Q: What percentage of students live
off campus?
A: About 52% of UC Santa Cruz students live off campus in
Santa Cruz and nearby communities.
Q: How much does it cost to live off campus?
A: Several variables will determine your monthly housing costs:
number of housemates sharing the rent, housing quality (new
or seasoned), energy consumption, etc.
Price averages are as follows:
(Winter 2008)
Type of residence |
Listings |
Rent Range |
Average |
Room in household |
143 |
$400-950 |
$663 |
Studio/Efficiencies |
41 |
$600-1150 |
$889 |
1 BR house/duplex |
9 |
$825-1400 |
$1047 |
1 BR apt/condo |
26 |
$760-1600 |
$1162 |
2 BR house/duplex |
19 |
$1300-2700 |
$1823 |
2 BR apt/condo |
34 |
$1200-2200 |
$1757 |
3 BR house/duplex |
23 |
$1500-3000 |
$2432 |
3 BR apt/condo |
7 |
$1800-2600 |
$2086 |
4 BR house/duplex |
9 |
$2290-6000 |
$3102 |
5-6 BR house/duplex/apt |
4 |
$3500-4995 |
$4299 |
Most landlords require both first and last month's rent in advance, plus a security deposit
(generally equal to half of a month's rent). Be prepared to pay these costs immediately.
Q: What services are in place to help me find off-campus
housing?
A: To make it easier for students to find off-campus housing, the Community Rentals Program
offers assistance in finding rentals and advice on the process of renting a room, apartment,
or house in the Santa Cruz area. The Community Rentals Program has a comprehensive resource
center with listings for several areas in and outside of Santa Cruz. Also, the program often
sponsors informational workshops on issues such as finding a place to live, how to deal with
landlords, and how to take care of paperwork. Check out the
Community Rentals Pages for more information and recent announcements.
Q: What is the college system?
A: All undergraduate students, whether they live on campus or not, are affiliated with one of
ten residential colleges at UC Santa Cruz. Each college provides academic support, organizes
student activities, and sponsors events that enhance the intellectual and social life of the
campus in addition to housing students in small-scale residential communities.
Every college community includes students with diverse backgrounds and academic goals. Your
college affiliation is independent of your choice of major, and assignments are based upon
space availability and your requests for affiliation.
Q: What colleges are available and what
are they like?
A: The residential colleges are listed in historical order as follows:
Cowell
Stevenson
Crown
Merrill
Porter
Kresge
Oakes
College Eight
College Nine
College
Ten
Q: How do I request affiliation with a college and can I change it?
A: When you have been admitted to Santa Cruz, you will specify in order of preference which colleges you would like to be affiliated with. Assignment to a college is based on available space, taking student preferences into account whenever possible.
It is also possible to transfer to another college. In order for the transfer to be approved, the change must be approved by both the current college and the prospective college. The transfer normally will be approved if it is justified by closer proximity to faculty and other resources central to your major program, but the change may take a quarter to be approved.
Q: Does my college affiliation affect what classes I
can take?
A: No, it doesn’t. You may take classes that meet
in any of the colleges or classroom buildings throughout
the campus.
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