University of California, Santa Cruz

UC Santa Cruz is on a 2,000-acre campus in the small town setting of Santa Cruz, California, not far from San Francisco and San Jose.

UC Santa Cruz Student Activities

There are many activities and organizations for UC Santa Cruz students to join – including band, chorus, theater groups, a campus newspaper, a radio station and more.

Interested in Greek life? UC Santa Cruz has fraternities and sororities.

UC Santa Cruz has the Chinese Student Association. In fact, more students participate in the Chinese Student Association than any other on-campus activity.

Other popular student organizations at UC Santa Cruz include College Panhellenic & Inter-Greek Council, Film Production Coalition, Game Design & Art Collaboration and Slug Gaming.

UC Santa Cruz students' favorite campus events are Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation, Multicultural Festival and UCSC Slug Run.

Does UC Santa Cruz Offer Student Housing?

This table offers information on housing at UC Santa Cruz.

UC Santa Cruz offers on-campus housing. Students are not required to live on campus. First year students are guaranteed on-campus housing.

Most UC Santa Cruz students live off campus. In 2022, 49% of undergrads at UC Santa Cruz lived in some kind of on-campus housing and 51% of students lived off-campus or commuted to UC Santa Cruz. First year students are not allowed to park a car on campus.

UC Santa Cruz offers coed housing.

UC Santa Cruz Athletics

At UC Santa Cruz there are a variety of athletic options for students interested in joining a sports program.

Intercollegiate sports are the highest tier of college sports and can be very competitive. Intercollegiate teams are regulated by the NCAA, funded by the university, and compete against teams from other universities. The division of a sports team depends on the size of the university, funding, and competition level. An intercollegiate school team will be Division I, II or III, with Division I being the highest level.

Club sports are not regulated by the NCAA and are a great option for students not interested in trying out for an intercollegiate team. Club sports are usually student run but can also be funded by the university.

Intramural sports are the most casual and informal. Intramural sports are often free and require very little time commitment.

Let's take a look at the athletic options available at UC Santa Cruz:

Is UC Santa Cruz Safe?

College is like a home away from home. Whether you're walking to class or coming back from late-night studying (or partying!), it's important to feel safe on campus.

University of California, Santa Cruz is patroled 24 hours a day by trained security. The UC Santa Cruz campus has emergency telephones or alarms for students to use anytime of day or night.

UC Santa Cruz offers late-night transportation or safety escorts for students. Campus housing is secure and dorms can only be accessed with secure key cards.

Plan a Visit to UC Santa Cruz

Visiting colleges is one of the best ways to get a sense of the campus and student body. If you'd like to visit UC Santa Cruz, take U.S. Highway 101 to Santa Cruz, CA. If you need to fly, book your flight to San Jose International airport.

While you're planning, check out other schools in California you may want to visit too. Click the heart at the top of each school's page to save it to your college list.

Want to visit but can't make the trip? Explore UC Santa Cruz's campus without leaving home by taking a virtual campus tour

Keep Reading About UC Santa Cruz

Choose one of the options below to find out more about about UC Santa Cruz:

Overview

Admissions

Academics

Tuition & Aid

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