Congratulations and Welcome

To help prepare you to apply for housing and to live on campus, we offer this housing guide containing important information about your college, housing options, and answers to many commonly asked questions about campus housing.

It is our goal to provide you with an academically and socially supportive environment that will help you build a strong connection with the campus and get the most out of your UCSC experience.

We look forward to having you as part of our campus community!

Your College

Rachel Carson College was founded in 1972. Over the years, faculty and students have worked to develop the college theme, Environment and Society. This theme embodies a concern for environmental issues within a social, political, scientific and humanistic context. While our college includes students from all the academic majors and fields of study available at UC Santa Cruz, the theme of the college, with its commitment to concern for the environment, creates a common bond for all Rachel Carson College students.

The Rachel Carson College Commitment

Members of Rachel Carson College share a common commitment to creative thinking, which includes historical and philosophical perspectives, analysis of natural, socio-political and economic systems, and a concern for the creativity and dignity of the individual in society. Consonant with this approach is an informal atmosphere, which stresses personal motivation and individual integrity. Close ties among students, staff and faculty lead to attitudes of mutual respect and colleagueship. Rachel Carson College is committed to promoting both intellectual pursuits and social activities for members of the college community.

Students playing music at Rachel Carson College

Rachel Carson College Students

In addition to the more scholarly pursuits, the lively activity of Rachel Carson College is enriched by the artists, musicians, student leaders of the college government and campus organizations, “green thumbs” who cultivate and care for the college's garden, intercollegiate and weekend athletes in all sports, recyclers and environmentalists, and most of all, students who seek a broad and diverse circle of friends to share their college experience!

Rachel Carson College Map

Students playing soccer behind the residence hall

Students at Rachel Carson College/Oakes Dining Hall