Banana Slug Day

Join Us for Banana Slug Day!

Admitted students for fall 2025, come celebrate with us on Banana Slug Day! We are looking forward to meeting you and your family at this signature tour event for UC Santa Cruz. Note: Can’t make it to campus on April 12? Feel free to sign up for one of our many Admitted Student Tours, April 1-11!

For our registered guests: We’re expecting a full event, so please allow extra time for parking and check-in. Wear comfortable walking shoes and dress in layers for our variable coastal climate. If you wish to have lunch at one of our campus dining halls, we’re offering a discounted $12.75 all-you-care-to-eat rate for the day. And have fun – we can’t wait to meet you!

Saturday, April 12, 2025
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time
Check-in Tables at East Remote and Core West Parking

Admitted students, join us for a special preview day! This will be a chance for you and your family to celebrate your admission, tour our beautiful campus, and connect with our extraordinary community. Events will include campus tours led by a student S.L.U.G. (Student Life and University Guide), Academic Division Welcomes, a Chancellor’s Address mock lectures by faculty, Resource Center open houses, a Resource Fair, and student performances. Come experience Banana Slug life -- we can't wait to meet you!

While you’re on campus, stop by the Baytree Store for some swag! The shop will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Banana Slug Day, and our guests will get a 20% discount off one apparel or gift item (does not include computer hardware or accessories.)

This program is open to all students consistent with state and federal law, the UC Nondiscrimination Statement and the Nondiscrimination Policy Statement for University of California Publications Regarding Student-Related Matters.

Campus Tour

East Field, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., last tour leaves at 2:00 p.m.
Join our friendly, knowledgeable student tour guides as they lead you on a walking tour of the beautiful UC Santa Cruz campus! Get to know the environment where you may be spending your time for the next few years. Explore the residential colleges, dining halls, classrooms, libraries, and favorite student hangout spots, all on our lovely campus between the sea and the trees! Tours depart rain or shine.

Can’t make it on April 12? Sign up for a Campus Tour on another day!

Meet our Faculty

Chancellor Cynthia Larive, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m., Quarry Plaza
Campus Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Lori Kletzer, 9:00 - 10:00 a.m., Quarry Plaza
Arts Divisional Welcome, 10:15 - 11:00 a.m., Digital Arts Research Center 108
Engineering Divisional Welcomes, 9:00 - 9:45 a.m. and 10:00 - 10:45 a.m., Engineering Auditorium
Humanities Divisional Welcome, 9:00 - 9:45 a.m., Humanities Lecture Hall
Physical and Biological Sciences Divisional Welcomes, 9:00 - 9:45 a.m. and 10:00 - 10:45 a.m., Kresge Academic Building Room 3105
Social Sciences Divisional Welcome, 10:15 a.m. - 11:00 a.m., Classroom Unit 2
Mock Lecture with Assoc. Professor Zac Zimmer: “Artificial Intelligence and Human Imagination,” 10:00 - 10:45 a.m., Humanities Lecture Hall
Mock Lecture with Asst. Professor Rachel Achs: “Introduction to Ethical Theory,” 11:00 - 11:45 a.m., Humanities 1, Room 320
Mock Lecture with Distinguished Professor and Director of the Institute for the Biology of Stem Cells Lindsay Hinck: “Stem Cells and Research in the Institute for the Biology of Stem Cells,” 11:00 - 11:45 a.m., Classroom Unit 1

Engineering Events

Baskin Engineering (BE) Building, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Slideshow in Jack’s Lounge, 9:00 a.m - 4:00 p.m.

Welcome to UCSC’s innovative, influential engineering school! In the spirit of Silicon Valley – only 30 minutes from campus – our engineering school is a forward-thinking, collaborative incubator of new ideas and technologies.

9:00 - 9:45 a.m., and 10:00 - 10:45 a.m., Engineering Divisional Welcomes, Engineering Auditorium
10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., Tabling by BE student organizations and departments/faculty, Engineering Courtyard
10:20 a.m. - First Slugworks Tour departs, Engineering Lanai (Slugworks Tours depart every hour from 10:20 a.m. to 2:20 p.m.)
10:50 a.m. - First BE Tour departs, Engineering Lanai (BE Tours depart every hour from 10:50 a.m. to 2:50 p.m.)
12:00 p.m. - Game Design Panel, Engineering Auditorium
12:00 p.m. - Biomolecular Engineering Panel, E2 Building, Room 180
1:00 p.m. - Computer Science/Computer Engineering/Network and Digital Design Panel, Engineering Auditorium
1:00 p.m. - Career Success Presentation, E2 Building, Room 180
2:00 p.m. - Electrical Engineering/Robotics Engineering Panel, Engineering Auditorium
2:00 p.m. - Technology and Information Management/Applied Mathematics Panel, E2 Building, Room 180

Two individuals sitting together working on their laptops

Coastal Campus Tour (off-campus)

Coastal Biology Building 1:00 - 4:30 p.m.

Located less than five miles from the main campus, our Coastal Campus is a center for exploration and innovation in marine research! Find out more about our innovative Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) programs, as well as the Joseph M. Long Marine Laboratory, the Seymour Center, and other UCSC marine science programs – all on our gorgeous coastal campus right on the ocean!

1:30 - 4:30 p.m., Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) Labs tabling
1:30 - 2:30 p.m., Welcome by EEB faculty and undergraduate panel
2:30 - 4:00 p.m., Rotating tours
4:00 - 4:30 p.m. - Recap for additional questions & post-tour poll
Fireplace and s’mores!

A student holding a rock on a beach and smiling at the camera

Career Success

Classroom Unit 2
11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. session and 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. session
Our Career Success team is ready to help you succeed! Find out more about our many services, including jobs and internships (both before and after graduation), job fairs where recruiters come to campus to find you, career coaching, preparation for medical school, law school, and graduate school, and much more!

Epic representative talking to a student behind a table with a banner saying hiring all majors

Housing

Classroom Unit 1
10:00 - 11:00 a.m. session and 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. session
Where will you live for the next few years? Find out about the wide variety of on-campus housing opportunities, including residence hall or apartment living, themed housing, and our unique residential college system. You will also learn about how students receive assistance finding off-campus housing, as well as dates and deadlines and other important information. Meet with the Housing experts and get your questions answered!

Financial Aid

Humanities Lecture Hall
1:00 - 2:00 p.m. session and 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. session
Bring your questions! Find out more about next steps with the Financial Aid and Scholarship Office (FASO) and how we can help make college affordable for you and your family. FASO distributes over $295 million every year in need-based and merit-based awards. If you haven’t filled out your FAFSA or Dream App, do it now!

More Events

Sesnon Art Gallery
Open 12:00 - 5:00 p.m., Mary Porter Sesnon Art Gallery, Porter College
Come see the beautiful, meaningful art of our on-campus Sesnon Art Gallery! The gallery is open from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays, and admission is free and open to the public.

Athletics & Recreation East Field Gym Tour
Tours leave every 30 minutes at 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Hagar Drive
View the home of Banana Slugs Athletics & Recreation! Explore our exciting facilities, including our 10,500-square-foot gym with dance and martial arts studios and our Wellness Center, all with views of the East Field and Monterey Bay.

Resource Fair and Performances

Resource Fair, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., East Field
Student Performances, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., Quarry Amphitheater
Want to find out more about student resources or student organizations? Stop by our tables to speak with students and staff members from those areas. You may meet a future fellow clubmate! We’re also providing entertainment by student groups throughout the day in our well-known Quarry Amphitheater. Enjoy!

Resource Fair Participants:

ABC Student Success
Alumni Engagement
Anthropology
Applied Mathematics
Center for Advocacy, Resources, & Empowerment (CARE)
Circle K International
Career Success
Economics
Educational Opportunity Programs (EOP)
Environmental Studies
Haluan Hip Hop Dance Troupe
Hermanas Unidas
Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) Initiatives
Humanities Division
IDEAS
Mary Porter Sesnon Art Gallery
Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanx de Aztlán (MEChA)
Newman Catholic Club
Physical and Biological Sciences Division
Project Smile
Resource Centers
Slug Bike Life
The Slug Collective
Stitching Slugs
Student Organization Advising and Resources (SOAR)
Student Union Assembly
UCSC Equestrian

Two individuals wearing white face paint and traditional clothing smiling at the camera

Dining Options

A variety of food and drink options will be available throughout campus. Food trucks will be available at various locations on campus, and Cafe Ivéta, located in Quarry Plaza, will be open that day. Want to try a dining hall experience? Inexpensive, all-you-care-to-eat lunches will also be available at the five campus dining halls. Vegetarian and vegan options will be available. Bring a reusable water bottle with you – we’ll have refill stations at the event!

Black Excellence Breakfast

7:30 a.m. check-in time

Connect with the strong, vibrant Black community at UC Santa Cruz! Bring your guests with you, and meet some of our many supportive and inspiring faculty members, staff, and current students. Find out about student organizations and resource centers dedicated to supporting and uplifting the Black community on our campus! Breakfast will be included! The event is open to all, and programming is designed with African/Black/Caribbean students in mind. Capacity is limited.

Two individuals looking at the camera with Black Excellence Breakfast written on it

Bienvenidos SoCal Lunch

Latiné culture is an integral part of our campus life! Invite your guests to come with you to this informative lunch, where you will meet your network of welcoming, helpful staff, faculty, current students, and allies. Find out about our many student organizations and resources, and celebrate your admission with us en comunidad! This event is open to all, and programming is designed with Southern California Latiné students in mind. Capacity is limited.