Applying to UC Santa Cruz
As an international student, you can apply for admission as a first-year student or a transfer student. You are considered a first-year applicant if you have completed secondary school and have not enrolled at any college or university. If you have completed secondary school and enrolled at a college or university, please see information on international transfer admissions.
International students must meet the same admission requirements and will be included in the same selection process as U.S. students. Requirements for UCSC first-year admission can be found by visiting our first-year admissions webpage.
Students interested in applying to UCSC must complete the University of California application for admission. The application filing period is October 1- November 30 (for entrance in fall of the following year). For fall 2025 admission only, we are offering a special extended deadline of December 2, 2024. Please note that we only offer a fall-term enrollment option for first-year admission. For information on late application appeals, please visit our admissions appeals information webpage.
Secondary School Requirements
International applicants must be on track to complete secondary school with superior grades/marks in academic subjects and to earn a certificate of completion that enables the student to be admitted to a university in their home country.
Reporting Foreign Coursework
On your UC Application, report ALL foreign coursework as it would appear on your foreign academic record. You should not convert the grading system of your home country to U.S. grades or use an evaluation done by an agency. If your grades/marks appear as numbers, words, or percentages, please report them as such on your UC application. We have International Admissions Specialists who will thoroughly evaluate your international records.
Test Requirements
The University of California campuses will not consider SAT or ACT test scores when making admissions decisions or awarding scholarships. If you choose to submit test scores as part of your application, they may be used as an alternative method of fulfilling minimum requirements for eligibility or for course placement after you enroll. Like all UC campuses, we consider a broad range of factors when reviewing a student's application, from academics to extracurricular achievement and response to life challenges. Exam scores may still be used to meet area b of the a-g subject requirements as well as the UC Entry Level Writing requirement.
Proof of English Proficiency
We require all applicants who attend a school in a country where English is not the native language or whose language of instruction in high school (secondary school) was not English to adequately demonstrate English competency as a part of the application process. In most cases, if less than three years of your secondary schooling was with English as the language of instruction, you must meet UCSC's English proficiency requirement.
