by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is the data on what it actually costs to attend University of California-Santa Cruz, from sticker cost of attendance and projected degree cost to net price, debt at graduation, and aid breakdowns.
Want a specific number? Skip ahead to any section using the links below:
Published attendance costs at University of California-Santa Cruz varied between $38,649.00 ranging to $72,849.00 depending on residency and living arrangement.
In-state students paid the lower published figure, while out-of-state students faced the higher one: around $38,649.00 in-state compared with $72,849.00 for those paying out-of-state rates.
The three scenarios below move from the full sticker price, to the net price after average aid, to the net price low-income students typically pay.
| Tuition and fees | $16,005.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $22,644.00 |
| Total cost | $38,649.00 |
| That is 101% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $38,649.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$23,289.00 |
| Net price | $15,360.00 |
| That is 20% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $38,649.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$32,462.00 |
| Net price | $6,187.00 |
| That is 68% below the national average net price. |
| Tuition and fees | $50,205.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $22,644.00 |
| Total cost | $72,849.00 |
| That is 278% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $72,849.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$23,289.00 |
| Net price | $49,560.00 |
| That is 157% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $72,849.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$32,462.00 |
| Net price | $40,387.00 |
| That is 110% above the national average net price. | |
| Go deeper on the components with tuition and fees and room and board. |
Cost of attendance here has been rising by roughly 4.6% a year, so a full degree will cost more than a single year — the tables below carry that forward. These tables carry the cost across a degree for three cases: low-income w/ aid, average aid, and no aid. Loan totals assume a ten-year repayment at 6.8%.
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 4.6% | 4.6% | 4.6% |
| Freshman year | $6,474.00 | $16,072.00 | $40,441.00 |
| Senior year | $7,417.00 | $18,412.00 | $46,330.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $27,752.00 | $68,898.00 | $173,363.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $10,573.00 | $26,248.00 | $66,045.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $319.00 | $793.00 | $1,995.00 |
| Total amount paid | $38,325.00 | $95,146.00 | $239,408.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 4.6% | 4.6% | 4.6% |
| Freshman year | $6,474.00 | $16,072.00 | $40,441.00 |
| Senior year | $6,774.00 | $16,817.00 | $42,315.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $13,248.00 | $32,889.00 | $82,756.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $5,047.00 | $12,530.00 | $31,527.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $152.00 | $378.00 | $952.00 |
| Total amount paid | $18,295.00 | $45,419.00 | $114,283.00 |
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 4.6% | 4.6% | 4.6% |
| Freshman year | $42,259.00 | $51,857.00 | $76,226.00 |
| Senior year | $48,413.00 | $59,409.00 | $87,326.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $181,159.00 | $222,305.00 | $326,769.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $69,015.00 | $84,690.00 | $124,487.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $2,085.00 | $2,558.00 | $3,760.00 |
| Total amount paid | $250,174.00 | $306,995.00 | $451,257.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 4.6% | 4.6% | 4.6% |
| Freshman year | $42,259.00 | $51,857.00 | $76,226.00 |
| Senior year | $44,218.00 | $54,261.00 | $79,760.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $86,478.00 | $106,119.00 | $155,986.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $32,945.00 | $40,428.00 | $59,425.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $995.00 | $1,221.00 | $1,795.00 |
| Total amount paid | $119,422.00 | $146,546.00 | $215,411.00 |
Jump to the net-price detail in the net price section below.
The net price figure shows the cost after grants and scholarships are deducted. This is the more honest cost figure for most families, since it accounts for institutional and federal aid.
| Average net price (on-campus) | $17,890.00 |
| Average net price (off-campus) | $17,007.00 |
The real cost varies by income because need-based aid scales with financial need. The table below shows the average net price by family-income bracket:
| Family income | Average net price |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $9,472.00 |
| $30,000 to $48,000 | $10,114.00 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $13,001.00 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $18,786.00 |
| Over $110,000 | $32,674.00 |
Run your own numbers with the University of California-Santa Cruz Net Price Calculator, or contact the financial aid office.
Curious how grants and scholarships are distributed? Explore the financial aid page.
The median amount borrowed by graduates of University of California-Santa Cruz is $14,334.00, categorized as a Low ($10-20k) burden tier.
Here’s how debt at graduation distributes across borrowers:
| Percentile | Debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| 10th | $4,700.00 |
| 25th | $8,900.00 |
| Median (50th) | $14,334.00 |
| 75th | $25,512.00 |
| 90th | $29,410.00 |
How far apart the 10th and 90th percentiles sit tells you how uneven debt outcomes are.
Explore borrowing, repayment, and default in detail on the student loan debt page.
Family income tracks closely with debt at graduation. The table below divides borrowers into three income tiers:
| Family income | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| Low income | $14,710.00 |
| Middle income | $14,876.00 |
| High income | $13,080.00 |
Low-income borrowers graduate with $1,630.00 more debt than their high-income peers.
Debt at graduation often differs for first-generation students.
| Student group | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $14,333.00 |
| Continuing-generation students | $14,362.00 |
The Pell Grant is the main federal need-based award for undergraduates. Comparing Pell recipients vs non-recipients shows how debt is distributed by need.
The Pell-versus-non-Pell median debt difference at University of California-Santa Cruz is $2,500.00. Federal data flags this school for Pell-related debt inequity.
The default-rate category at University of California-Santa Cruz is Low (<5%).
| Window | Cohort default rate |
|---|---|
| 2-year | 4.3% |
To give some context for these rates, Stafford loans disbursed at University of California-Santa Cruz reach $641,552,402.00 covering 40,865 disbursements.
Veteran and active-military students often access dedicated federal aid programs including the GI Bill and Department of Defense tuition support.
| GI Bill recipients | 23 |
| Avg GI Bill amount | $8,496.00 |
Read more about military and veteran aid on the veterans benefits detail.
The figures above are a starting point — as you weigh University of California-Santa Cruz, keep these questions in mind:
Use the pages below to go deeper on a specific part of the cost story:
Data sources. Figures on this page draw from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and MediaFactual editorial review. Net-price calculator and financial-aid office links are taken from the institution’s own published data.