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University of California-Santa Cruz: California quail - UCSC
Photo: Ian Poellet, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

College · Catholic life on campus

University of California-Santa Cruz

  • LocationSanta Cruz, CA
  • Type and sizePublic · 4-year · 19,764 students
Official website

University of California-Santa Cruz is not a Catholic college. This rating measures Catholic life on campus: campus ministry, priests, Mass and confession, student groups, and nearby parishes.

UC Santa Cruz's official student organization directory lists the Newman Catholic Club, which describes weekly Sunday Mass, socials, and Bible studies. No Catholic campus ministry center with a confirmed chaplain, address, or schedule was foundthat could be reviewed. The Shrine of St. Joseph downtown publishes daily Mass and confession and has a page for UCSC students.

Mass, confession, and adoration

Confirm with the parish

Mass 1

  • Sunday–Saturday11:00 AMShrine of St. Joseph, 544 W Cliff Dr

Confession 1

  • Sunday–Saturday10:00 AMShrine of St. Joseph, 544 W Cliff Dr · 10:00-10:45 AM.

Adoration 1

  • Saturday9:45 AMShrine of St. Joseph, 544 W Cliff Dr

Times come only from official parish, chaplaincy, or school pages, and can change with the season. Last verified Oct. 12, 2026.

Sources for these times (1)
  1. Mass Times in Santa Cruz, CA | Shrine of St. Josephshrinestjoseph.com/mass-times-in-santa-cruz-ca · verified Oct. 12, 2026
    “Daily Mass (including Saturday & Sunday): 11am”
    The Shrine of St. Joseph publishes daily Mass at 11 am.
    “Daily Confessions: 10:00 – 10:45am”
    The Shrine of St. Joseph publishes daily confession from 10:00 to 10:45 am.
    “Eucharistic Adoration: Saturdays at 9:45am”
    The Shrine of St. Joseph publishes Saturday adoration at 9:45 am.

Plan a campus visit Mass times for your dates, questions to ask, and a calendar button.

Catholic churches nearby

Map of University of California-Santa Cruz, its Catholic center and nearby Catholic churches0.5 mi1 mi2 miHoly Cross Catholic Church: 2.0 mi1Iglesia de la Misión de Santa Cruz: 2.0 mi2University of California-Santa Cruz (campus)N0.5 mi
CampusCatholic church (numbered below)Open a street map ›
  1. Holy Cross Catholic Church — 2.0 mi
  2. Iglesia de la Misión de Santa Cruz — 2.0 mi · Emmett Street, Santa Cruz

Within 3 miles, as mapped by OpenStreetMap contributors. The map may be incomplete. Confirm with the parish or diocese.

Catholic life scorecard

Each line is one thing we looked for. A check means yes, a half means partly, a dash means no. “Not enough information” means official sources did not say.

N/ACatholic life on campus: Not enough information. Official sources do not cover enough of this to grade it yet.

Catholic life on campus

Not enough information: official sources cover less than 60% of this area.

  • Yes: the school meets this item and earns its full points.
    Catholic campus ministry serving this campus (Catholic center, campus ministry, or chaplaincy)Yes (The university's official student organization directory lists the Newman Catholic Club as UCSC's official Catholic student group, offering weekly Sunday Mass, Bible studies and gatherings.)
    Sources (1)
    1. Explore Student Organizations | Get Involved at UCSCgetinvolved.ucsc.edu/student-organizations/join · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “The Newman Catholic Club is your official Catholic student group at UCSC.”
      The official UCSC student organization directory lists the Newman Catholic Club as the Catholic student group.
      “We offer weekly Sunday Mass, social gatherings, and Bible studies on campus or in our off-campus house”
      The Newman Catholic Club states it offers weekly Sunday Mass, socials, and Bible studies.
  • Not enough information: official sources do not document this, so it is left out of the grade rather than counted as a no.
    Dedicated Catholic center or chapel on or next to campusNot enough information: not found in official sources.
  • Not enough information: official sources do not document this, so it is left out of the grade rather than counted as a no.
    Priest chaplain assigned to campus ministryNot enough information: not found in official sources.
  • Not enough information: official sources do not document this, so it is left out of the grade rather than counted as a no.
    Weekday Mass at the campus ministryNot enough information: not found in official sources.
  • Not enough information: official sources do not document this, so it is left out of the grade rather than counted as a no.
    Sunday Mass at the campus ministry or a campus chapelNot enough information: not found in official sources.
  • Not enough information: official sources do not document this, so it is left out of the grade rather than counted as a no.
    Scheduled confession at the campus ministryNot enough information: not found in official sources.
  • Partly: the school meets some of this item and earns part of the points.
    Catholic student groups and missionary outreach (e.g., FOCUS, Saint Paul's Outreach, Knights of Columbus, Bible studies)One
    Sources (1)
    1. Explore Student Organizations | Get Involved at UCSCgetinvolved.ucsc.edu/student-organizations/join · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “The Newman Catholic Club is your official Catholic student group at UCSC.”
      The official UCSC student organization directory lists the Newman Catholic Club as the Catholic student group.
      “We offer weekly Sunday Mass, social gatherings, and Bible studies on campus or in our off-campus house”
      The Newman Catholic Club states it offers weekly Sunday Mass, socials, and Bible studies.
  • Partly: the school meets some of this item and earns part of the points.
    Formation programs (retreats, OCIA/RCIA, service, small groups)One kind (Bible studies only.)
    Sources (1)
    1. Explore Student Organizations | Get Involved at UCSCgetinvolved.ucsc.edu/student-organizations/join · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “We offer weekly Sunday Mass, social gatherings, and Bible studies on campus or in our off-campus house”
      The Newman Catholic Club states it offers weekly Sunday Mass, socials, and Bible studies.
  • Partly: the school meets some of this item and earns part of the points.
    Catholic church within walking distance (computed from OpenStreetMap)Within 3 milesComputed from OpenStreetMap church locations.
  • Partly: the school meets some of this item and earns part of the points.
    Published weekly schedule of Mass, confession, and adoration12 to 19 times a week (15 weekly times documented: 7 Mass, 7 confession, 1 adoration.)Computed from the verified Mass, confession, and adoration times listed on this page (each day a time is offered counts once).

Grades come from the documented indicators under the published rubric. “Not enough information” does not mean the school lacks it.

Strengths

  • A Catholic student group is listed in the official UCSC directory and offers Sunday Mass and Bible studies.
    Sources (1)
    1. Explore Student Organizations | Get Involved at UCSCgetinvolved.ucsc.edu/student-organizations/join · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “The Newman Catholic Club is your official Catholic student group at UCSC.”
      The official UCSC student organization directory lists the Newman Catholic Club as the Catholic student group.
      “We offer weekly Sunday Mass, social gatherings, and Bible studies on campus or in our off-campus house”
      The Newman Catholic Club states it offers weekly Sunday Mass, socials, and Bible studies.
  • A downtown Catholic church publishes daily Mass and confession times and invites UCSC students.
    Sources (2)
    1. Mass Times in Santa Cruz, CA | Shrine of St. Josephshrinestjoseph.com/mass-times-in-santa-cruz-ca · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Daily Mass (including Saturday & Sunday): 11am”
      The Shrine of St. Joseph publishes daily Mass at 11 am.
      “Daily Confessions: 10:00 – 10:45am”
      The Shrine of St. Joseph publishes daily confession from 10:00 to 10:45 am.
    2. I will be a student at UCSC | Shrine of St. Josephshrinestjoseph.com/i-am-new/i-will-be-a-student-at-ucsc · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “attend Daily Mass and Confession, spend time praying in the chapel”
      The Shrine's page for UCSC students invites them to daily Mass, confession, and prayer in its chapel.

Concerns

None recorded.

Know something we missed? Suggest a correction.

The Catholic center

Shrine of St. Joseph

  • Address: 544 W Cliff Dr, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
  • Distance from campus: 3.3 mi (straight line from the campus point in federal IPEDS data)
  • Facilities: chapel, coffee shop

View on map ↗

Source: shrinestjoseph.com, verified Oct. 12, 2026, shrinestjoseph.com, verified Oct. 12, 2026

Catholic clubs and student life

2 groups and regular activities · 0 on campus, 0 off campus, 2 location not published

Faith formation 1

  • Bible studies (Newman Catholic Club)
    Bible studies offered by the Newman Catholic Club.
    getinvolved.ucsc.edu

Clubs and groups 1

Everything listed is published by the school, its campus ministry, or the parish. Ask the campus minister what’s happening this semester.

Catholic campus ministry

Sources (2)
  1. Mass Times in Santa Cruz, CA | Shrine of St. Josephshrinestjoseph.com/mass-times-in-santa-cruz-ca · verified Oct. 12, 2026
    “The Shrine of St. Joseph is a ministry of the Oblates of St. Joseph”
    The Shrine is run by the Oblates of St. Joseph.
    “544 W Cliff Dr, Santa Cruz, CA 95060”
    The Shrine of St. Joseph's published address.
  2. I will be a student at UCSC | Shrine of St. Josephshrinestjoseph.com/i-am-new/i-will-be-a-student-at-ucsc · verified Oct. 12, 2026
    “attend Daily Mass and Confession, spend time praying in the chapel”
    The Shrine's page for UCSC students invites them to daily Mass, confession, and prayer in its chapel.
    “attend Daily Mass and Confession, spend time praying in the chapel”
    The Shrine's page for UCSC students invites them to daily Mass, confession, and prayer in its chapel.

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Academic Excellence

BAcademic Excellence: Good (grade B): 70 to 100 points out of 100 on what official sources document. Grades need sources for at least 60% of the checklist.
74 of 100
From federal data, on fixed published scales.

Each measure counts for the share shown.

  • Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.75%
  • First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.88%
  • Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.Not reported
  • Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.22 to 1
  • Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$13,595

Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.

Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))

Campus facts

SportsNCAA Division III
SettingCity
Study abroadOffered
Students per faculty member22 to 1

Federal data (IPEDS). None of this changes the faith grades.

Cost and value

Federal data, shown separately. Cost, debt, and earnings are never part of any grade.

Undergraduate students
Fall enrollment (IPEDS)
17,812
Total students19,764
Average net price (per year)
After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid
$17,890
Cost of attendance (per year)$41,179
Median federal debt at graduation$16,666
Graduation rate
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time
75%
First-year retention88%
Median earnings 10 years after entry$68,396
Admission rate66%
Students receiving Pell grants32%

Value index: 76 / 100 (how it’s computed)

Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.

Local Church

Diocese of Monterey

The Most Reverend Ramon Bejarano, Bishop of Monterey

Formal address: “Your Excellency”

Source: usccb.org, verified Oct. 7, 2026.

Diocese determined from the county, using the diocese’s county list (Wikipedia). Confirm with the diocese.

About this school’s data

Questions families ask

Is University of California-Santa Cruz a Catholic college?
No. University of California-Santa Cruz is not a Catholic college. Catholic School Compass rates the Catholic life on its campus instead. Catholic students are served by Shrine of St. Joseph.
Where is Mass celebrated at University of California-Santa Cruz?
Mass is listed at Shrine of St. Joseph and 544 W Cliff Dr. Days and times are on this page; please confirm with the parish or campus ministry before you go.

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