At a glance
- Address
- 1156 High St, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064-1011
- City
- Santa Cruz, California
- Country
- United States — process, visa & costs
- Website
- admissions.ucsc.edu
- Type
- Public
- Founded
- 1965
- Students
- 19,494 (2019)
- Map
- Open the campus on a map ↗
Where it ranks
151–200 in the world — ShanghaiRanking ARWU 2025.
Strongest subjects (GRAS 2025)
| Physics | 51–75 |
| Oceanography | 51–75 |
| Ecology | 76–100 |
| Biological Sciences | 76–100 |
| Mathematics | 101–150 |
| Earth Sciences | 101–150 |
How to get in
read on the university's own pages, 28 September 2026Bachelor's (after Class 12)
- Apply via
- UC Application — application page ↗
- Cycle
- Fall 2027 entry
- Intake
- September
- Tests
- SAT/ACT not part of listed UC first-year admission requirements (only A-G courses, GPA, and English proficiency are listed)
- English
- IELTS 6.5 · TOEFL 80 (before Jan 2026) / 4.5 (from Jan 2026) · Duolingo 115
UC does not accept IELTS One Skill Retake or MyBest TOEFL; waived with a C or better in a UC-transferable college English composition course - Tuition
- USD 37,602 / year (2025-26) · about ₹36 lakh
- Financial aid
- Total non-resident undergraduate budget (tuition+living) $83,898/yr (on-campus) 2025-26; UC generally does not offer institutional need-based aid to international students
What you send
- UC Application Personal Insight Questions
- 15 A-G college-prep courses
- 3.0+ GPA (3.4+ for nonresidents)
Master's / PhD (after graduation)
- Apply via
- direct (UCSC Graduate Application, opens October 1) — application page ↗
- Intake
- September
- Deadlines
- Set per program for Fall 2027; ranges from November 19, 2026 to April 15, 2027 depending on program; some programs not accepting 2027 applications
- Tests
- GRE reporting code 4860 where required; requirement varies by program
- English
- IELTS 7.0 (IELTS Academic) · TOEFL 89 technical / 83 other programs (pre-2026); 4.5 technical / 4.0 other (2026 onward)
Higher TOEFL threshold (89/4.5) for Biomolecular Engineering & Bioinformatics, Chemistry & Biochemistry, Computational Media, Computer Science & Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering, NLP, Statistical Sciences - Funding
- Tuition Fellowships may cover part/all of non-resident tuition; Regent's/Chancellor's/Cota-Robles Fellowships and 5/2-year PhD/MFA funding packages available; no international-specific tuition figure found
In numbers
US Department of Education, College Scorecard- Admission rate
- 65.8% of applicants admitted
- Tuition (non-resident)
- USD 50,205 / year · about ₹48.1 lakh
- Undergraduates
- 17,940
- International undergrads
- 3%
- Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
- USD 68,396 / year (all graduates)
Source: College Scorecard — University of California, Santa Cruz. Tuition excludes housing, food, insurance and fees.
Studying in United States
The US offers the widest range of degree programmes and research universities in the world, with flexible majors and strong graduate schools. Indian students go for choice of subject, name-brand universities, and post-study work through OPT, though costs and visa steps are the highest of any major destination.
- Visa
- F-1 student visa
- Work while studying
- Pre-completion OPT/on-campus work: up to 20 hours/week while school is in session, full-time when school is not in session (USCIS).
- After graduating
- Optional Practical Training (OPT): up to 12 months post-completion (pre-completion OPT time is deducted from it); STEM-degree graduates working for an E-Verify employer may add a 24-month STEM OPT extension (USCIS).
Every subject ranking
ShanghaiRanking GRAS 2025| Subject | Rank | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Physics | 51–75 | GRAS 2025 |
| Oceanography | 51–75 | GRAS 2025 |
| Ecology | 76–100 | GRAS 2025 |
| Biological Sciences | 76–100 | GRAS 2025 |
| Mathematics | 101–150 | GRAS 2025 |
| Earth Sciences | 101–150 | GRAS 2025 |
| Geography | 151–200 | GRAS 2025 |
| Statistics | 151–200 | GRAS 2025 |
| Atmospheric Science | 201–300 | GRAS 2025 |
| Computer Science & Engineering | 201–300 | GRAS 2025 |
| Agricultural Sciences | 201–300 | GRAS 2025 |
| Economics | 201–300 | GRAS 2025 |
| Political Sciences | 201–300 | GRAS 2025 |
| Sociology | 201–300 | GRAS 2025 |
| Psychology | 201–300 | GRAS 2025 |
| Chemistry | 301–400 | GRAS 2025 |
| Electrical & Electronic Engineering | 401–500 | GRAS 2025 |
| Materials Science & Engineering | 401–500 | GRAS 2025 |
| Environmental Science & Engineering | 401–500 | GRAS 2025 |
Prepare here, free
Admission facts on this page were read from: admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/admission-requirements/international-applicants/ · admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/admission-requirements/international-applicants/english-language-proficiency-toefl-ielts.html · admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/how-to-apply/applying-as-a-first-year/dates-and-deadlines.html · admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/admission-requirements/first-year-requirements/ · admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/admission-requirements/first-year-requirements/admission-by-exception.html · financialaid.ucsc.edu/cost-to-attend/undergraduate-costs.html · admissions.ucsc.edu/international-students · graduateadmissions.ucsc.edu/ · graduateadmissions.ucsc.edu/test-score-requirements/ · graduateadmissions.ucsc.edu/application-deadlines/ · graduateadmissions.ucsc.edu/help-for-applicants/financial-support/ — checked 28 September 2026.