bike path and view of the bay

Top 15

for making an impact on the world

by Princeton Review

#1

for racial and gender diversity in leadership

by Women’s Power Gap Initiative

Leading at the intersection of innovation and social justice.

A global research university with an uncommon emphasis on undergraduate research and education, UC Santa Cruz is part of the world’s most celebrated system of public higher education, and stands among the most renowned institutions of higher learning.

News

New research studied the rate of response to climate change in California grasslands by using combined long-term datasets from sites like this one in Swanton, California, which has been monitored by UC Santa Cruz scientists since 1999. Photo: courtesy of Karen Holl

Grasslands: Life in the fast lane

While changes in forest biodiversity can lag behind shifts in an area’s temperature and rainfall, grasslands are responding to climate change almost in real time, according to a new study. Put another way, forests accumulate climate debt, while grasslands are paying as they go.

Tools powered by artificial intelligence are increasingly make their way into health care.

Will AI tools revolutionize public health?

Not if they continue following old patterns, researchers argue. The latest research from UC Santa Cruz Politics Department doctoral candidate Lucia Vitale takes stock of the current landscape of promises and anxieties.

Students from UC Santa Cruz's first classes—many of whom had learned about it from an article in Life magazine—often say they were attracted to its redwood-studded landscape, mind-expanding vistas, and the sense that it was a place where dreams could become reality.

Celebrating 60 years of leading change

Founded in 1965, UC Santa Cruz is preparing to mark six decades of educational excellence, groundbreaking teaching and research, and lasting accomplishments in 2025, while looking with anticipation toward an ascendant future.

Voices of the Century: CĂ©sar Rojas-Bravo, celebrating our celestial bond

CĂ©sar Rojas Bravo, a Ph.D. candidate in astronomy, shows how all humanity is linked by the vast canopy of our shared night sky.

To lead means …

student working on a model in the makers space.


Creating real change

Students at UC Santa Cruz learn from incredible faculty, develop new skills through hands-on research opportunities, and have a track record of making an impact. What kind of a pathbreaker, innovator, or changemaker will you become?

student assessing digital prints


Serving our society

World-class researchers at UC Santa Cruz unlock mysteries and help to transform our world, addressing some of our most pressing needs—from decoding cancer to protecting our natural environment to creating art that challenges assumptions. What will you contribute?

student on the beach with binoculars

Shaping our future

Become a Banana Slug, and lead the change.

Get ready for your future

UC Santa Cruz graduates are sought after for their knowledge, skills, and passion. Whether you plan to start working right away, or pursue graduate school or professional school, your UC Santa Cruz degree will help you on your way.

Explore our majors and start your future.

See for yourself

One of the most extraordinary campuses in the world, UC Santa Cruz pairs high-impact research with 10 residential colleges—offering students the experience of a small liberal arts college with the depth and rigor of a major research university. 

Take a tour virtually or in person.

Here to help

A UC degree is worth it—and we can help you pay for it. Our financial aid program is one of the best out there. It supports students in all kinds of ways, whatever their background—with grants, scholarships, low-interest loans, and more.

Get the details on different kinds of financial aid.


Your journey awaits.

When you become a Banana Slug, you join a community of artists, innovators, creators,
and justice seekers united in using their voices to change the world.

Last modified: Oct 18, 2024