Transfer Day 2026 Has Passed
Thank you to our many guests and families for making this a successful event! Please check this website in spring 2027 for information on Transfer Day 2027.
Transfer Day
Saturday, May 9, 2026
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time
Admitted transfer students, join us for a special preview day designed just for you! 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 S.L.U.G. (Student Life and University Guide), next steps presentations, information on Orientation, Financial Aid, Housing, and Career Success, and majors and resources tables. Come experience Banana Slug life – we can’t wait to meet you!
Deals & Discounts
20% discount off one apparel or gift item! The Bay Tree Campus Store is temporarily located in the Granary Building at the base of campus, and will be open on Transfer Day.
Free admission for admitted students (additional visitors pay regular admission). Seymour Marine Discovery Center – Come learn about the cutting-edge ocean research happening at our Coastal Science Campus. The Seymour Center offers pathways into ocean science through internships, volunteer opportunities, and other experiential learning programs.
Enjoy 15% off one Slug Shop item of your choice! Stop by 1520 Pacific Avenue in Downtown Santa Cruz, or enter the coupon code “2026SLUGS" at checkout when purchasing any UCSC branded item that is currently in-stock online.
Downtown businesses love Banana Slugs! Local retailers, eateries, and service providers offer student specials year-round.
Special group rate of $229 per night! Available Thursday, May 7 through Monday, May 11. Please book by Friday, May 1.
Special rate of $249 plus applicable taxes! Complimentary hot breakfast each morning, and parking fees waived for your stay.
Special group rate of $265++ per room for 2 nights minimum. Breakfast buffet is included with rate. Available May 8 to May 11.
Special group rate of $280 per room. Covers Friday, May 8 through Sunday, May 10. Must book by Wednesday, April 15.
Special rate of $157.64-$173.92 per night! To Reserve your Special Rate room, please email ogutierrez@engagehospitality.com or call (831) 426-2664 (M-TH only). Available Friday, May 8 and Saturday, May 9.
Dream Inn is the exclusive beachfront hotel in Santa Cruz. Every guestroom features a breathtaking ocean view and private balcony. Special group rate of $419 available May 8-10 with complimentary parking.
Transfer Day Welcome
9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Baskin Engineering Auditorium 101
We’re excited to welcome back to campus award-winning alumna author and former transfer student Reyna Grande for our keynote address! Reyna Grande has spent her career capturing the raw reality of life across borders. In Grande’s newest book, Migrant Heart, memoir-in-essays, the author of the landmark memoirs The Distance Between Us and A Dream Called Home again turns her gaze inward to explore the scars left by migration and the ongoing work of stitching herself back together.
Mock Lectures
Physical Sciences Building, Room 110
History Professor Elaine Sullivan and Literature Professor Renee Fox faculty lecture. Why are mummies such popular fodder for contemporary stories, movies, comic books, and other media? Together, an Egyptologist and a Victorian literature expert explore aspects of ancient Egypt that exploded into the popular Western imagination in the 19th and early 20th centuries and discuss how this Victorian Egyptomania still reverberates today. The lecture will move back and forth in time and back and forth in discipline to uncover how and why the ancient past can become integral to contemporary identity, society, and aesthetics. Along the way, it might even help you learn how to escape a mummy’s curse.
Physical Sciences Building, Room 114
Meet Ph.D. candidate and teaching assistant Jennifer Guerrero!
Physical Sciences Building, Room 110
Who Gets to Be an American?: A Case for an Enslaved Founding Father
During the Revolutionary War, David George led one of the great mass escapes in slavery’s history, from a plantation called Silver Bluff, on the Savannah River, in the South Carolina backcountry. This talk will tell David George’s incredible story and reflect on two key questions: What does it mean to leave a legacy in a society one departs from? And what counts as a democratic institution in a society that limits democratic participation? As white men in the United States built political institutions and barred Black people (and women and other minorities) from them, Black churches became sites of refuge from slavery and eventually for organizing for voting and other civil rights (through church leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr.). David George helped create the model for these churches during the American Revolution. If the founding fathers were those who built America’s democratic institutions during the Revolution, was David George one of them?
Physical Sciences Building, Room 240
Meet Associate Professor Saun McKinnie from the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department.
Physical Sciences Building, Room 110
Hedonism and the Good Life - What does it take for a person's life to go well for that person? Are some types of pleasure better than others, and how can we tell? Is being happy the only thing that matters for living a good life, or are there other important values? We explore answers to these questions in this lecture from PHIL 22: Introduction to Ethical Theory.
Tours: Choose Your Own Adventure!
9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., Tours depart from Science Hill Quad
Join our friendly, knowledgeable student tour guides as they lead you on a walking tour of the beautiful UC Santa Cruz campus!
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Cowell Provost’s House
View a model dorm room! New transfer students are guaranteed one year of university-sponsored housing, and most transfer students live in the Transfer Community at Porter College. See virtual tours on the Transfer Community page!
10:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11:00 a.m., start at Jack Baskin Engineering Building Room 199
Please reserve a tour in advance here.
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (30-minute tours), East Field House Complex
Join a student-guided tour of our athletics facilities!
11:00 - 12:00 p.m., meet by the stairs to Engineering 2
Is This a Campus or a Forest? Intro hike on the Campus Natural Reserve.
11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., Communications Building
View the Film and Digital Media facilities! Drop-in tours of the Film and Digital Media production facilities offered on a rolling basis from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
12:00 - 3:00 p.m., meet at the Baskin Visual Arts Woodshop
Join us for a guided tour of the Art Department’s exceptional shops and studios.
12:00 - 5:00 p.m., Cowell College
Exhibition: Paths of Play: Games of Resistance and Imagining Otherwise
12:30 - 2:00 p.m., Science & Engineering Library, Room 206
Come view undergraduate research projects by the students in our Science Division!
Connect with STARRS
11:-00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., 1:00 - 2:00 p.m., Jack Baskin Engineering Building, Room 165
Join us for a presentation on the constellation of services available through Services for Transfer, Re-entry, and Resilient Scholars (STARRS). The STARRS mission is to advance social mobility for transfer, re-entry and independent students by providing transformative higher education experiences. We will share about the resources available through our programming, including services to provide academic and personal guidance, basic needs and housing support, mentorship, career and leadership development, community-building, and a welcoming network of peers.
Q&A Panels
10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m., Baskin Engineering Auditorium 101
Join the Social Sciences Division for a Q&A session after their Divisional Welcome!
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., Physical Sciences Building, Room 130
Meet some transfer students majoring in Global and Community Health (both B.A. and B.S. majors)
11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., Digital Arts Research Center (DARC) 108
Students, including members of the Arts Dean's Student Leadership Board, will provide insights into their lives as Arts Division Students at UCSC. There will be a chance for Q&A to answer questions from a student perspective.
12:00 - 1:00 p.m., Physical Sciences Building, Room 240
Meet students in the Microbiology major!
12:15 - 1:00 p.m., Physical Sciences Building, Room 110
What does experiential learning look like for Humanities students at UCSC? Hear directly from students who are engaging in both undergraduate research and paid internships through the Humanities EXPLORE and EXCEL programs. Panelists will share what they’re working on, from faculty-led research projects to community-based internships, and how these experiences connect to their coursework. Students will reflect on what they’re learning, how they approach their work, and how hands-on experiences are shaping their skills, interests, and future path.
12:30 - 1:30 p.m., Physical Sciences Building, Room 130
Join current students for a discussion on the many student-led health organizations on campus and how to become involved with them.
1:00 - 1:45 p.m., meet in Biomedical Sciences Building, Room 300
Meet students in the Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology majors!
1:30 - 2:15 p.m., Physical Sciences Building, Room 114
Meet students in the Math majors
2:00 - 3:00 p.m., Earth & Marine Sciences Building, Room B210
Meet students in the Earth & Planetary Sciences majors
3:00 - 3:30 p.m., Physical Sciences Building, Room 240
Meet the Chemistry Club!
Connect with Financial Aid
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 - 4:00 p.m., Kresge 3201
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 $500 million every year in need-based and merit-based awards. If you haven’t filled out your FAFSA or Dream App, do it now!
Special opportunity: Financial Aid One-on-one Drop-in Advising offered from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (12:00 - 1:00 p.m. break), Kresge 3101 and Kresge 3301.
Career Success
12:00 - 12:45 p.m., 1:00 - 1:45 p.m., Engineering 2, Room 194
Your Career Starts Here: How UCSC Sets You up for Career Success
Transferring is a big step — and so is preparing for life after graduation. Discover the resources, tools, and support Career Success offers to help transfer students build experience, land internships, and connect with employers from day one.
Discover Transfer Housing
Campus Housing Services Tabling and Model Dorm Room
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Cowell Provost’s House
Where will you live for the next few years? Find out more about the variety of on-campus housing opportunities for transfer students, including residence hall or apartment living, themed housing, and our unique residential college system. UCSC also offers assistance to students seeking off-campus housing in the community. Meet with the Housing experts and get your questions answered!
Information Sessions
Various Times and Locations
Find out more about academics at UCSC! Representatives from the four academic divisions and the Jack Baskin School of Engineering will welcome you to campus and help you learn more about our vibrant academic life.
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., Natural Sciences Annex 101
Get into the Banana Slug spirit by joining the staff of Orientation! Learn what happens next after you accept your admission offer at UCSC, and how this team supports students in transitioning to the university.
9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., 4 presentations, Engineering 2, Room 192
Join us to learn more about UCSC's early start opportunity with Summer Edge. You can get started in your major this summer and start making progress on your degree requirements early. Classes available both online and in-person! Financial aid available.
10:00 - 11:00 a.m.., Baskin Engineering Building, Room 165
Come learn about the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP). A program which offers a wide range of academic and personal support services to help students succeed. EOP is dedicated to improving retention and academic achievement for first-generation college students, particularly those from low-income and educationally disadvantaged backgrounds.
11:00 - 11:45 a.m., Baskin Engineering Building, Room 156
Join us for a presentation and conversation to better understand the changing world of LGBTQIA2S+ identities.
1:00 - 1:45 p.m., Baskin Engineering Building, Room 156
Únase a nosotros para una presentación y conversación con el fin de comprender mejor el mundo de las identidades LGBTQIA2S+.
11:00 - 12:00 p.m., Physical Sciences Building, Room 240
Have coffee with faculty, staff, and students from the Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology Department.
11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., Earth & Marine Sciences Building, Room B206
Meet Acting Associate Professor Ryan Baumbach as he discusses UCSC’s many research opportunities in Physics!
1:00 - 2:00 p.m., Earth & Marine Sciences Building, Room B210
Overview of the Environmental Sciences major, degree-defining experiences, cutting edge research opportunities, followed by building tour.
2:00 - 2:30 p.m., Physical Sciences Building, Room 110
Meet Professor Raja Guhathakurta for a presentation on Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Opportunities for Undergraduate Students.
Student Resource Fair
9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., College Nine/John R. Lewis Multipurpose Room and Bhojwani Dining Room
Is there tutoring available on campus? What about mental health services? How can you build community with your fellow Banana Slugs? This is a chance to begin connecting with some current students, faculty, and staff members! Stop by our Resource Fair to speak with students and staff members from those areas. You may meet a future fellow clubmate!
Happenings Around Campus
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., while supplies last, free parking at Hay Barn Lot, walk to this pinned location
Come enjoy picking your own organic strawberries and/or blueberries at the campus farm! Our delicious, organic berries will be plentiful this spring and we hope you can come enjoy the bounty.
2:00 - 5:00 p.m., Porter Quad
Porterpalooza is a signature annual musical tradition at Porter College featuring live local bands and opportunities for residents to gather and connect.
3:00 - 8:00 p.m., Porter Dining Hall
Matsuri is JSA’s largest event of the year. The event features performances from local Japanese cultural groups such as Uzumaru Yosakoi, Watsonville Taiko, and Aikido of Santa Cruz, as well as student performances from JKFAM (dance team) and other UCSC student performers. Admission and activities are free, and food will be available for purchase.
Dining Options
A variety of food and drink options will be available throughout campus. Experience our specialty food trucks at Baskin Engineering/Science Hill and the College Nine/J.R. Lewis Multipurpose Room area!
- El Plato Frutas 7 Antojitos
- S&B Food Truck
- TOGO’s Sandwiches
- Pana Venezuelan Food
- Tacos Los Reyes Antojitos
- Dos Hermanos Pupuseria
Also, inexpensive, all-you-care-to-eat lunches will also be available at the 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!
