Profile

Located on the northern edge of Monterey Bay, an hour south of San Francisco, the University of California, Santa Cruz is a public research university on the state’s coast. Undergraduates at UCSC can choose between 65 different majors, but all students must take a course in American history as well as entry-level writing in order to graduate. The academic year at UCSC is organized into four quarters, with three – fall, winter, and spring – constituting a regular school year. Students can also choose to spend a semester studying at the University of New Hampshire or the University of New Mexico, other UC campuses, or in cities like Sacramento and Washington, D.C. UCSC is committed to promoting sustainable food on campus, having signed the Real Food Campus Commitment in 2012. The campus currently makes 28% sustainable food purchases, but aims to reach 40% by 2020, and already composts 100% of biodegradable materials from its dining halls. Athletes are represented by UCSC’s Banana Slug, and compete in NCAA Division III athletics.