Student Experience
UC Santa Cruz earns high marks in Princeton Review rankings
UC Santa Cruz has been named one of the nation’s top universities by The Princeton Review for 2025, earning national recognition for its exceptional financial aid, strong value, sustainability leadership, and stunning campus—affirming its reputation as a student-centered, socially conscious, and academically rigorous institution.
Campus life photography, May 2025 Photographer: Nestor Guerrero
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Key takeaways
- UC Santa Cruz ranks among the nation’s top public universities for student support, earning the No. 17 spot for Best Financial Aid among public institutions, reflecting a strong commitment to affordability and equity.
- The university is recognized as a national leader in sustainability and value, ranking No. 28 for Green Colleges and No. 48 for Best Value Public Colleges, highlighting long-standing environmental leadership and strong return on investment.
- UC Santa Cruz’s natural setting remains a standout, earning the No. 21 spot for Most Beautiful Campus and reinforcing the campus’s unique appeal as a place to live, learn, and thrive.
The University of California, Santa Cruz has once again been recognized by The Princeton Review as one of the nation’s top universities, earning distinctions in four categories that reflect the campus’s commitment to affordability, sustainability, student support, and natural beauty.
In its 2025 rankings, which assessed 650 colleges across the country, The Princeton Review placed UC Santa Cruz among the nation’s top 50 in four key categories: No. 17 for Best Financial Aid among public universities, No. 48 for Best Value Public Colleges, No. 28 for Green Colleges, and No. 21 for Most Beautiful Campus.
“These rankings reflect our core values,” said Chancellor Cynthia Larive. “They speak to our deep commitment to student success and environmental stewardship, and our belief that a world-class education should remain affordable and accessible to all.”
A national leader in student support
UC Santa Cruz’s No. 17 ranking for financial aid underscores the university’s deep investment in student success through a financial aid philosophy that goes far beyond numbers. At the heart of the campus’s approach is a simple but powerful goal: to support access and success for every student, regardless of income level.
“We take a student-centered approach in everything we do,” said Director of Financial Aid Lorena Rodriguez. “When students come to UC Santa Cruz, we see them as individuals—with unique needs, experiences, and challenges. Our job is to ensure they have what they need to thrive, graduate, and leave with as little debt as possible.”
Over the past several years, UC Santa Cruz has transformed how it supports students financially—rethinking how low and middle income are defined in a high-cost-of-living state like California, and leveraging every possible resource to maximize student aid. The team takes a “step system” approach—designing aid packages that scale based on family income and circumstance, with the greatest support going to those with the most financial need.
UC Santa Cruz has also pioneered financial aid strategies that address urgent, real-world student needs and ensured that summer term is accessible for more students, particularly those looking to graduate early.
“All of this is about creating equity,” said Rodriguez. “We’re constantly asking: How can we support more students in more meaningful ways? How can we remove financial barriers so students can focus on their education, not their bills?”
Value, sustainability, and natural beauty
The university’s ranking as the No. 48 Best Value Public College affirms its ability to deliver high academic quality at an affordable cost, with strong outcomes for graduates. Meanwhile, the No. 28 Green Colleges ranking reflects decades of leadership in sustainability, from renewable energy and sustainable transportation to environmentally focused research and education.
And as any Banana Slug will tell you, the No. 21 ranking for Most Beautiful Campus only confirms what they’ve known all along: UC Santa Cruz offers a one-of-a-kind learning environment nestled in coastal redwoods with sweeping views of Monterey Bay.
A campus continuing to rise
Founded in 1965, UC Santa Cruz is known for its interdisciplinary approach to teaching and research, strong focus on social and environmental responsibility, and its distinctive landscape. With these latest recognitions, the university continues to build national momentum—and reaffirm its place as one of the most distinctive and values-driven campuses in the country.
The rankings are based on student surveys and institutional data collected by The Princeton Review, a college admissions and test preparation company that annually evaluates hundreds of U.S. colleges and universities.More information about the rankings is available at princetonreview.com.