The University of California opened its doors in 1869 with just 10 faculty members and 38 students, and it has since developed into one of the world's most distinguished university systems. Acclaimed for its research, scholarship, and dedication to undergraduate and graduate education, the UC system improves the lives of people in California and around the world through world-class educational opportunities, groundbreaking research, top-rated health care, and agricultural expertise.

Established in 1965, the University of California, Santa Cruz, is dedicated to excellence in undergraduate education, graduate studies, and research. Named to the 2017 US News & World Report top 50 Best Global Universities list, the campus has earned national and international recognition both for the impact of its research and for its long-established commitment to quality undergraduate instruction. UC Santa Cruz combines the facilities and resources of a world-class public research university with a distinctive undergraduate experience characterized by its college system. A strong program of general education is enhanced with opportunities for academic specialization and original research, and UC Santa Cruz also provides unparalleled opportunities for students to learn through hands-on experience. Strong commitments to environmental stewardship and community engagement are also central to the campus's core values.

The campus offers more than 65 undergraduate majors in the arts, engineering, humanities, physical and biological sciences, and social sciences as well as interdisciplinary major programs and minors. UC Santa Cruz offers graduate study in more than 40 academic fields, incorporating a range of options for concentrated study in a specialized field. Graduate study at UC Santa Cruz emphasizes close interaction between faculty and students, independent student research, supervised teaching experience, and interdisciplinary work.

Global Engagement programs at UC Santa Cruz include Study Abroad opportunities and International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS). Global Engagement facilitates the exchange of people, ideas, and knowledge to support and promote the internationalization of teaching, learning, and research. Each year more than 500 UC Santa Cruz students broaden their academic horizons through the UC Education Abroad Program (UCEAP), which enables students to incorporate full-time study abroad as UC credit toward their degrees. The UC Santa Cruz campus also strongly encourages undergraduate students to take advantage of the many opportunities for public service, such as those provided through the campus's field programs, colleges, and Career Center.

The main UC Santa Cruz campus occupies 2,000 acres on the west side of the city of Santa Cruz, on Monterey Bay, about 75 miles south of San Francisco and 35 miles southwest of San Jos. Expansive meadows at the campus entrance gradually slope up to a redwood forest that covers most of the site. Each residential college is within easy access of the campus's central core, which includes library facilities, science laboratories, lecture halls, art studios, theater arts and music centers, a student union, and athletic facilities.