Incoming Student Exchange

Overview

UC Santa Cruz hosts exchange students, primarily through two different programs, the Systemwide UC Education Abroad Program (UCEAP), and the UC Santa Cruz Exchange and Visiting Student Program, specific to our campus.

UC Santa Cruz Exchange and Visiting Student Program

This program is managed by the Division of Global Engagement and provides a non-degree study abroad opportunity for international students from UC Santa Cruz partner universities. All students currently enrolled in a degree-granting course of study at one of our partner institutions are eligible to apply. View a current list of partner institutions.

Students must be nominated by their home university to participate as either "Exchange" (reciprocal tuition waiver) or "Visiting" (tuition- and fee-paying) students. Students may be nominated for a period of study of one quarter up to a full academic year (three quarters), and may take courses in a range of academic fields that align with or complement students’ majors at their home universities. All students participating in this program receive an official UC Santa Cruz transcript of courses upon successful completion of their period of study. Learn how to apply as an exchange student here.

International Summer Session

International students from both partner and non-partner universities may also study on a non-degree basis during the Summer Session (June through August), but solely on a tuition- and fee-paying basis.

Why Study at UC Santa Cruz?

UC Santa Cruz is a public university like no other in California, combining the intimacy of a small liberal arts college setting and distinctive undergraduate experience characterized by our residential college system, with the facilities and resources of a world-class research university. 

UC Santa Cruz offers rigorous academics from award-winning faculty who teach students how to think, not what to think. Our unique, cross-disciplinary approach has resulted in paradigm-changing discovery since our founding in 1965. Known as a major research center for marine and coastal sciences, astronomy and astrophysics, and genomics, to name a few, UC Santa Cruz is recognized among the most influential research universities in the world.

Learn more about UC Santa Cruz. 

Learn about the beloved UC Santa Cruz mascot, the Banana Slug.

Our Campuses

With sweeping, panoramic views of the Monterey Bay and Pacific Ocean and footpaths and bridges through forests of giant redwood trees, UC Santa Cruz is one of the world’s most spectacular and naturally stunning university campuses. 

The main campus is located only minutes from beaches and surfing, the lively boardwalk, and the arts and culture of downtown Santa Cruz, California. The nearby 100-acre Coastal Science Campus, located on the edge of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, is home to UC Santa Cruz research and education facilities and state and federal research labs. Just 45 minutes over the hill is the UC Santa Cruz Silicon Valley Campus, home to a growing multi-disciplinary teaching and research hub in the heart of the world’s technology headquarters.