University of California Santa Cruz is a public institution that was founded in the year 1965. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of around 15,668, its setting is suburban, and the campus area is 2,000 acres. It has a quarter-based academic calendar. University of California--Santa Cruz is ranked 75 in 2012 edition of the Best Colleges is National Universities.
At the University of California Santa Cruz, one of ten schools in the state’s university system, residence life can describe a student’s experience.
On campus, there are over 25 miles of hiking and jogging trails, and over 100 student clubs and organizations. Only around 3 percent of students are members of the school’s small Greek system. The UC Santa Cruz sports teams are the independent participants in NCAA’s Division III.
Athletes are supported by the Banana Slug, a nontraditional, the yellow earthen creature which has been recognized as the best mascots in the country. For enjoyment, students can tour Dead Central, a room full of the Grateful Dead memorabilia donated by the band to UCSC, or travel around the small beach town of Santa Cruz, situated on Monterey Bay. There are rides and games on the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, and the opportunities for sailing, swimming, and kayaking on the bay. For longer road trips, Monterey is 45 miles away, and San Francisco is a around 75 mile trip.
The school is nationally known for astronomy and space sciences programs. The University is part of a 10-year research project with NASA to study space travel, nanotechnology and air traffic management. Other creative programs include the computer game design major, and UCSC was first school in the California state system to offer degree. The female engineers are in especially good company at UCSC; the school is noted for providing one of the highest percentages of engineering graduate degrees to women. The notable alumni include Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Dana Priest, the NPR broadcast hosts Nikki Silva and Davia Nelson of The Kitchen Sisters, and the romance novelist Jayne Ann Krentz, who frequently writes under the pseudonyms Amanda Quick and Jayne Castle.
Campus Location
1156 High Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95064
General Information
School type-public, coed college
Year founded-1965
Religious affiliation-N/A
Academic calendar-quarter
Setting-suburban