THE UC SANTA CRUZ EXPERIMENT...
Then and Now
UC Santa Cruz started with a bold experiment and continues that spirit of innovation today. Modeled on Oxford University in England, UC Santa Cruz was designed in 1965 as a cluster of small colleges, where students could have daily contact with their professors, while still being part of a large research university.
TODAY, WE BANANA SLUGS CONTINUE THAT ORIGINAL SPIRIT OF INNOVATION. WE ARE...
Living and learning in 10 vibrant residential colleges
Researching and co-creating knowledge across disciplines
Contributing to a mutually supportive, respectful campus community
QUICK FACTS
57%
of undergraduate courses have fewer than 30 students;
73%
have fewer than 50
75%
of undergraduates participate in research
23 TO 1
student/faculty ratio
Social Justice
OUR CORE VALUES
Environmental Stewardship
Diversity & Inclusion
The Colleges: Communities of Living and Learning
ENGAGEMENT & SUPPORT All undergraduates, whether they live on campus or not, are affiliated with one of the 10 colleges. The colleges are vibrant living/learning communities providing academic support, activities, and events.
Each college offers a unique academic core course for freshmen that emphasizes the theme of the college and develops critical thinking and writing skills. Transfer students are also affiliated with a residential college, which gives them a unique “dual community ” status -- participating in activities at their college while also engaging in the life of their housing community, which is most often the Transfer Community at Porter College.
