

UC Santa Cruz Admissions 2025: Application Deadline, Requirements & Costs
2000 acre campus
- Estd. 1965
University of California - Santa Cruz Campus Admission Process 2026
Indian student must follow important steps to complete admission process of University of California - Santa Cruz Campus. These steps include choosing desired course, completing application process, paying tuition fee, etc.
Follow the steps below if you are Indian student applying for admission to University of California - Santa Cruz Campus:
- You can expect the offer letter or rejection of admission through mail within a few weeks.
- After receiving the acceptance letter from the university, an Indian applicant must apply for a student visa. They should also submit certain mandatory documents for a USA student visa.
- After you apply for Visa, pay the University of California - Santa Cruz Campus tuition fees for the first year to secure your seat.
Commonly asked questions On Admissions
Some of the tips for students starting their first-semester at the University ofCalifornia Santa Cruz are:
- Students who applied for University of California Santa Cruz must be humble and should interact with as many people as possible. Mainly beacause, the more people you talk to the better knowledge you get.
- Attend as many gathering and parties as much as you can.
- Applicants should avoid missing classess, as 70% of learning comes from students going to classes.
- Students can get invovlved with extracuricular activities, i.e joing university clubs, sports etc. This will also look good on a portfolio in the longer run.
The cost of attending UC Santa Cruz can vary depending on the main factors such as course, level of study ( Ex UG and PG) and accommodation status. However, international students considering the University of could be slightly higher than US students. The UG’s Academic Tution fee for international students for UG is around (INR 37.9 L). It’s (INR 36.3 L) for PG programs
The University offers a wide range of accommodations considering its student's safety and affordable living place. The following is the annual cost of living of international students at UC Santa Cruz:
Undergraduate student's cost of living:
entering Students | On-Campus | Off-Campus | Commuter |
|---|---|---|---|
Tuition and Fees ** | $15,288 | $15,288 | $15,288 |
Living Expenses * | $18,945 | $17,139 | $7,716 |
Books, Course Materials, Supplies, and Equipment * | $1,317 | $1,317 | $1,317 |
Transportation * | $900 | $1,425 | $2,277 |
Campus Health Insurance * ** | $3,141 | $3,141 | $3,141 |
Total California Resident Budget | $41,283 | $40,095 | $31,875 |
Non-Resident Tuition | $32,574 | $32,574 | $32,574 |
Total Non-California Resident Budget | $73,857 | $72,669 | $64,449 |
Graduate students cost of living:
On-Campus | Off-Campus | Commuter |
|---|---|---|
Tuition and Fees* | $14,832 | $14,832 |
Living Expenses** | $22,770 | $22,770 |
Books, Course Materials, Supplies, & Equipment | $1,653 | $1,653 |
Transportation | $3,075 | $3,075 |
Miscellaneous Personal Expenses | $2,475 | $2,475 |
Campus Health Insurance*** | $5,214 | $5,214 |
Total California Resident Budget | $50,019 | $50,019 |
Non-Resident Tuition | $15,102 | $15,102 |
Total Non-California Resident Budget | $65,121 | $65,121 |
UCSC is surely a good option for international students mainly because of a diverse range of excellent academic programs across its 11 professional schools and colleges. Notable programs include the film, television and digital media school which has produced countless successful alumni in the entertainment industry.
Here are the reasons why you should go for UCSC:
Academics: The University of California Santa Cruz offers more than variety of courses levels. The UCSC University offers undergraduate major and minor courses. Students can also pursue master’s or doctoral programs at the UCSC University.
Location of the university - The Universit of California Santa Cruz is in a location where arts & culture, technology industry and entertainment industry providing endless internship. International Students have access to beaches, outdoor activities, live music/performances and attractions which makes their make campus life more enjoyable. The location gives UCSC students an additional mark to study at UCSC.
Fees: : The cost of attending UCSC for Indian students can vary depending on several factors like nature of the program.
University of California - Santa Cruz Campus B.E. / B.Tech Admission 2026
The University of California - Santa Cruz Campus lays down B.E. / B.Tech course and this is one of the top choices among Indian students currently. The University of California - Santa Cruz Campus B.E. / B.Tech course is offered for a time duration of 48 months in specializations like Computer Science Engineering. University of California - Santa Cruz Campus has its own fee structure for different programs. The tuition fee for B.E. / B.Tech is USD 37,888. The base requirements that would ensure a proper selection process at University of California - Santa Cruz Campus for B.E. / B.Tech for Indian students includes a UG or equivalent and English Proficiency tests.
Eligibility Criteria
- Accepting Exams: IELTS, TOEFL, PTE, Duolingo
University of Santa Cruz MBA Admission Process 2025
UCSC offers one of sought after MBA program for students growing careers in field of leadership business management and administration. The program duration is 1 year. Program is based on Applied Economics and Finance Professional Accounting etc. Tuition fee is around INR 28 L. Eligibility criteria are UG degree and meeting English requirements. Applicants must also submit admission documents like academic reports LOR SOP GMAT or GRE scores - if required updated CV or resume and employment history as per requirements of programs selected. Refer to official course list for program specific requirements.
Eligibility Criteria
- Accepting Exams: IELTS, TOEFL
UC Santa CruzStudents Ratings & Reviews
- 0% students never faced discrimination in this university
UC Santa Cruz FAQs
International students are required to meet the GPA requirements to get admission to UC Santa Cruz. A GPA of 3.40 on a 4.0 scale is needed, but wait, the admission requirements do not end here, they also include other important factors like essays, LORs, extracurriculars and stuff.
For Indian students, UC Santa Cruz acceptance rate is around 73%. Indian students who have a good academic record will have a higher chance of admission.
- For admission to the UG courses of UC Santa Cruz, the students must have passed high school
- Whereas for admission to UC Santa Cruz PG courses, a Bachelor's degree is required
UC Santa Cruz ranks as one of the best universities around the globe according to the top ranking bodies like THE and QS, which is #332 in 2024 and #375 in 2023.
If compared with the previous year’s ranking by QS World University Ranking, it is observe that the rankings have been improving in the 2024 at 332 when compared to 2023 at 375.
UC Santa Cruz
Student Forum
Answered 4 days ago
The University of California, Santa Cruz ranking is #181 in 2026. Its ranking has improved massively from 2025 (#196). A few of the subject rankings are given below-
- Physical Sciences: #98
- Social Sciences: #126-150
- Education Studies: #151-175
- Computer Science: #176-200
C
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
UC Santa Cruz UG Dean's Award is a merit based scholarship. The students are considered automatically for this scholarship. The award amount is USD 12,000 - USD 100,000 paid evenly for 4 years. Holistic review is done for this scholarship, giving priority to the academic record.
H
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
Yes, UC Santa Cruz is considered a public ivy university. Public Ivy universities are those public universities in the U.S. that are preceived to provide a college experience on the level of Ivy League universities. In 2025, this university ranked among the Top 15 Alt Ivies of 2025 by Town & Country
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
The alumni network at UC Santa Cruz include 145,000+ graduates worldwide. A few of the people who have studied at UCSC are-
- Andy Samberg- Comedian, Writer, Famous Actor (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
- Maya Rudolph- Actress and Comedian
- Rebecca Romijn- Actress and Former Model
- Tom Franco- Actor
- Bell Hooks- Popular A
I
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
Some of the top recruiters of UC Santa Cruz graduates, as per the details mentioned in First Destination Survey are-
- Amazon
- Apple
- Microsoft
- KPMG
- General Motors
- Tesla
N
Contributor-Level 10
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UC Santa Cruz
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UC Santa CruzContact Information
UC SANTA CRUZ,
1156 HIGH STREET,
SANTA CRUZ, CA 95064
Santa Cruz ( California)





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