UC Santa Cruz Demographics: How diverse is it?

General Diversity is High

We combine factors of ethnic, geographic, age and gender diversity to create an overall diversity ranking for each school.

University of California - Santa Cruz is considered to be very diverse across all factors, and is ranked #179 nationwide.

Ethnic Diversity Here is Excellent

Many students value the opportunity to meet and learn from different racial and ethnic groups, which is possible at a diverse institution such as this one.

Sitting at #147, University of California - Santa Cruz is ranked quite high in ethnic diversity nationally.

UC Santa Cruz boasts excellent ethnic diversity.

The ethnic diversity of the faculty is above average.

Equal Balance of Male and Female Students

If you desire a campus with a relatively equal balance of males and females, this may be the school for you.

At University of California - Santa Cruz, the disparity between men and women on campus is far lower than the national average. The undergraduate student body at UC Santa Cruz is equally balanced.

This university is ranked at #121 in male to female diversity nationwide. The undergraduate population is comprised of 8,331 males and 8,631 females.

The male to female ratio at UC Santa Cruz is excellent.

The ratio of male to female faculty at UC Santa Cruz is excellent.

Representation from U.S. States is About Average

Would you prefer a college that attracts students from all across the United States, or would you prefer a local college that primarily pulls students from your home state?

To create the geographic diversity for each school, we factored in where every student resided before they attended college.

Over 90% of the students attending University of California - Santa Cruz come from within California. This puts UC Santa Cruz's level of geographic diversity about the same as the national average and gives it a national geographic diversity ranking of #1,027.

Age Range on Campus

Some learners prefer a campus filled with others who are a similar age to them, while some prefer a wide age range of students. Which is best for you?

The traditional student is between the ages of 18-21. At University of California - Santa Cruz, 68.8% of students are in the age 18 to 21 bracket, compared to the national average of 60%. We rank UC Santa Cruz #2,297 in the nation for student age diversity.

Questions About Diversity

• What do we mean when we refer to diversity in college?

  Broadly speaking, diversity is the word we use to describe a mixture of individuals and ideas, and the traditions, belief cultures and systems that come with them. Students who state that diversity in school is important to them are looking for institutions to provide a variety of curricular and non-curricular opportunities to learn from and learn with people of different ethnicities, races, ages, abilities, sexual identities, religions, and classes.

• Is UC Santa Cruz supporting and attracting students from all economic backgrounds?

  Even a school with great racial, ethnic and geographic diversity may not be diverse when it comes to the income levels of their students. To get a better idea of how UC Santa Cruz is supporting low-income students check the Financial Aid Page.

• How important is diversity to UC Santa Cruz?

  Diversity can be encouraged by the university in several ways. First, institutions should be making an effort to hire a varied faculty to engage students. But the school should also be doing the best they can to foster substantial connections between people from different backgrounds. This prevents faculty and students from self-segregating and promotes positive connections.