University of California Santa Cruz Admission Requirement
- GPA requirements
- Testing requirements, including SAT and ACT requirements
- Application requirements
In this guide, we’ll cover what you need to get into UC Santa Cruz and build a strong application.
School location: Santa Cruz, CA
This school is also known as UCSC, UC Santa Cruz, University of California, Santa Cruz
If you want to get in, the first thing to look at is the acceptance rate. This tells you how competitive the school is and how serious their requirements are.
The acceptance rate at UC Santa Cruz is 47.7%. For every 100 applicants, 48 are admitted.
This means the school is moderately selective. The school expects you to meet their requirements for GPA and SAT/ACT scores, but they’re more flexible than other schools. If you exceed their requirements, you have an excellent chance of getting in. But if you don’t, you might be one of the unlucky minority that gets a rejection letter.
UC Santa Cruz GPA Requirements
Many schools specify a minimum GPA requirement, but this is often just the bare minimum to submit an application without immediately getting rejected.
The GPA requirement that really matters is the GPA you need for a real chance of getting in. For this, we look at the school’s average GPA for its current students.
(Most schools use a weighted GPA out of 4.0, though some report an unweighted GPA.
With a GPA of 3.55, UC Santa Cruz requires you to be around average in your high school class. You’ll need a mix of A’s and B’s, and very few C’s. If you have a lower GPA, you can compensate with harder courses like AP or IB classes. This will help boost your weighted GPA and show your ability to take college classes.
If you’re currently a junior or senior, your GPA is hard to change in time for college applications. If your GPA is at or below the school average of 3.55, you’ll need a higher SAT or ACT score to compensate. This will help you compete effectively against other applicants who have higher GPAs than you.
SAT and ACT Requirements
Each school has different requirements for standardized testing. Most schools require the SAT or ACT, and many also require SAT subject tests.
You must take either the SAT or ACT to submit an application to UC Santa Cruz. More importantly, you need to do well to have a strong application.
UC Santa Cruz SAT Requirements
Many schools say they have no SAT score cutoff, but the truth is that there is a hidden SAT requirement. This is based on the school’s average score.
The average SAT score composite at UC Santa Cruz is a 1285 on the 1600 SAT scale.
This score makes UC Santa Cruz Competitive for SAT test scores.
See Also: University of California Santa Cruz Course Offered