Welcome Parents and Family
We are pleased that you and your student are interested
in UC Santa Cruz, a selective 
collegiate
university with a national reputation for excellence. UCSC
recently made Forbes'
list of the most beautiful campuses, not just in the
U.S., but in the world.
Living at UCSC allows students to make the most of their college experience. After all, students are only here for about four years. Don’t miss out on this once in a lifetime chance to experience all that UCSC has to offer.
We encourage our students to live on campus. Living on campus provides students with the opportunity to interact in an academic environment and enhance their education by taking advantage of the support provided by the university.
Some of the top reasons to live on campus:
- Recent research of college students across the nation indicates that students who live on campus are more satisfied with their college experience, earn higher grade point averages, and are more likely to graduate.
Students who live on campus have a 10 to 15 percent better chance of doing well in college than students living off campus. On-campus students have better grades, take more units, and are more likely to persevere to achieve a university degree.
—American Council on Education
University housing provides residents with the
traditional amenities and more.
- All rooms are wired with ethernet service, which includes direct access to online campus resources (classes, study groups, and library resources), the internet, and email.
- Easy access to campus computer labs, libraries, private study rooms, dining services, and recreational facilities including cardiovascular and weight training machines, swimming pool, tennis courts, and gyms.
By living on-campus, students can interact and live with dedicated professional and student staff members.
- Each residence hall has a team of staff members who work cooperatively to build and maintain a feeling of community in the halls.
- Staff members are available to assist students with personal and academic concerns, and act as resources to residents by serving as liaisons between the university and students.
Sleep more, drive less. Students who live off campus often find themselves sitting in traffic and wondering if they will make it to class on time.
- Living on-campus means avoiding the hassle of commuting each morning, while enjoying the convenience of living near the library, dining halls, restaurants, gym, professors, computer labs, and other campus facilities.
Campus safety is a priority at UCSC. The campus Police Department and housing staff members are available 24 hours a day to make sure students feel safe in their home-away-from-home.
- All residence halls have controlled access and are equipped with smoke detectors and fire extinguishers.
- In addition, campus shuttles allow students to travel the campus safely.
At first glance, living off-campus often seems like a good option. But, when you consider ALL the costs (furniture, first and last months rent, deposits, water, power, gas, cable service, internet service, phone service, grocery shopping, meal preparation, clean up, etc.) you'll find that living in Santa Cruz can be expensive.
As a resident in campus housing, students can:
- Save time, aggravation and problems by making one payment that covers ALL the costs:
- utilities, rent, meals, furniture, amenities, bus/shuttle transportation, and more.
- By living on campus students avoid the hassles of setting up utilities, paying monthly bills, and wasting time commuting to and from class, the library, or the gym.
- When on-campus residents go home for summer or graduate, they don’t have to worry about getting back a security deposit, selling furniture, or terminating utility services.
Housing staff strives to provide students with a living and learning environment that complements their educational experience.
- Campus residents have the opportunity to enhance their educational experience by participating in residence life activities like field trips, film series, faculty speakers, open mic events (and much more...)
- In addition, living at UCSC provides students with more opportunities to interact with staff and faculty who can provide invaluable personal guidance, career guidance, career connections, and leadership opportunities.
- Students find that with this involvement they achieve more professional growth and they are stronger candidates when they pursue their career goals.
Living at UCSC means living with friends, and experiencing a living situation that is different from any other.
- The opportunity to live on campus is a once in a lifetime
chance to experience options like theme
housing, which allows students to live with or next
door to students with similar interests such as:
- diversity awareness, outdoor adventure, academic achievement, science learning, gaming, arts and music, or a group of students may simply choose to organize a "friends-theme" floor. There are many different and exciting options at each college.
- In addition, campus residents are introduced to individuals they otherwise would not have had the opportunity to know, and often build bonds of friendship that remain strong long after they leave UCSC.
Help your student understand the the value of living on campus versus living in town.
- Residence Halls
- Apartments
- The Village
- Redwood Grove Apartments
- Transfer Community
- University Town Center
- Family Student Housing Apartments
- Graduate Student Apartments
- Camper Park
Additional web resources for parents:
- UC Santa Cruz Parents Guide
web: parents.ucsc.edu - UC Santa Cruz Policy on Privacy of Student Records
web: http://reg.ucsc.edu/guidelines_qr.htm - UC Santa Cruz Academic Calendar
web: http://reg.ucsc.edu/calendar - Office of the Registrar/General Information
web: http://reg.ucsc.edu - Student Policies and Regulations Handbook
web: http://www2.ucsc.edu/judicial/handbook.shtml - University Magazine
web: review.ucsc.edu