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Public · Small city campus · verified rankings · federal data

University of California, Santa Cruz

Students comparing University of California, Santa Cruz on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Santa Cruz, California17,940 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 24Public universityResearch universityU.S. News ranked

The short answer

University of California, Santa Cruz: U.S. News ranks it #88 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #63 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #198 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #253 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #399 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026) — #16 Least Religious Students; QS ranks it #460 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 17,940 undergraduates, admits 65.8% of applicants, and posts a 75.1% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $50,205; aid recipients pay $17,890 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $68,396.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
65.8%

Below the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$17,890

74% below the $70,153 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$68,396

Above the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
75.1%

Above the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$16,666

Above the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
Not reportedUniversity of California-Santa Cruz reports that it neither requires nor recommends admissions test scores, and does not report a score range to the Department of Education.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Where UC Santa Cruz ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026National Universities#88of 436National universities
Forbes2026America's Top Colleges#63of 500Top colleges (Forbes)
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#198of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.#253of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)B#399of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value Colleges4.5 starsListedBest value (Money)
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)#16 Least Religious StudentsListedOverall (Niche)
QS2026World University Rankings#460of 1,504World (QS)

Methodology sensitivity: UC Santa Cruz's position moves 38 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About UC Santa Cruz

University of California, Santa Cruz is a public institution in Santa Cruz, California. Federal data show 87.9% first-year retention and a 22:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $17,890 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $70,153 sticker cost against $17,890 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing University of California, Santa Cruz on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

In-state tuition & fees
$16,005

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Out-of-state tuition & fees
$50,205

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$19,948

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $70,153 a year, but the average family pays $17,890 — a 74% difference. 31.6% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run UC Santa Cruz's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    22:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    87.9%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    17,940

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    UC Santa Cruz: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $50,205 and on-campus room and board is $19,948, for a published total of $70,153 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $17,890.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 65.8%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

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