# University of California-Santa Cruz

Public college in Santa Cruz, CA. IPEDS ID 110714.
Source page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/university-of-california-santa-cruz · Data: https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/university-of-california-santa-cruz.json · Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score

## Key numbers
- Acceptance rate: 66% (Fall 2024, College Scorecard)
- Average net price after grants: $17,890 per year (AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25)
- Graduation rate (6 years): 75%; beats 71% of CA colleges and 86% nationwide
- Median earnings 10 years after starting: $68,396; beats 63% of CA colleges and 84% nationwide
- Median debt at graduation: $14,334

## Net price by family income (per year, after grants)
| Family income | Net price |
|---|---|
| 0-30k | $8,717 |
| 30-48k | $10,613 |
| 48-75k | $14,418 |
| 75-110k | $18,986 |
| 110k+ | $33,323 |

Average after grants for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, in-state. Negative values mean grants exceed cost.

## Sticker price
- Cost of attendance: $41,179 in-state; about $75,379 out-of-state
- Tuition and fees: $16,005 in-state, $50,205 out-of-state
- Housing and meals: $18,785; books: $1,315

## Admissions
- SAT reading & writing: not reported; SAT math: not reported; ACT: not reported (25th–75th percentile, Fall 2024)
- Fall 2023: 68,845 applicants, 43,054 admitted, 4,381 enrolled; test scores not considered
- Fall 2024: acceptance 66%, ACT not reported (College Scorecard)
- Fall 2023: acceptance 63%, ACT not reported (IPEDS Admissions)

### State-published GPA and test ranges (middle 50%)
- Admitted for Fall 2026: GPA (weighted) 3.79–4.2; SAT —; ACT —; CLT — (First-year admit data, fall 2026 (one page per campus))
- Check chances: https://educationguide.com/chances?school=university-of-california-santa-cruz

## Majors (57 bachelor's majors)
| Major | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Engineering | $79,969 | $124,641 | $23,392 |
| Computer Science | $75,150 | $123,422 | $16,666 |
| Electrical Engineering | $78,842 | $118,290 | $17,048 |
| Biomedical Engineering | $55,856 | $98,567 | $22,500 |
| Information Technology | $55,773 | $94,589 | $20,020 |
| Biochemistry | $40,320 | $88,305 | $18,959 |
| Business Economics | $52,029 | $82,064 | $16,500 |
| Economics | $50,518 | $76,382 | $18,017 |
| Cognitive Science | $35,384 | $72,125 | $19,500 |
| Chemistry | $39,700 | $71,348 | $15,000 |
| Cell / Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences | $45,088 | $69,849 | $19,000 |
| Neuroscience | $25,034 | $69,027 | $19,500 |
| Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design | not reported | $66,333 | not reported |
| Legal Studies / Paralegal | $36,941 | $66,244 | $18,416 |
| Political Science | $31,882 | $65,890 | $16,782 |
| Biology | $37,651 | $65,036 | $20,703 |
| Geology / Earth Science | $43,362 | $64,499 | $20,833 |
| History | $33,081 | $60,519 | $18,279 |
| Psychology | $30,730 | $59,948 | $18,902 |
| Mathematics | $40,798 | $59,214 | $19,232 |
| Graphic Communications | $25,358 | $58,163 | $20,714 |
| Community Organization and Advocacy | $29,617 | $56,620 | $17,750 |
| Ethnic / Gender Studies | $31,140 | $55,798 | $19,747 |
| Sociology | $28,495 | $55,338 | $16,500 |
| Environmental Science / Conservation | $29,152 | $55,240 | $18,500 |
| Behavioral Sciences | $28,709 | $54,606 | $17,500 |
| Anthropology | $23,152 | $52,315 | $17,875 |
| Spanish / French / Romance Languages | $32,934 | $51,519 | $17,340 |
| Philosophy | $30,285 | $51,398 | $15,832 |
| Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | $25,810 | $49,821 | $18,887 |
| Linguistics | $21,793 | $49,763 | $17,491 |
| Film and Photography | $23,614 | $45,815 | $16,439 |
| Studio Art | $21,106 | $40,156 | $19,500 |
| Theatre | $21,638 | $30,524 | $19,500 |
| Agricultural Production Operations | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Plant Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Area Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Computer and Information Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Software and Media Applications | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Education (Subject Teaching) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Classics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| English Language and Literature / Letters, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Biotechnology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Applied Mathematics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Natural Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Religious Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Physical Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Astronomy and Astrophysics | $35,171 | not reported | $20,500 |
| Physics | $37,859 | not reported | $16,250 |
| Psychology (Research) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Archeology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Music | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## Major to career
- Computer Science → Software developer: median wage $156,910 (Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA), $174,410 (CA), $135,980 (U.S.)
- Environmental Science / Conservation → Environmental scientist: median wage $103,610 (Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA), $106,510 (CA), $82,220 (U.S.)

## Sources and years
- Net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; cost of attendance: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; tuition: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation: Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; earnings: Treasury AY2009-10, AY2010-11 pooled cohort measured in CY2020, CY2021, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars; debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
- Major earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars

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