The University of California, Santa Cruz, was founded in 1965 as a bold experiment in higher education, blossoming in short time into a global research university and a creative powerhouse.
A campus with world-class facilities and one of the most visually spectacular settings in higher education, UC Santa Cruz offers rigorous academic programs and cutting-edge research opportunities that guide students in how to think, not what to think.
United by the pursuit of social and environmental justice and driven by passion and curiosity, our students, faculty, staff, and alumni innovate across disciplines, seek to push the envelope of knowledge, and deploy their expertise and voice to advocate for transformative change. We are bold in our ideas, determined in our pursuits, and distinguished for our societal impact.
From 652 students in 1965, the campus has grown to its current (2020–21) enrollment of more than 17,000 students. Undergraduates pursue bachelor's degrees in 66 different majors supervised by divisional deans of arts, engineering, humanities, physical and biological sciences, and social sciences. Graduate students work toward graduate certificates, master's degrees, or doctoral degrees in 64 academic programs under the supervision of the divisional and graduate deans.
