University of California, Santa Cruz: Can my student get an exemption from a first-year live-on requirement?

By CollegeHousing.ai · Sources checked · 2026-27

DIRECT ANSWER

A first-year housing exemption is generally unnecessary because UCSC does not impose a general first-year live-on requirement.

UCSC's new-student process allows students to indicate whether they plan to live on campus. Because the standard incoming-student policy is not a mandatory first-year residency rule, families normally do not need a live-on exemption simply to choose off-campus housing.

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