Committed to more student housing
UC Santa Cruz is pursuing an ambitious plan to provide more than 40 percent additional student housing by 2030
UC Santa Cruz is proud to provide campus housing to more than 9,300 students — more than half of its undergraduate student body — and is actively working to offer students even more opportunities to live in university housing that supports them in pursuing their educational goals.
UC Santa Cruz has many projects in the works and will continue to pursue opportunities to provide more student housing to confront this urgent issue. Learn more about our housing projects that are under construction or in the planning phase below.
Increasing undergraduate housing at Kresge College
The comprehensive Kresge College renewal will provide housing for 993 undergraduates—about 628 more beds than what the college originally held. The first phase, with three new residential buildings (comprising 408 beds) and an academic building, opened in fall 2023. The second phase, with restored buildings for housing and residential life and a new town hall, is slated to be completed during the 2025-26 academic year.
UCSC students served: 993
Construction: Phase I completed Fall 2023; Phase II underway
Anticipated opening: 2025-2026 academic year
Expanding child care services and developing new housing for students with families
UC Santa Cruz is expanding child care services and building a new community for students with families. In spring 2024, the campus plans to begin construction on a new early childhood education center that will serve up to 140 children of faculty and staff as well as students, roughly double the capacity of the current facility. The campus will also construct the new Family Student Housing community that will provide 140 new two-bedroom apartments for students with families.
UCSC student families served: 140
Construction: Spring 2024
Anticipated opening: Fall 2025
Providing housing for transfer and continuing students
UC Santa Cruz is partnering with Cabrillo College to build student housing at the community college’s campus. The housing project is intended to include roughly 250 beds for UC Santa Cruz students and 375 beds for Cabrillo students. UC Santa Cruz is committed to educational access and the project will help us strengthen transfer pathways between the two institutions.
UCSC students served: 250
Construction: 2025
Anticipate opening: 2027
Offering more housing for upper division undergraduates and graduate students
UC Santa Cruz is planning to build new residential buildings along Heller Drive to serve up to 3,000 students. The project will also include amenity spaces such as a market, café, fitness center and study spaces.
UCSC students served: Approximately 3,000
Construction: Fall 2025
Anticipated opening: Initial phase in Fall 2028
