D I F F E R E N T B Y

Fall 2020Admission

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H OW W E B E G A N

Modeled on Oxford University in England, UC Santa Cruz was designed as a cluster of decentralized small colleges, where students could have daily contact with their professors, while still being part of a large research university.

It was a bold approach, informed by the ideal of a college community where faculty and students were closely connected. From the outset, UC Santa Cruz was a move toward a campus built primarily for undergraduate studies with a research emphasis.

This innovative approach, coupled with the physical beauty of the campus setting, bore fruit in the most

wonderful way — a campus culture that cherished the exploration of new ideas in service of solving large problems.

In 2019, UC Santa Cruz continues to embody its founding principles for the current generation of students: Smaller classes where faculty and students co-create new knowledge in a safe and respectful environment that creates global citizens with the will to engage in complex problems.

It is this deep and abiding respect for approaching the great challenges of our day that makes UC Santa Cruz a compelling choice. Our students do not merely learn a subject, they help create new knowledge in the service of humanity. In addition, the faculty take great pride in teaching the students how to think, not what to think.

“Conceiving of a research university built around small residential colleges,

with an emphasis on undergraduate education, close faculty-student interaction, and human-

scale community life, was Kerr’s contribution to the UC system and not incidentally, imaginative institutional response to the contemporary student movement’s critique of the multiversity as a sort of dehumanizing

intellectual factory system.”

Clark Kerr and the Founding of UC Santa Cruz

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Social Justice, Environmental Stewardship, and Diversity & Inclusion

of Living andLearning

Our perspectives are as unique as our location. Through an academically rigorous approach that values interdisciplinary problem solving, UC Santa Cruz is a recognized R1 research institution (very high research activity) where faculty and students work side-by-side to solve problems on a truly global scale.

This combination of innovative thought, commitment to social and environmental justice issues, and the value we place on diversity in all its forms, creates a launching pad for our students to make their mark in the global community.

Proudly achieving the designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) - In 2015, UC Santa Cruz earned the HSI designation, and kicking off the work of creating programs and grants, centered on positive educational outcomes for Latinx students. Today, UC Santa Cruz is one of more than 472 universities to meet the federal benchmark as a Hispanic Serving Institution. The designation has paved the way for three multi-million dollar grants dedicated to supporting Latinx and underrepresented students at the university.

A Perspective Like No Other

From the very beginning, UC Santa Cruz has fostered an environment of independent thought in the pursuit of knowledge. It is this cherished belief in the power of new ideas that led to the development of the Human Genome Browser, right here on our campus. We were the first to map the human genome and our first step was to post it for free and open access on the web to benefit the world!

student/faculty ratio

of undergraduate courses have fewer than 30 students. 72% have fewer than 50

of undergraduates participate in research

W H A T W E D O A N D H O W W E D O I T

The California Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine

(CIAPM) has awarded the Treehouse Childhood Cancer Initiative of the UC Santa

Cruz Genomics Institute a follow-on California state grant worth $500,000. This award has been granted as a supplement to Treehouse’s work on the California Kids Cancer Comparison (CKCC) and focuses on a collaboration with Stanford University and Lucile Packard

Children’s Hospital.

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Communities

TH E C O L L E G E S :

Engagement and Support

All undergraduates, whether they live on campus or not, are affiliated with one of the 10 colleges. The colleges are vibrant living/learning communities providing academic support, activities, and events. Each college offers a unique academic core course for freshmen that emphasizes the theme of the college and develops critical thinking and writing skills. The required course provides a bridge between academic and residential life, since all freshmen, regardless of major, will be in the course, and most will be living at their college as well.

Transfer students are also affiliated with a residential college, which gives them a unique “dual community” status — participating in activities at their college while also engaging in the life of their housing community, which is most often the Transfer Community at Porter College.

See detailed information on each college at housing.ucsc.edu/colleges

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Bold Thinkers

Angela Y. DavisProfessor Emerita, History of Consciousness

Legendary civil rights activist, who still works tirelessly to combat all forms of oppression in the U.S. and abroad. Professor Davis is the author of several books, including Women, Race, and Class (1980) and Are Prisons Obsolete? (2003).

Terrie WilliamsProfessor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

By examining the functional relationships between humans, animals, and their environment, Professor Williams and her students strive to understand the ecological significance of a species and the physiological adaptations necessary for survival in a constantly changing world. Photo by David Williams, NMFS Permit No. 19590-01

“Classes are helpful, but I learn so much more from working on research projects,” says Melinda Soares, a senior physics major at UC Santa Cruz who has won honors for her research presentations at two conferences.

Soares worked with theoretical astrophysicist Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz on a study of the remnants of exploding stars. She also did research with physicist David Williams, using data from the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and the VERITAS telescope array to study high-energy gamma-ray emissions.

“I’ve been fortunate to be able to do both theoretical and experimental projects,” Soares said. “When you become immersed in the research community, you learn things you would never pick up in a class, just from getting to know the scientists, talking over coffee, and managing a project.”

Melinda, who is now Melinda Soares-Furtado, is currently a Ph.D. student in astrophysics at Princeton University.

M E L I N D A S O A R E S

Top Ranked Public University

Recently ranked among the top 30 universities in the U.S. for undergraduate teaching (U.S. News & World Report), and also among the top 15 universities in the world for research impact (Times Higher Education). We were the only public research university in this space when you combine these two rankings, alongside Stanford, Princeton, and Carnegie Mellon.

Globally RankedTop 15 in the WORLD for research impact. (Times Higher Education University World Rankings, 2019)

A Gateway to Silicon Valley One of 20 universities most likely to land you a job in Silicon Valley. (Business Insider, 2015)

Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz Professor and Chair, Astronomy and Astrophysics

In addition to a distinguished research career in theoretical astrophysics, Professor Ramirez-Ruiz, winner of the $5 million Niels Bohr Professorship, makes it his life work to nurture and support students with a passion for the stars.

Robin HunickeAssociate Professor, Director of Art and Design: Games and Playable Media

Co-founder of Funomena, Professor Hunicke researches and teaches cutting-edge game design. Her titles include the award-winning PlayStation game Journey, as well as Boom Blox, MySims, and TheSims.

Logan GraybillComputer Science/Mathematics double major, Tucson, Arizona, graduated from Rincon High School

Logan landed an internship at Amazon and after graduating in 2019, is now on his way to a full-time job at Amazon as a software development engineer.

W H O W E A R E

The Applied Artificial Intelligence (AI) Initiative brings together students (undergraduate and postgraduate), researchers (any flavor), faculty

(any discipline), and members of Industry (primarily Silicon Valley) to lead the

AI Revolution.

and Leaders

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Contributors, LUMINARIES,

ANDINFLUENCERS

JONAH CHR I S T I A N , F I LM A ND D I G I TA L M ED I A , ‘ 1 2Music producer and composer who’s worked with the likes of Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne

T I F F A N Y D E N A L O F T I N , P O L I T I C A L S C I E NC E A ND AMER I C AN S T UD I E S , ‘ 1 1 NAACP Youth and College Director, recently recognized by NBC BLK for using her voice to ensure that young black people’s lives matter

KR I S P E R R Y, P S YCHO LOGY A ND S OC I O L OGY, ‘ 8 6Lead plaintiff in a case that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court which overturned California’s ban on gay marriage, recently appointed deputy secretary for early childhood development for the State of California

RO L ANDO P E R E Z , B I O E NG I N E E R I N G , ‘ 1 5Overcame a challenged youth to discover a passion for science, and is now a Ph.D. candidate at Stanford University in synthetic biology

DR . K AT HR YN S U L L I V A N , E A R T H S C I E NC E S , ‘ 7 3Scientist, astronaut, and former administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, first American woman to walk in space

ADA R E C I N O S , S O C I O L OGY, ‘ 1 5A graduate of UC Santa Cruz’s Everett Program, which gives students tools to pursue social activism, Recinos was sworn in as the youngest council member for the city of Richmond, California, in 2017

CAR Y J OJ I F U KUNAG A , H I S T O R Y, ‘ 9 9Emmy Award-winning director (True Detective) and next James Bond movie director

S U S AN WOJC I C K I , M S E C ONOM I C S , ‘ 9 3CEO of YouTube — Google was started in her garage, and she later became Google’s first marketing manager. Wojcicki received her undergraduate degree from Harvard in English.

W H A T W E ’ V E B E C O M E

Positive

UC Santa Cruz provides an atmosphere of innovation along with the resources to prepare for a successful career. Our graduates have risen into the upper echelons of their fields. And several graduates have launched companies based on their research projects.

TOP EMPLOYERS OF UC SANTA CRUZ ALUMNI

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Anthropology*Applied Linguistics and

MultilingualismApplied Mathematics (minor)Applied PhysicsArtArt and Design: Games and

Playable MediaAssistive Technology (minor)Astrophysics (minor) Biochemistry and Molecular

BiologyBioelectronics and Biophotonics

(minor)Bioinformatics (minor)Biomolecular Engineering and

BioinformaticsBioinformaticsBiomolecular Engineering

Biology*Business Management EconomicsChemistry*

BiochemistryClassical Studies*Cognitive ScienceCommunity StudiesComputer Engineering*

Computer SystemsDigital HardwareNetworksRobotics and ControlSystems Programming

Computer Science* Computer Science: Computer

Game DesignCritical Race and Ethnic StudiesDance (minor)Earth Sciences*

Environmental GeologyGeologyOcean SciencesPlanetary Sciences

Earth Sciences/Anthropology

East Asian Studies (minor)Ecology and EvolutionEconomics*

66 Undergraduate Majors. 41 Minors.

Economics/MathematicsEducation (minor)Electrical Engineering*

Communications, Signals, Systems, and Controls

Electronics/OpticsElectronic Music (minor)Environmental SciencesEnvironmental Studies

Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems

Conservation Science and Policy

Geographic Information Systems

Global Environmental JusticeEnvironmental Studies/Biology Environmental Studies/Earth

SciencesEnvironmental Studies/EconomicsFeminist StudiesFilm and Digital Media*

Critical StudiesIntegrated Critical PracticeProduction

Global EconomicsGlobal Information and Social

Enterprise Studies (minor)History*

Americas and AfricaAsia and the Pacific Europe and the

Mediterranean World

History of Art and Visual Culture*Curation, Heritage, and

Museums History of Consciousness (minor)Human BiologyItalian Studies*Jazz (minor)Jewish Studies*Language Studies*

ChineseFrenchGermanItalianJapaneseSpanish

Latin American and Latino Studies*Latin American and Latino

Studies/PoliticsLatin American and Latino

Studies/SociologyLegal Studies*Linguistics*

Theoretical LinguisticsLiterature*

Creative WritingFrench LiteratureGerman LiteratureGreek and Latin LiteraturesItalian LiteratureSpanish/Latin American/

Latino LiteraturesMarine Biology

Undergraduate Programs admissions.ucsc.edu/majors

Graduate Programs graddiv.ucsc.edu

Check these sites out to learn about the many career opportunities available in each area and link to department sites with great information on faculty and their research.

F O L L O W I N G Y O U R P A S S I O N

Mathematics*Computational MathematicsMathematics EducationPure Mathematics

Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology

Music*Network and Digital TechnologyNeurosciencePhilosophy*Physics*Physics (Astrophysics)Plant SciencesPolitics*PsychologyRobotics EngineeringScience EducationScience, Technology, Engineering,

and Mathematics (STEM) Education (minor)

SociologySpanish Studies

Languages and LinguisticsLiterature and Culture

Statistics (minor)Sustainability Studies (minor)Technology and Information

Management*Theater Arts*

DanceDesign and TechnologyDrama

Saksham KumarFilm and digital media/physics (astrophysics) double major, Mumbai, India, graduated from Jamnabai Narsee School

Saksham had a number of different college and university choices, yet he chose UC Santa Cruz for its outstanding reputation in his two passions: astrophysics and film. In his first year at UC Santa Cruz, he produced two films of his own and worked/volunteered with the Santa Cruz Film Festival.

JACK BASKIN SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

“The Baskin School of Engineering at UC Santa Cruz is unique among public engineering schools. By offering

forward-looking programs of study and opportunities to engage in collaborative research across campus and with industry partners in Santa Cruz and nearby Silicon Valley, Baskin Engineering represents a new kind of engineering

school: an engineering school for the 21st century.”

Dean Alexander Wolf

Undeclared/Undecided (freshmen can pick an Advising Cluster and declare their major later)

*This major also has a minor with the same name.

T H R E E Y E A R P A T H W A Y S Accelerated three year pathways are available in 13 of our most popular majors, such as art, business management economics, literature, psychology and a special 3+3 BA/JD program with UC Hastings College of the Law, the only program of its kind in the University of California system. Students work with multiple advisors across campus to help them achieve their goals. See advising.ucsc.edu for more.

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Mountainsand the Sea

A Community of Innovation Between the

“I think one’s

surroundings have a great influence on your thinking and on your

feelings about the world. For a scientist, I think it’s very good to have a feeling that you’re not restricted

in your thinking. I have the feeling that our early evidence for the importance of ribosomal RNA might not have emerged if I’d gone [elsewhere]. Here, there was nobody

to tell me that you shouldn’t do this experiment. That can’t possibly be true.”

Harry Noller, UC Santa Cruz biologist, 2017 (recipient of the $3 Million Breakthrough Prize in Life

Sciences, considered the Nobel Prize of the Silicon Valley.)

NEXT DOOR TO SIL ICON VALLEY

OVER 17 MILLION INTERNATIONAL VISITORS (to California, according

to the California State Government)

300 SUNNY DAYS A YEAR (according to Santa Cruz County Officials)

UC SANTA CRUZCAMPUS

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UC SANTA CRUZMONTEREY BAY EDUCATION, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY CENTER

UC SANTA CRUZ SILICON VALLEY CAMPUS

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Santa Cruz Life

Explore

A global vacation destination with a burgeoning tech ecosystem, Santa Cruz revels in its Surf City roots, casual atmosphere, and ability to embrace new people and ideas.

Santa Cruz is a place for adventurers. Dreamers, creators, artists, entrepreneurs, outdoor sports enthusiasts, technology gurus, critical thinkers. With its beautiful location of beaches, mountains, and primeval redwood forests, Santa Cruz beckons you to explore, to contemplate, and to expand your thinking.

Santa Cruz is a small coastal city of about 60,000 people. Its laid-back atmosphere and historic Santa Cruz Wharf are augmented by the globally recognized Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History, a vibrant music

and arts scene, cutting-edge genomics companies, a lively downtown retail experience, and a variety of student-friendly shopping and dining.

Naturally Inspiring

Located between the Monterey Bay along California’s rugged central coast and the Santa Cruz mountains, the city is an urban hub intertwined with dramatic natural beauty. The warm Mediterranean climate of the area provides opportunities for year-round recreation and adventure.

Like the town, our campus has always been distinguished by its natural beauty and unique location between Monterey Bay and Silicon Valley.

Learning in this environment creates an academic experience like no other. Where else can you walk from class to class on a footpath between massive redwood trees, and then enjoy your lunch sitting on a sunny terrace with a view of the ocean?

Meet Sammy the Slug

In 1986 students replaced the sea lion mascot with a Banana Slug after a very successful vote! The Banana Slug has no known predators, and represents flexibility and contemplation.

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Admissions

The admission process for UC Santa Cruz reflects the academic rigor and preparation needed for admission to a major research institution and is based on a system of holistic review. As we consider each individual application - and rest assured, we do consider each one - we look beyond grades and test scores. We spend timeevaluating your academic and personal achievementsand preparation in light of the opportunities availableto you and your demonstrated capacity to contributeto the intellectual life on our campus.

Selection by UC Santa Cruz

As a selective campus, UC Santa Cruz is unable to offer admission to all UC-qualified applicants. UC Santa Cruz offers admission to freshman applicants according to the selection policy described on admissions.ucsc.edu/apply/freshman.html. Professionally-trained Admissions readers conduct an in-depth review of your academic and personal achievements.

COMPUTER ENGINEERING AND COMPUTER SCIENCEStudents interested in computer engineering or computer science must select the major as their first choice on the UC Application. Applicants are encouraged to have a solid background in advanced high school mathematics. A student not selected for computer engineering or computer science may be reviewed for admission to an alternate major if one was selected.

U.S. FRESHMEN FROM OUTSIDE CALIFORNIAThe qualifying and selection criteria for students from outside California are similar, except that a minimum GPA of 3.40 is required, instead of 3.00.

INTERNATIONAL FRESHMENUC has slightly different admission requirements for international students. In addition to qualifying for UC via the process described above and achieving a minimum GPA of 3.4, international students must meet other requirements specific to their home countries. UC Santa Cruz also has an English Proficiency Requirement.

admissions.ucsc.edu/apply/international-students/intl-frosh.html

TRANSFER ADMISSIONMany UC Santa Cruz students do not begin their career as freshmen, but choose to enter the university by transferring from a community college or another four year institution. When making transfer admission decisions, top priority is given to qualified junior transfers from California community colleges.

E N G L I S H P R O F I C I E N C YWe require all applicants who attend a school in a country where English is not the native language or whose language of instruction in high school (secondary school) was not English to adequately demonstrate English competency as a part of the application process. In most cases, if less than three years of your secondary schooling was with English as the language of instruction, you must meet this requirement.

See admissions.ucsc.edu/apply/international-students/english-proficiency.html

California Freshmen

MIN IMUM QUA L I F I C AT I ONSComplete 15 college-preparatory courses (“a-g” courses), with at least 11 finished prior to the beginning of your senior year. To view your school’s a-g course list, visit hs-articulation.ucop.edu/guide.

The 15 courses are - A History/social science, 2 yearsB English, 4 years, or local language for students whose curriculum

is not in English.C Mathematics, 3 yearsD Laboratory science, 2 yearsE Language other than English, 2 yearsF Visual and performing arts, 1 yearG College-preparatory elective, 1 year (chosen from the subjects

listed above or another course approved by the university)

Earn a grade-point average (GPA) of 3.00 or better in these courses with no grade lower than a C. Meet the examination requirement by taking the ACT Plus Writing or the SAT with Essay examination no later than December of the senior year. SAT exams taken prior to March 2016 will be accepted.

California students who meet these qualifications may be “qualified in the statewide context,” or “qualified in the local context” (also referred to as ELC).

For more information, visit admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/freshman and admissions.ucsc.edu/apply/freshman.html

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Y There are minimum requirements for transfer to the University of California and for 34 of our majors that require specific course requirements to ensure timely degree completion:

• Complete at least 60 semester units or 90 quarterunits of UC-transferable coursework.

• Complete the following UC-transferable coursepattern with minimum C (2.00) grades. Each coursemust be at least 3 semester units/4 quarter units:

1.) Two English composition courses2.) One course in mathematical concepts and

quantitative reasoning3.) Four courses from at least two of

the following subject areas: arts and humanities, social and behavioral science, and physical and biological sciences

• Earn at least an overall UC GPA of 2.40, althoughhigher GPAs are more competitive.

• Complete required lower-division courses with therequired grades/GPA for the intended major.

All diplomas are identical, whether you begin as a student right from high school or attend another college or university first!

Apply online at aply. universityofcalifornia.edu

Deadline to Submit Application:November 30

admissions.ucsc.edu/apply/transfer-students

WH A T Y O U ’ L L N E E D T O K N O W ( C O N T I N U E D ) 14 15

Enrollment Facts

Fall 2018 Enrollment

Undergraduates

Primary Undergraduate Ethnicities, Fall 2018

Number of countries represented by fall 2019 applicants

U.S. states and territories represented by fall 2019 applicants

17,792

52%61%

56

28.3%

0.8%

4.3%

1.8%

7.8%

26.7%

30.3%

1,908+ = 19,700Undergraduates Graduates Total Enrollment

Freshmen

Transfers

4 . 0 O R H I G H E R G P A : 5 0 . 3 %3 . 5 T O 3 . 9 9 G P A : 4 2 . 6 % 3 . 4 9 O R L O W E R G P A : 7 . 1 % M E A N G P A : 3 . 9 4

Admitted freshmen fall 2019 profile 2019 admission rates

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Undergraduate Freshmen and Transfers, Fall 2018

CA L I F ORN I A R E S I D EN T S - 8 8%U . S . NON -CA L I F ORN I A R E S I D EN T S - 4%IN T ERNAT I ONA L - 8%

Transfer Enrollment Facts

Transfer students presently enrolled - 3,497New transfer students entered fall 2018 - 1,815Re-entry students aged 25 or over

(for undergraduates) or 29 or over (for graduate students) - 1,740

Number of California Community Colleges with at least one fall 2019 admit - 109

Mean GPA for admitted transfers, fall 2019 - 3.33

ASIAN AMERICAN/PACIFIC ISLANDER

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48.4% 50.6% 1.0%

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ACT SAT

27 or higher: 65.6% 1400 or higher: 29.9%

22-26: 25.7% 1100-1399: 64.6%

21 or lower: 8.7% 1099 or lower: 5.5%

Comp.*: 28.3 Total*: 1319.2

Engl. w/Writing*: 24.5 Reading/Writing*: 643.8

Reading*: 29.1 Math*: 682.9

Math*: 27.8 Essay*: 16

Projections on the Digital Arts Research Center building by student Catalina Giraldo

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EST IMATED UNDERGRADUATE EXPENSES , 2019-20*

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EYFinancial Aid

In 2018-19, more than $320 million in student aid and scholarships was distributed to 80 percent of UC Santa Cruz undergraduates. We strive to remove financial barriers.financialaid.ucsc.edu

BLUE AND GOLD OPPORTUNITY PLAN UC’s Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan pays for educational and student services fees for California resident students with family incomes less than $80,000 a year.

universityofcalifornia.edu/blueandgold

MIDDLE CLASS SCHOLARSHIP This scholarship is for California resident students with total family income under $150,000.

admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/paying-for-uc/glossary/middle-class-scholarship

W H A T Y O U ’ L L N E E D T O K N O W ( C O N T I N U E D )

RESOURCES FOR DREAMERS (CALIFORNIA DREAM ACT AB540)

financialaid.ucsc.edu/apply-for-aid/Dreamers

AWARDS FOR NONRESIDENTS

financialaid.ucsc.edu/types-of-aid/scholarships/non-resident-scholarships.html

Tuition and Fees (estimated)Food and Housing Books and Supplies Transportation Personal Expenses Campus Health InsuranceCA Resident TotalsNon-Resident TuitionNon-Resident Totals(U.S. and International)

$13,98916,9501,0866871,6863,018$37,41629,754$67,170

$13,98913,215 1,086 9991,5483,018$33,855 29,754 $63,609

Tuition and fees are subject to change. For updated information, see financialaid.ucsc.edu/cost-to-attend

Campus health insurance is mandatory. The campus medical health insurance charge will be waived for students who provide proof of insurance.

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Produced by UC Santa Cruz Office of Undergraduate Admissions, 7/19 (60M). Statistics and budgets are subject to change. For the most current information, visit: admissions.ucsc.edu.