UC Santa Cruz Acceptance Rate: In-State, Out-of-State, Transfer and CS

University of California guide · By CalChannel Editorial Team · Updated September 30, 2026

The UC Santa Cruz acceptance rate was 82.1% for first-year applicants in Fall 2026, according to the University of California, up from 72.7% for Fall 2025. The Fall 2025 Common Data Set shows the split: 71.2% of California residents, 84.1% of out-of-state applicants and 72.4% of international applicants. Transfer applicants were admitted at 69.0%. Computer science is the exception to those easy-looking odds, because you must be admitted into it as a proposed major.

UC Santa Cruz, or UCSC, is the University of California’s redwood campus above Monterey Bay. It’s also one of the most accessible ways into the UC system. But a single acceptance rate doesn’t tell you much about your own chances. The odds change with where you live, whether you’re transferring and which major you pick. This guide breaks those numbers down, then covers what UCSC costs and what life on its forested campus is like.

UC Santa Cruz Acceptance Rate, Explained

For Fall 2025, 66,374 students applied to UC Santa Cruz as first-years, 48,274 were admitted and 4,596 enrolled. That put the UC Santa Cruz acceptance rate at 72.7%, which puts UCSC among the most accessible campuses in the University of California system.

UCSC became even more accessible for Fall 2026. Applications rose to 79,048, and the campus admitted 64,867 of them, or 82.1%, according to admit data published by the University of California. The middle 50% of Fall 2026 admits had high school GPAs between 3.79 and 4.20.

The enrollment number matters as much as the admit rate. Fewer than one in ten admitted students actually enrolled. Most UCSC admits also hold offers from other UC campuses or private colleges, so UCSC admits far more students than it expects to enroll. That’s why the admit rate is high even though demand for UC seats is intense.

The waitlist is another sign of how UCSC manages its class. For Fall 2025, 6,444 students accepted a spot on the waitlist and 2,648 were admitted from it. If UCSC waitlists you, it’s a real possibility, not a polite rejection.

UCSC Out-of-State Acceptance Rate

The UC Santa Cruz acceptance rate for out-of-state first-year applicants was 84.1% for Fall 2025: 6,097 of 7,248. That’s higher than the 71.2% rate for California residents. But only 252 of those out-of-state admits enrolled, or about 4%.

The reason is price. Nonresidents pay $39,270 a year in Nonresident Supplemental Tuition on top of regular UC tuition, which brings UCSC’s estimated on-campus cost for an entering nonresident to $87,807 for 2026-27. Most UC need-based aid is reserved for California residents, so out-of-state families usually compare UCSC with their own state’s flagship before committing.

UCSC Computer Science and Engineering Admission

UCSC does not publish separate first-year acceptance rates by major, so any “UCSC engineering acceptance rate” or “UCSC computer science acceptance rate” you see online is an estimate. What UCSC does publish is the rule that shapes your odds.

Computer science at UC Santa Cruz is an impacted major in the Baskin School of Engineering. To study it, you must be admitted to UCSC as a proposed computer science major. According to Baskin Engineering, students who were not admitted as proposed computer science majors can’t switch into it later. That makes your major choice on the UC application a real decision, not a placeholder.

Admission as a proposed major is only the first step. Baskin students then have to meet the major’s qualification requirements before they can declare it:

If you’re set on computer science, apply as a proposed CS major and treat UCSC as a more competitive target than the overall UC Santa Cruz acceptance rate suggests. If you’re undecided, many majors outside Baskin’s impacted programs can be declared after you enroll.

UCSC Transfer Acceptance Rate

The UC Santa Cruz acceptance rate for transfer applicants was 69.0% for Fall 2025: 8,860 of 12,832 were admitted, and 1,322 enrolled. For Fall 2026, UCSC admitted 67.5% of transfer applicants, or 9,141 of 13,546, and 96.5% of admitted transfers came from California community colleges. For a student at a California community college, that makes UCSC one of the most reachable UC campuses.

UCSC also takes part in the UC Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG). Eligible California community college students who meet the GPA and course requirements for their intended major can lock in admission before they apply. Impacted majors such as computer science have their own screening requirements for transfers, so check the major’s preparation list early.

What GPA Do You Need for UCSC?

The UC Santa Cruz acceptance rate depends on more than grades, but grades still matter. The UC minimum is a 3.0 GPA in A-G courses for California residents and 3.4 for nonresidents. Enrolled UCSC first-years for Fall 2025 averaged a 3.87 high school GPA, and about 36% had a 4.0 or higher.

Those numbers describe the students who enrolled, not a cutoff. UCSC uses comprehensive review, so your course rigor, the Personal Insight Questions and your circumstances all count alongside grades. Test scores don’t count at all, because UC campuses don’t consider the SAT or ACT.

UC Santa Cruz Tuition and Cost

For students entering in 2026-27, UCSC tuition and fees are $17,439 for California residents: $15,588 in systemwide tuition and fees plus $1,851 in campus fees. The total cost of attendance is $48,537 on campus, $49,047 off campus and $37,665 for commuters living at home. Nonresidents add $39,270.

Two line items are worth a closer look. The $4,209 health insurance charge can be waived if you have comparable coverage, which lowers the real budget. And off-campus living is budgeted slightly higher than on campus, because Santa Cruz has a tight, expensive rental market.

For California families, grants usually cut the price well below the sticker figure. UC’s Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan means that, for most California families with incomes up to $100,000, grants and scholarships cover the full UC tuition bill. Cal Grants, federal Pell Grants and the Middle Class Scholarship can help with the rest. For how UC tuition compares across campuses, see our UC tuition guide.

Life at UCSC: Colleges, Housing and Campus

UC Santa Cruz sits on about 2,000 acres of redwood forest and meadow on a hillside above the city of Santa Cruz, on the northern shore of Monterey Bay. San Francisco is about 75 miles to the north and San Jose about 30 miles away. Buildings are scattered among the trees, and campus shuttles and Santa Cruz Metro buses link the colleges, classrooms and downtown.

The campus was founded in 1965 around small residential colleges, and that design still defines student life. Every undergraduate belongs to one of ten colleges, such as Cowell, Stevenson, Porter, Rachel Carson and John R. Lewis College. Each has its own housing, dining and events, so a campus of about 20,000 students feels smaller day to day.

Housing is changing. In June 2026, UC Santa Cruz announced a two-year housing guarantee for new first-year and transfer students, joining UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, UC Irvine, UCLA and UC Merced. UCSC houses about 9,300 students, roughly half of its undergraduates, and new projects such as the Delaware Apartments and the renewed Kresge College are adding beds.

“For UCSC students, the two-year housing guarantee is worth more than it looks. Santa Cruz is one of California’s hardest rental markets, so two years on campus buys time to find shared housing without a scramble.”

CalChannel Editorial Team

Academically, UCSC is best known for marine and ocean sciences, environmental studies, astronomy and astrophysics, and computer science and game design. Its researchers posted the first working draft of the human genome online in 2000, and the campus remains a center for genomics. UCSC is a member of the Association of American Universities, and U.S. News ranks it No. 50 among public universities and No. 109 among national universities for 2027.

On outcomes, about 90% of first-years return for a second year. Of the 2019 entering class, 60% graduated in four years and 74% within six, lower than at the most selective UC campuses. Its famous mascot, the Banana Slug, competes in NCAA Division III.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Bottom Line on UC Santa Cruz

The UC Santa Cruz acceptance rate was 82.1% for first-years and 67.5% for transfers in Fall 2026, which makes UCSC one of the most accessible UC campuses. Out-of-state applicants are admitted at an even higher rate, but few enroll because of the cost. The real exception is computer science: apply as a proposed CS major if that’s your goal.

New California students should budget about $48,500 a year on campus before aid, and less if they waive campus health insurance. Apply by November 30, and compare UCSC with UC Santa Barbara, UC Davis and other UC campuses on the same application.

CalChannel Editorial Team California college guides

The CalChannel editorial team researches and writes guides to California colleges, admissions and financial aid. We build our college profiles and aid guides from colleges’ own published data, federal IPEDS data and the California Student Aid Commission. Read our editorial policy.