Santa Cruz, CA
Founded in 1965
The University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), also known as UC Santa Cruz or simply Santa Cruz, was founded in 1965 as a public research university. It began with a progressive, interdisciplinary, and innovative approach to education and is one of the ten campuses of the University of California system. Located in the coastal city of Santa Cruz, California, and situated within a redwood park, it is considered one of the most beautiful university campuses in the United States. It is approximately 45 miles from Monterey and 75 miles from San Francisco. In the 2020 U.S. News rankings, UCSC was ranked 84th nationally, with strong programs in astronomy, space sciences, marine biology, psychology, and computational media. The university has ten undergraduate colleges and one research institute, offering degree programs in humanities, arts, engineering, anthropology, natural sciences, and social sciences. The colleges not only provide courses but also academic support, with each college having its own unique events and architecture, often organizing student activities or social events. The UCSC sports teams compete as independent competitors in NCAA Division III. The university’s mascot, the Banana Slug, is a nontraditional yellow, slug-like creature, considered one of the best mascots in the U.S. In addition to the sports teams, the university has more than 150 student clubs and organizations, allowing students to enrich their extracurricular activities. Notable alumni include Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Dana Priest, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, and Jonah Peretti, the founder of BuzzFeed and Huffington Post.