UC Santa Cruz was founded in 1965 as the movement away from the conservative '50s was in full swing and America was experiencing a transformation. The founding faculty, administrators, and students embraced and embodied this change. They were open and revolutionary in their thinking—more than mere radicals, they dared to imagine a living and learning environment that would foster a community whose passion came from a deep sense of social justice.

And it shows.

UC Santa Cruz’s many accomplishments include:
• Member of Association of American Universities
• Ranked second in the nation for social mobility
• The first to map the human genome and make it publicly available—for free, forever
• Key contributors to the discovery of the Higgs Boson
• The birthplace of organic farming
• The center of the Dickens Universe
• A graduate gaming program that is one of the top 10 in the country


This university is not to be underestimated.