do UCs require freshman to stay in dorms? is it mandatory
any info would be appreciated
thanks
I echo what a lot of other parents here have said. For my son, since he was dead set on applying for Computer Science, the uncertainty made us think about a LOT more schools than my D21 who had a “floor” of UCSB/UCI/UCSD/UCD. Since these highly competitive admissions are now almost a roll of the dice based on what application readers you get, it makes sense to apply to more schools for CS.
With that said, I love UCSC! I graduated undergrad decades ago and I chose UCSC over UCSB (I didn’t apply to UCI/UCSD/UCD). Santa Cruz did wonders for me, nurturing me, broadening my horizons, and giving me a multitude of leadership opportunities. Sounds like bragging, but I have been better off financially and mentally than most of my friends who went to UCLA, Stanford, etc. Times have changed, but I will warn that I did avoid the prevalent drug culture that existed at that time. UCSC was just the right fit for me.
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UC’s do not require Freshman to live on campus but most Freshman students will take the opportunity to live on-campus at least for the 1st year.
UCSC specifically stated for 2022:
Demand for on-campus housing remains extremely high and exceeds remaining availability. Unfortunately, UC Santa Cruz will not be able to offer housing assignments to every student who wishes to live on campus.
The common dataset section F1 Student life shows the percentage of First time Freshman living on each campus.
2022 CDS not available but for 2021- 96% FTF lived on campus at UCSC.
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Make sure you fill out the FAFSA or Dream Act application to maximize possible Grant/Scholarship monies.
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Priority deadline for FAFSA & Dream Act apps is March 2nd (Thursday). Here is UCSC Aid Timeline. Here’s the merit scholarship info which also suggests you submit FAFSA or Dream Act apps to get more aid (not clear if that’s an increase in the merit scholarship or it’s for separate need-based scholarships, either way it’s a chance for more money).
UCSC sent out invitations emails for the College Scholars Program today!
Does anyone know if it is worth it? What are your thoughts on this program?
OMG yes it’s amazing. I am so excited…this probably puts UCSC on the top of my daughter’s list! I am so happy for her. Congrats to your kid too! It’s only 250 freshman and they are housed together in groups of 20-25 in each of the 10 colleges. They have special classes to get them ready for participating in research.
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none yet
Son got the scholars program invitation.
We had the same experience two years ago, too. S21 applied to UCLA, UCSD, UCI, SB and SC, all in CSE. We thought UCSD, UCI & UCSB were the target (based on S21 GPA). Boy, we were so wrong!!! We learned the hard way. I think the ECs and PIQs saved him, and he landed UCSD CSE, but that was after the rejection from UCSB, UCLA (that was a reach anyway) & WL (later rejected) from UCI. The year after, our S22 applied ED(at his first choice LAC) - not wanting to repeat his older brother experience!
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D23 also received it! 
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My son also received an invitation to the scholars program!
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My daughter also received an invitation ( :
Just realized there are two different paths for the major. BA and BS. He applied to the BS. I wonder if there is a difference on how popular each one might be. They are both very new, only starting last year.
I don’t think UCSC is a safety anymore for CSE. For these past few years it seems that, at minimum, CSE candidates would need this similar profile/GPAs/ECs (depending on the school and family context).
UCSC offered my S21 $8000 scholarship and he would have seriously considered UCSC. The campus is beautiful and is in proximity to Silicon Valley. But after a pretty long discussion, it was best if he would stay in town (although he would have like to go a little further from home).
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The Global and community major was a new major for Fall 2022. According to the admission data for this major only 1 applicant applied for either the BA/BS program and were admitted, so unfortunately no historical data to determine the popularity.
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Daughter (Cognitive Science) was accepted and received the College Scholars invitation. Curious to hear more about that program. The priority enrollment makes this really appealing. Hopefully we will learn more about the opportunity in the coming weeks.
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Are results still coming out in March?
My daughter who was accepted this week didn’t get the invite to the Scholars program, but generally speaking as a parent of a student at a different UC, I would highly highly prize any opportunity to be given priority registration at a UC campus. That could be an incredible differentiator. Enrollment each quarter can be a painful and frustrating experience, trying to get the courses you need in order to declare your major. I’m sure this varies a bit based on campus, but I would definitely jump at a program that comes with priority registration!
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Do you mind sharing stats?
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