GlobalConnect

Visiting Students

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UC Santa Cruz offers a dynamic and inclusive environment for international students seeking academic and cultural enrichment. Whether you’re joining us for an exchange, immersive summer research, entrepreneurial innovation, or specialized coursework, we provide a range of programs tailored to your goals.

Exchange Program

Discover a world-class education and vibrant community at UC Santa Cruz and embark on a life-changing study abroad experience. 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.

Students sitting on grass
students in a classroom

Access Program

Participate in undergraduate and graduate classes on a space-available basis, and study innovative courses alongside U.S. students.

students standing together for a photo

Global Entrepreneurship (GEn) Program

Gain entrepreneurial skills and practical business experience at UC Santa Cruz through an immersive 5-week program.

students doing fieldwork outside

International Summer Research Program

Gain hands-on research experience with a UCSC faculty mentor during the 8-week Summer Session, mid-June to late August.

Summer Session

Open to all international students, including exchange/visiting students who would like to start their studies early or extend into the summer, on a fee-paying basis, but at significantly reduced tuition and discounted housing rates.

Hundreds of in-person & online courses: Digital Art and New Media, Math, Biology, Games and Playable Media, and more.

Registration

Course Enrollment

Cost of Attendance

students walking across bridge on campus

“Getting to interact with a group that is [geographically], culturally different than the one that I am used to, made me understand how people from different parts of the world can work together. Now I feel like I can take up grad school and fit in an international team pretty well. I hope to be physically at Santa Cruz in the near future for my master’s degree.”

– Vamsi Krishna, ISRP Student Intern, Amrita University

Student Funding Opportunities

Below are additional resources and funding opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students at UC Santa Cruz.

Scholarship resources for international students

Information is available on the International Student Services and Programming website.

Fulbright funding for U.S. and visiting students

Information is available on the Postgraduate Scholarships section of the Global Learning website.

Scholarship resources for study abroad participants

Information is available on the Global Learning website.

Funding opportunities by world region

Iceland-specific Fulbright Grants

Fulbright Student

9-month grant for graduate study, independent research, or PhD research

Joint Fulbright/Icelandic government grants

The Icelandic government partners with Fulbright to offer grants to students interested in studying in Iceland

Japanese Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Sports (MEXT) Scholarship

The Japanese Government offers scholarships to U.S. college graduates who wish to pursue graduate research or a graduate degree at Japanese universities.

International Junior Research Associate Scheme, University of Sussex, UK

Research opportunities to work alongside the University of Sussex’s top faculty on real-life projects during summer.

Monbukagakusho Scholarships 

There are various types of Japanese government-sponsored scholarships available under the Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho) Scholarship program, including graduate-level those for research students.

German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)

DAAD works to foster connections between scholars and institutions in North America and their counterparts in Germany by offering a number of programs to strengthen the links between academics in Germany and North America. These programs support both the activities of individual scholars and post-secondary institutions seeking to strengthen their international ties.

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)

The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), or Gakushin for short, is an independent administrative institution, established by way of a national law for the purpose of contributing to the advancement of science in all fields of the natural and social sciences and the humanities. JSPS offers a wide spectrum of funding opportunities for people at all stages of their academic careers: students, researchers, post-docs, and faculty.

Chinese Scholarship Council

Chinese University Program is a full scholarship for designated Chinese universities and certain provincial education offices in specific provinces or autonomous regions to recruit outstanding international students for graduate studies in China.

MOFA Taiwan Scholarship

The Taiwan Scholarship program is a joint initiative launched by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), the Ministry of Education (MOE), the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) and the National Science Council (NSC). The MOFA Taiwan Scholarship continues to encourage outstanding students to pursue academic degrees in Taiwan and to deepen their understanding of Taiwan’s academic environment, thereby enhancing exchanges and building friendships between Taiwan and their home nations.

Search the Institute for International Education for other funded opportunities to study abroad

Last modified: Mar 14, 2025