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The real 4-year cost of University of California-Santa Cruz in California
Over the 18 years from 2008 to 2026, published tuition and required fees at University of California-Santa Cruz went from $8,200 to $17,232, an average of 2.3% a year. The 2026–27 figure is the school's own announced rate.
2026–27 rate announced: $17,2322026-27 first-enrollment (Fall 2026) cohort annual: tuition ($14,202) plus student services fee ($1,386) plus campus fees ($1,644.36); non-resident adds Nonresident Supplemental Tuition ($39,270); excludes UC SHIP health insurance.source
Read with care: this school's history shows a tuition freeze or guarantee, so a smooth projection may not hold.
2008–2030: history and projection
| Year | Published | Projected estimate | Estimate range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | $8,200 | – | – |
| 2009 | $9,507 | – | – |
| 2010 | $11,505 | – | – |
| 2011 | $13,416 | – | – |
| 2012 | $13,416 | – | – |
| 2013 | $13,397 | – | – |
| 2014 | $13,397 | – | – |
| 2015 | $13,461 | – | – |
| 2016 | $13,539 | – | – |
| 2017 | $14,020 | – | – |
| 2018 | $13,960 | – | – |
| 2019 | $13,991 | – | – |
| 2020 | $14,025 | – | – |
| 2021 | $14,070 | – | – |
| 2022 | $14,240 | – | – |
| 2023 | $14,560 | – | – |
| 2026 | $17,232 | $17,232 | – |
| 2027 | – | $17,623 | $16,452–$18,795 |
| 2028 | – | $18,024 | $15,707–$20,499 |
| 2029 | – | $18,433 | $14,996–$22,358 |
| 2030 | – | $18,851 | $14,317–$24,386 |
If you pay full sticker
Projected tuition + fees, entering fall 2026.
| Year 1 | $17,232 |
| Year 2 | $17,623 |
| Year 3 | $18,024 |
| Year 4 | $18,433 |
| 4-year total | $71,312 |
Two aid scenarios
4-year out-of-pocket total.
- $10,000/yr flat scholarship
- $31,312
- Flat aid doesn't grow, so it covers less each year.
- 50%-of-tuition scholarship
- $42,331
- Percentage aid keeps pace with tuition.
On-campus housing & meals
Room & board (housing plus the standard meal plan), on top of tuition.
- Latest (2023)
- $18,785/ yr
- rising 2.7% / yr
- Projected 4-year add-on
- $84,894
Books & supplies typically add ~$1,200 a year (national median, not included).
Housing here has kept rising even while tuition was frozen; the creep moved to room & board.
Run your own numbers
Enter your actual scholarship offer to see your real 4-year total.
See my 4-year cost at University of California-Santa Cruz4-year schools with similar prices in California
Closest to University of California-Santa Cruz by published tuition and fees. Similar sticker prices can still compound very differently.
- Yeshiva Ohr Elchonon Chabad West Coast Talmudical Seminary$16,900
- University of California-San Diego$17,633
- University of California-Santa Barbara$17,673
- University of California-Riverside$16,745
- San Joaquin Valley College-Visalia$16,606
- University of California-Irvine$16,605
- University of California-Merced$16,535
- Alliant International University-San Diego$17,949
Use this data
Published figures for University of California-Santa Cruz from federal IPEDS data through 2023, free to download or embed with attribution. The embed stays current as the data updates.