Welcome prospective Banana Slugs. It’s that time of year again as the UC application has now opened and submission starts November 1. I am @Gumbymom one of the two UC Forum Champions/Moderators. My Co-Forum Champion is @lkg4answers and we are knowledgeable on the increasingly complicated UC admissions process and hopefully we can help any prospective UC applicants with their questions.
UC Santa Cruz like all the UC’s are test blind this admission cycle and will use 13 areas of criteria to review Freshman applicants. Each campus will weight the various areas of criteria differently so one size does not fit all. The UC application website has plenty of information that can help determine if UC Santa Cruz is a good option when applying. Below is some admit information specific to the school. Best of Luck.
Very important : Academic GPA, Personal Insight questions, Rigor of secondary school record, State residency
Important : Character/personal qualities, Extracurricular activities, First generation college student, Geographical residence, Talent/ability
Considered: Volunteer work, Work experience
Note: GPA in required subjects most important.
Choice of major does not influence the selection of first-year students, except for those applicants interested in a major offered by the Jack Baskin School of Engineering (BSOE )
Note for Prospective Engineering Students:). Freshmen who are interested in a BSOE program should be sure to indicate a BSOE proposed major. Students who do not indicate a BSOE program or who apply as undeclared might not be able to pursue a BSOE program
Now that your UC applications have been submitted, here are some items on your “to do list” as you wait for your decisions.
Setup your student portal: Portal information will be emailed during December. Always check your Spam folder in case you do not receive your portal email.
Check your emails from all applied schools regularly for updates. Again check the Spam folder if necessary.
Look into housing options. The Housing application opens end of May through early June, 2022.
Remember to file your FASFA if applying for financial aid. Deadline is March 2, 2022 but get it in early.
Admission decisions for UCSC:
Regular Decisions are rolling batches starting end of February through Mid to Late March, 2022.
I know this is early, but I’m having trouble finding info about an “admitted students day” (like Aggie Day, Cal Day, etc.) in March at UC Santa Cruz. I did see a reference to a “Slug Day” from a few years ago, but I’m not seeing anything for 2022. Do they have any sort of event for helping admitted students connect with / evaluate the school?
The past couple of years everything was virtual but, prior to that, I think they had several smaller weekend tours and not one large open house like the other UCs.
We visited over spring break in 2016 and they had two check in lines - one for admitted students (where they made a big deal and gave them swag) and another for prospective students.
I know everyone is super anxious about the results potentially coming out next week. In the interest of giving everyone something to obsess with - here’s a link to a data goldmine I found. It has answers to every imaginable admissions related question.
What is the CS admit rate by GPA bucket in 2021?
Is it really true that in 2021, nearly 100% of CS applicants with uncapped GPA >4.5 got admitted? (Yes)
waiting is so hard. 
