Academic and Career Support

The goal of a student's career in the university is to succeed and find new opportunities for a career path. UC Santa Cruz wants to make sure that all of our first-gen students succeed. Below are just some of the many academic and career support services available on campus.

Academic support

• Learning Support Services (LSS)
  •  LSS provides your students with access to services that promote academic success and collaborative peer-learning through small group and individual tutoring as well as Modified Supplemental Instruction (MSI).
• Disability Resource Center (DRC)
  • With a focus on equal educational access, the DRC assists students with temporary or permanent disabilities, providing accommodations and support services as well as a supportive community.
• Educational Opportunity Programs (EOP)
  • EOP provides a variety of academic and personal support programs to improve retention and academic success for first-generation college students from low-income and educationally disadvantaged backgrounds.
• Services for Transfer and Re-Entry Students (STARS)
  • STARS provides culturally responsive support to transfer, re-entry, and veteran students as well as students who do not have traditional family support.
    

Focused and discipline-specific academic support

• Hispanic Serving Institution Initiatives (HSI)
  •  UC Santa Cruz is a federally recognized, Research 1 (R1), HSI. Federally funded programs provide innovative academic and community-engaged support for our Latinx students, serving as a pathway to addressing retention, graduation, and time-to-degree.  
• Academic Excellence Program (ACE)
  •  An academic support program for students enrolled in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) that is dedicated to educational equity, closing achievement gaps, and increasing diversity in STEM fields. 
• Multicultural Engineering Program (MEP) / Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA)
  • The MESA Engineering Program, also known as the Multicultural Engineering Program (MEP) at the UC Santa Cruz campus, is the university level component of the statewide Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) - a program of the University of California Office of the President.
• STEM Diversity
  • There are four programs affiliated with the STEM Diversity program: Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC), Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD), California Alliance for Minority Participation, and University of California Leadership Excellence through Advanced Degrees (UC LEADS).

Career support

• Career Center
  • Prepares students for professional careers and supports students in applying for internships and work opportunities while hile attending UC Santa Cruz. Visit their website for more information for parents/guardians.
• Alumni Career Advice Network
  • An online platform where alumni and students connect with other alumni for career advice. Students can create a profile and then get matched with alumni that share your career path and interests.