For the application year 2024, the University of California, Santa Cruz has an overall acceptance rate of 65.59%, with 71,696 applicants and 47,012 acceptances, maintaining consistency with the Regular Decision (RD) acceptance rate. The domestic acceptance rate stands at 64.4% for 65,284 applicants, while international students enjoy a higher acceptance rate of 77.08% from 6,412 applicants. The transfer acceptance rate is also notable at 64.42%, with 12,123 applicants, and an average GPA of 3.92 for successful candidates. Historical data shows a significant increase in acceptance rate from 47.09% in 2022 to the current rate, indicating a trend towards greater accessibility for future applicants.

The University of California, Santa Cruz has shown a significant increase in its overall acceptance rate, rising from 47.09% in the application year 2022 to 65.59% in 2024, with an applicant pool of 71,696 leading to 47,012 acceptances. The acceptance rate decreased to 61.27% in 2023 amidst a robust applicant pool of 68,750, where 42,130 were accepted. Historically, the acceptance rates have fluctuated, reaching as low as 47.09% in 2022 and peaking at 65.59% in 2024, indicating a trend toward a more favorable acceptance climate for recent applicants. This upward trajectory highlights the growing availability of positions, contrasting with the more stringent acceptance rates seen in prior years such as 51.56% in 2019 and 50.27% in 2015.
For the application year 2024, the University of California, Santa Cruz's wait list acceptance rate stands at 21.69%, with 15,397 students offered a place on the wait list and 3,339 accepted. This marks a significant decrease compared to the prior year (2023), where the acceptance rate was 58.75% with 10,812 out of 18,398 offered spots. Historical data shows fluctuating acceptance rates, with the lowest at 8.69% for the application year 2022, and the highest at 58.75% in 2023. Notably, the acceptance rate spiked in 2020 to 53.81%, indicating considerable variability in the wait list process at UCSC.
The transfer acceptance rate for the University of California, Santa Cruz for the application year 2024 stands at 64.42%, with 7,807 out of 12,123 applicants accepted. This rate is slightly lower than the previous year’s acceptance rate of 64.53% for 2023, which saw 7,252 admits from 11,239 applications. Historically, the acceptance rates have shown an upward trend from 58.48% in 2021 to 61.01% in 2022, reflecting increased competitiveness. The average GPA of accepted transfer students remains high at 3.92, indicating that UCSC continues to attract well-qualified candidates.
| Race | Applicants |
|---|---|
| Asian American | 23.55% |
| White | 28.52% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 29.3% |
| Black/African American | 2.08% |
| American Indian/Alaskan Native | 0.21% |
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 0.11% |