10 Colleges. One Vision.
At UC Santa Cruz, our 10 colleges form diverse and inclusive living and learning communities that empower holistic student growth.
UC Santa Cruz Colleges
At UC Santa Cruz, every undergraduate is affiliated with one of 10 colleges—each with its own distinctive theme and community.
College Event Spotlights
Moat Day: Honoring Merrill’s legacy through student art
Merrill College’s Moat is more than a colorful walkway—it’s a living tradition of student expression and activism. Each spring, Moat Day invites the college community to come together for a day of art, connection, and celebration as a new student mural is added to the historic space. The annual event highlights Merrill’s enduring commitment to creativity, community-building, and honoring student voices past and present.
Slug Stories: A College Nine and John R. Lewis College student storytelling tradition
Slug Stories is an annual storytelling event hosted by College Nine and John R. Lewis College, where first-year students take the stage to share personal narratives that reflect their identities, challenges, and growth. The event is the culmination of a yearlong initiative that integrates storytelling into the Core Course, building connection, empathy, and community through live story slams, a digital archive, and creative exploration.
Kresge presents PRIDE: A student-led march and festival for LGBTQIA+ community
Kresge Presents PRIDE is UC Santa Cruz’s largest annual queer gathering—a student-led march and festival that celebrates LGBTQIA+ identity, visibility, and community. The event has grown into a favorite campus tradition, bringing students together for a cross-campus march, affinity spaces, and a lively festival of music, food, and resources. Organized primarily by student volunteers, the event uplifts queer voices while fostering connection, leadership, and joy.
College News
Rachel Carson
From founding faculty to future generations
Celebrating Jim Pepper’s 50-year legacy of teaching, mentorship, and environmental leadership
Porter, Rachel Carson
Two UC Santa Cruz alumnae make their Off-Broadway debut
Rosie Glen-Lambert (Porter ’14, theater arts) and Hailey McAfee (Rachel Carson ’13, theater arts) make their Off-Broadway debut at Soho Playhouse from January 14 to February 13. The limited Off-Broadway engagement follows a sold-out run at the Hollywood Fringe Festival where the duo’s production received multiple honors.
John R. Lewis
How quiet galaxies stay quiet: cool gas feeds black holes in ‘red geysers’
New paper led by UC Santa Cruz undergraduate suggests that long-dormant galaxies deemed to be dead may actually be stunted by the dynamics of supermassive black holes at their center