UC Santa Cruz Loans, Tuition, Costs & More

This is the complete guide to UC Santa Cruz tuition, costs and student loans. If you’re considering University of California-Santa Cruz (UCSC), you’re likely focussed on that huge, glaring sticker price: $N/A.

If you’re still trying to figure out if you can get into the school, try our college chances calculator for UC Santa Cruz

That expensive sticker price can be extremely misleading and does not usually represent the true cost of UC Santa Cruz. The reality is that a huge percentage of students who attend UC Santa Cruz do not pay that number.

What you are most likely concerned with is what you and your family will pay for University of California-Santa Cruz (UCSC), which is dependent on a range of factors from family income to state residency.

Before we get started, if you have any doubts about your ability to afford UC Santa Cruz and are interested in student loans to support your education, the below vendors specifically lend to UC Santa Cruz students - click any of them to learn more about their rates and requirements.

Now, let’s break down that scary sticker price first.

How much is UC Santa Cruz tuition?

The stated tuition for out-of-state students at University of California-Santa Cruz (UCSC) is $42952 while in-state students pay $13960. The dictionary definition of tuition is the “price of payment for instruction.” That’s an important distinction from the total cost of attending UC Santa Cruz.

Essentially, tuition is only what you pay to attend classes at UC Santa Cruz. The annual charge of $42952 or $13960 often excludes dozens of other miscellaneous expenses, such as housing, textbooks, meals, fees and more. Therefore, the true cost of UC Santa Cruz is much higher than either of these prices (more on this later).

At the same time, however, tuition does not take into account factors that can help a student or family afford college, such as scholarships, student loans and grants.

Therefore, although an important benchmark, the $13960 for University of California-Santa Cruz (UCSC) is likely not a good indicator of what you can expect to pay if you attend the school.

What is the total cost of UC Santa Cruz?

If you’re already thinking of this question, you’re one step ahead of us! And you’re on the right track… .The total cost of attending UC Santa Cruz is $N/A and is much more indicative of how much you will pay over the course of one year to attend the school - with one BIG caveat: total cost excludes financial supports that help reduce the cost of attending school, like scholarships at UC Santa Cruz.

Still, if you do not plan on receiving financial aid, student loans and the like then the University of California-Santa Cruz (UCSC) cost of attendance is the best indicator to consider.

What does the total cost of UC Santa Cruz include?

The total cost of UC Santa Cruz includes tuition and other common, material expenses, like textbooks and supplies, room and board, and meal costs, minus the average amount of financial aid and scholarships.

Importantly, this does not reflect the price you will likely pay based on your income bracket.

What is the price of room and board at UC Santa Cruz?

UC Santa Cruz doesn’t report the cost of rooming and dorms. However, we know that average room and board costs from private universities around the country is estimated to be about $10,800. Although there is variability in this price, mostly determined by school location, UC Santa Cruz dorm costs are likely similar give or take 10%.

UC Santa Cruz doesn’t report meal/boarding charges.

The combined room and board charge for UC Santa Cruz is $16055.

How much is UC Santa Cruz out of state tuition?

Out of state tuition for UC Santa Cruz is $42952.

How much is University of California-Santa Cruz (UCSC) in state tuition?

In state state tuition for UC Santa Cruz is $13960.

How can I afford UC Santa Cruz?

You should use a variety of financial tools to offset the cost of UC Santa Cruz.

It’s easy to lose track of all the assets at your disposal, but the most common can be categorized into grants, loans, and scholarships.

At University of California-Santa Cruz (UCSC), 0.3725% of students receive a pell grant. Furthermore, 0.4232% of students borrow federal student loans to help pay for the school.

If you will use student loans to help pay for UC Santa Cruz, these providers below all work with UC Santa Cruz students.

How much will I pay for UC Santa Cruz?

This is the million dollar question - literally! UC Santa Cruz students pay a variety of prices to attend the institution, as you already know. A very easy way to determine an average price you can expect to pay is by using your average family income and comparing it to the table below.

For additional insight, try using the University of California-Santa Cruz (UCSC) net price calculator.

How much debt will I graduate with from UC Santa Cruz?

Beyond the years you plan on spending at University of California-Santa Cruz (UCSC), the financial repercussions of UC Santa Cruz tuition will stay with you for awhile, especially if you take out loans to finance the education.

The median debt for students who have completed a degree at UC Santa Cruz is $19000.0. We can break down this number further by household income and student type (see where you might fit in):

Is UC Santa Cruz worth the cost?

Going to college is an investment, and like all investments, you should look at the ROI of attending University of California-Santa Cruz (UCSC).

Luckily, we can provide some insightful data to help determine whether or not UC Santa Cruz is worth the cost by examining what past graduates are earning now.

The average salary of students who were working six years after graduating from UC Santa Cruz is $38400 (the median is $33800).

After 8 years, the average salary for UC Santa Cruz graduates is $N/A.

10 years out, the average salary for UC Santa Cruz graduates is $53800.

I think it’s particularly interesting to look at the salary 10 years after graduation, and it’s probably more indicative of whether UC Santa Cruz is worth the cost. The real upside of a college degree is that it puts you on a path where your future salary can increase substantially, and it may be hard to achieve that upside without a college degree.

For example, after graduating from UC Santa Cruz you may get a job where the salary is not too much more than you’d make without a college degree, and you may have taken out a lot of loans to get there!

However, if you stay in that position for 5 or 10 years, you will likely begin doubling and tripling what you’re making.

The future earnings potential is going to be much higher if you go to UC Santa Cruz compared to not attending college at all. Therefore, it’s about maximizing that opportunity and reducing the debt needed to get there.

How do UC Santa Cruz graduates fare compared to similar schools?

This is an important question because if you’re considering UC Santa Cruz, you likely have other options on the table.

Often times, students enroll in the cheapest university available to them. But, as we know from above, this isn’t the whole story.

For example, you would pay 5% more for a college if you knew the average salary would also be 10% higher, wouldn’t you?

There’s a lot of reasons why the average salary for UC Santa Cruz students would differ from its peer schools. Perhaps the most popular areas of study align with higher or lower paying careers, or the school has a massive and supportive alumni network.

Here are just a few related schools to UC Santa Cruz that may be of interest. Click on any one to break down their costs and performance outcomes further.

How much does UC Santa Cruz cost per semester?

Assuming there are two semesters at UC Santa Cruz and you are an in-state student, you will pay $6980 per semester. If you are out-of-state, you will pay $21476 per semester.

How much does UC Santa Cruz cost per year?

This is effectively the total annual cost of UC Santa Cruz, which is $N/A. However, you can also add room and board, textbooks, and other fees listed above onto that number to better determine how you will really spend in one year of attendance.

Is it possible to attend UC Santa Cruz for free?

In theory, yes it is possible to attend UC Santa Cruz for free. If you are a stellar student, you may get a scholarship to cover the entire cost of the education.

Similarly, if you are a student athlete, you may receive a full scholarship to be on a sports team.

Unless you are receiving a “full ride” (e.g. full scholarship) to attend UC Santa Cruz, though, it won’t be free. If you take out loans to finance the school, you may pay very little in the near term but all of that money must still be paid off in the long term.

If you're trying to get in to UC Santa Cruz read about the requirements here