In her first year at UC Santa Cruz, Advika Rajaraman gathered as much information as she could to ensure a living space on campus the following year. She combed through facts about the residential colleges that had the most rooms and calculated the college population to apartment capacity ratios, just for the chance of getting housing.
Now in her fourth year, she reflects back on her experience with the housing application that spring quarter in 2023.
“You have to win the lottery to be able to live on campus here,” Rajaraman said.
In winter 2023, the university’s housing system switched from priority based on class standing to a randomized lottery system, with students having guaranteed housing limited to their first year attending UCSC. Meaning, instead of underclassmen having priority, on-campus housing was based on randomly assigned timeslots for each applicant.
“I remember hearing about everyone who didn’t get housing, because it was gone by 12 p.m. that first day,” she said. “I think almost all of my friends that year except for a few got booted off campus because of their [time slot].”
This summer, UCSC vice chancellor for student affairs and success Akirah Bradley-Armstrong and associate vice chancellor for colleges housing and education services Laura Arroyo announced that beginning with the incoming class of 2031, students will have guaranteed on-campus housing through their second year.
Now, first-years will no longer have to win the housing lottery for room and board the following year.
The announcement comes subsequently to the university’s anticipated increased housing plan; including the awaited opening of on-campus buildings such as Kresge College’s residence halls and ongoing projects such as the Family Student Housing (FSH) community and the Heller Student Housing development.
Building Projects On and Off Campus
Many students are anticipating these projects, following various timeline setbacks. The Kresge College construction project began in 2019 and after multiple budget-related delays, is set to open during the 2026-27 academic year. The planned opening of FSH matched the Kresge College timeline, and building began in the summer of 2024. However, it was delayed by six months due to construction issues.
The Heller Student Housing “South” phase is set to be complete by the fall of 2029. Phase two, “North,” currently has no expected date of completion. Together, the project will introduce 2,940 more beds on campus.
The university’s current goal is to grow housing capacity 40 percent, by the fall of 2029.
“While we are now able to offer a first and second-year housing guarantee, we have also remained focused on expanding opportunities for upper-division students,” reads Bradley-Armstrong and Arroyo’s announcement.
In addition to on-campus housing, UCSC has increased its off-campus housing portfolio, completing construction this past summer on the Parkside at Delaware Apartments. The apartments, located on Santa Cruz’s Westside, are about 12 minutes away by car from campus and offer space for about 350 upper-division students.
UCSC is also collaborating with Cabrillo College on a joint housing project, titled “Costa Vista.” Located about a 20-minute drive from UCSC, the apartments are set to house nearly 600 students at Cabrillo’s Aptos campus and will open in fall 2027.
According to Laura Arroyo in an email sent to City on a Hill Press, once the new FSH project is complete in fall 2026, all continuing FSH residents will be moved into the new building while the original units will “remain offline and sunsetted,” as the university prepares to build the new Heller Student Housing on the same lot.
Housing Capacity Increases, but Affordability Issues Remain
In 2026, UCSC housed just under 50 percent of its undergraduate population. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s “Out of Reach” report, Santa Cruz County has the most unaffordable housing market in the nation. This leaves off-campus students to face the competitive local market.
Fie Flynn, a second-year legal studies and philosophy major, became a residential assistant (RA) to guarantee herself a room for her second year in hopes of avoiding the budget restrictions and chaos of finding housing off campus.
“[RAs] have housing and food. That was my main incentive, because I know that housing can get pretty steep,” she said. “I’m on a tight budget because I’m out of state. I’m on scholarship as well, so I was trying to limit the amount of money that I was spending on tuition.”
During the 2027-28 academic year, when the housing application deadline approaches, first-year students will not embark on the same stressful path. So long as first-years reapply for university housing during the student housing application period, they will receive a spot on campus.
However, securing a room is not the only housing-related issue UCSC students face. Advika Rajaraman explained how after living on campus, where her single room cost nearly $2,000 a month, she decided to opt for the city market.
Affordable housing remains a pertinent issue in the city, especially for students. According to Laura Arroyo, UCSC is committed to supporting students and “maintaining accessible and affordable housing remains a top priority.”
“As we develop new residential spaces, we carefully balance the construction and operational costs against the local market, and also stay competitive with our UC peers,” wrote Arroyo in an email to City on a Hill Press.
According to the university’s website, the average rental price for a single room in a house in Santa Cruz is $1,576. Comparatively, a single room in the Delaware Apartments will cost $2,381 a month, effectively $23,810 for the 10-month lease contract. Single rooms in the on-campus apartments are also priced steeply, costing $2,268 a month.
Regardless of ongoing affordability issues, Rajaraman explained how having a guarantee will alleviate some of the stress that attaining housing can put on new students at the university.
“People that are 18 and 19 should not be trying to figure out how to live off campus by themselves,” she said. “I remember seeing my friends going through that and going through that myself, filling out the rental app, and I was like, ‘I’m too young to be doing this.’”