 | $14,000 |
| Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education | 150 | $30,814 | $15,051 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 59 | $29,817 | $17,500 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | 373 | $29,608 | $15,543 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 261 | $28,838 | $15,117 |
| Anthropology | 226 | $28,719 | $15,000 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | 351 | $26,183 | $15,000 |
| Graphic Communications | — | $24,678 | $18,278 |
| Agricultural Production Operations | 39 | — | — |
| Applied Mathematics | 64 | — | — |
| Archeology | 3 | — | — |
| Area Studies | 1 | — | — |
| Astronomy and Astrophysics | 77 | — | $17,273 |
| Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other | — | — | — |
| Biotechnology | 14 | — | — |
| Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 10 | — | — |
| Computer and Information Sciences | — | — | — |
| Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Other | — | — | — |
| Computer Software and Media Applications | — | — | — |
| Design and Applied Arts | 283 | — | — |
| English Language and Literature/Letters, Other | — | — | — |
| Human Biology | — | — | — |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology | 1 | — | — |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 2 | — | — |
| Music | 26 | — | — |
| Natural Sciences | — | — | — |
| Physical Sciences | 124 | — | $14,620 |
| Plant Sciences | 23 | — | — |
| Psychology | 1,013 | — | — |
| Public Health | 20 | — | — |
| Religion/Religious Studies | — | — | — |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | — | — | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 7 | — | — |
Master's degree programs (44)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economics | 46 | $72,538 | — |
| Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | 107 | $62,694 | $29,851 |
| Anthropology | 2 | — | — |
| Applied Mathematics | 26 | — | — |
| Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians | 14 | — | — |
| Astronomy and Astrophysics | 10 | — | — |
| Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology | 22 | — | — |
| Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences | 10 | — | — |
| Chemistry | 6 | — | — |
| Cognitive Science | — | — | — |
| Computer and Information Sciences | 56 | — | — |
| Computer Engineering | 4 | — | — |
| Computer Science | 109 | — | — |
| Computer Software and Media Applications | 56 | — | — |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 9 | — | — |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology | 10 | — | — |
| Education | — | — | — |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 61 | — | — |
| English Language and Literature/Letters, Other | — | — | — |
| Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy | 16 | — | — |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | 8 | — | — |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | 18 | — | — |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 13 | — | — |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | 21 | — | — |
| History | 2 | — | — |
| Human Computer Interaction | 33 | — | — |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | 20 | — | — |
| Mathematics | 14 | — | — |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 1 | — | — |
| Music | 5 | — | — |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 7 | — | — |
| Pharmacology and Toxicology | 6 | — | — |
| Philosophy | 3 | — | — |
| Physics | 18 | — | — |
| Political Science and Government | 4 | — | — |
| Psychology | 15 | — | — |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | 18 | — | — |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication | — | — | — |
| Social Sciences, Other | — | — | — |
| Sociology | 7 | — | — |
| Statistics | 4 | — | — |
| Systems Engineering | — | — | — |
| Visual and Performing Arts | — | — | — |
| Visual and Performing Arts, Other | 3 | — | — |
Doctoral degree programs (35)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anthropology | 10 | — | — |
| Applied Mathematics | 10 | — | — |
| Astronomy and Astrophysics | 13 | — | — |
| Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology | 17 | — | — |
| Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences | 30 | — | — |
| Chemistry | 29 | — | — |
| Computer and Information Sciences | 10 | — | — |
| Computer Engineering | 17 | — | — |
| Computer Science | 25 | — | — |
| Computer Software and Media Applications | — | — | — |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology | 22 | — | — |
| Economics | 12 | — | — |
| Education | — | — | — |
| Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | 10 | — | — |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 15 | — | — |
| English Language and Literature/Letters, Other | — | — | — |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | 5 | — | — |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | 14 | — | — |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | 30 | — | — |
| History | 11 | — | — |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | 21 | — | — |
| Mathematics | 9 | — | — |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 11 | — | — |
| Music | 5 | — | — |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 10 | — | — |
| Pharmacology and Toxicology | 8 | — | — |
| Philosophy | 4 | — | — |
| Physics | 21 | — | — |
| Political Science and Government | 7 | — | — |
| Psychology | 17 | — | — |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | — | — | — |
| Sociology | 6 | — | — |
| Statistics | 3 | — | — |
| Systems Engineering | — | — | — |
| Visual and Performing Arts, Other | 10 | — | — |
Similar colleges in California
| College | City | Net price / yr | Acceptance | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco State University | San Francisco | $9,803 | 96% | $73,299 |
| California State University-Los Angeles | Los Angeles | $2,385 | 91% | $62,555 |
| California State University-San Bernardino | San Bernardino | $3,946 | 94% | $61,951 |
| California State University-Fresno | Fresno | $5,418 | 95% | $62,756 |
| California State University-San Marcos | San Marcos | $10,939 | 95% | $67,217 |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | San Luis Obispo | $18,832 | 31% | $96,304 |
| University of California-Riverside | Riverside | $12,672 | 76% | $72,974 |
| University of California-Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara | $16,807 | 33% | $82,568 |
About University of California-Santa Cruz
| Type | Public four-year university |
|---|---|
| Location | Santa Cruz, CA |
| Setting | Small city |
| Undergraduates | 17,940 |
| Student-to-faculty ratio | 22 to 1 |
| Accreditor | Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission |
| Website | ucsc.edu ↗ |
Frequently asked questions
What is University of California-Santa Cruz's acceptance rate?
University of California-Santa Cruz admits 66% of applicants.
How much does University of California-Santa Cruz cost per year?
The full cost of attendance is $43,867 a year (tuition and fees: $16,585 in-state, $54,187 out-of-state). After grants and scholarships the average student pays $18,549 a year, and students from families earning under $30,000 pay about $9,973.
How much do University of California-Santa Cruz graduates earn?
Former students earn a median of $73,362 a year, 10 years after first enrolling — 54th of 129 similar colleges in California. The best-paid bachelor's program is computer engineering ($103,729 a year after graduation).
What is University of California-Santa Cruz's graduation rate?
74% of full-time students graduate within six years, and 88% of first-year students return for a second year.