Welcome to the First Year Transition Academy!
This two-quarter program helps students who are admitted to begin at the University of California, Santa Cruz in January 2025 get a headstart on their studies.
SCHEDULE & COURSES
Build your academic skills to navigate college in the U.S.
FRIENDS & COMMUNITY
Enjoy meeting up with students from all over the world so you know people when you arrive in winter.
PROGRAM TUITION
Save on two quarters of tuition when you start your program online from their home country.
START WINTER 2025
Start earning units to your UC Santa Cruz degree this summer and graduate with the class of 2028.
Confirm your spot in the First Year Transition Academy!
A program that prepares you for University in the U.S.
Our program is a unique blend of curricula to set you up for success both in your academic and professional pursuits. You'll not only earn transferable units towards your degree, but you will also get to know other incoming winter admits, hear from UCSC students, and connect with important academic and personal advisors.
What to Expect
♦ Begin This Summer
Enjoy a wonderful summer introduction to our prestigious research university.
♦ Fully Online
Complete your first two quarters of coursework from your home country.
♦ Seamlessly Transfer Your Units
Our expert advisors will guide you through the enrollment process for these courses.
♦ Save on Residential Campus Tuition
You will save up to 50 percent or $14,000 USD.
♦ Join Your Cohort In Person in Winter 2025
Keep up with students in the graduating class of 2028.
♦ University of California Curricula
This program is administered through UCSC Silicon Valley Professional Education, the professional development division of UC Santa Cruz.
Recent International Stories
What Students Are Saying
"From assignments, class exercises, and group discussions to the project work and quizzes—it all helped me build strong foundations and solidify concepts."
— Neville Mistry
International Student
Program Manager
"I made a lot of good connections while I was here."
— Aakash Dave
International Student
Entrepreneur, Founding CEO of Spotmi
"It’s a very supportive program. The engagement within our class was great. We learned from the professors as well as our classmates."
— Renuka Adnane, MSOD PHR SHRM-CP
International Student
Human Resources Business Partner
"It was pretty deep and the assignments were demanding so I had to work hard to get the point."
— Renato Roschel Ribeiro, MBA
International Student
Director of Digital & Analytics | Data Analytics Professor
"The response from my fellow students was so enthusiastic that I had to think more in depth. It evolved. Every course demands that you think in a certain way. Every course took me a step further."
— Bouwien Luppes
International Student
Art Entrepreneur and Marketer
"She’s really inspired me to do a lot of things I was not doing with the kids. It helps you think differently about your role. It helped me a lot with teaching art and creativity. If they want to color a heart blue, we let them do it."
— Vandana Gupta
International Student
Child Care Teacher
"Diana is a fabulous instructor and is always willing to share her insights and make sure course content is adapted to everyone's needs. She is approachable and willing to help you have a thorough understanding of the content without judgment."
— Jasleen Kaur Monga
International Student
Learning Specialist | Educational Therapist
"The class involved whiteboard sessions and collaboration projects which really prepared me well to start working in the industry and tackle UX design interviews."
— Agnieszka Zimolag
International Student
Product Design, Cloud at IonQ
"Jagadeesh really prepares for the sessions and the assignments, not letting students to lose focus during classes, engaging all. He has got a lot of examples to share and makes people think to apply what we learn in the class."
— SasiKumar Arumugan
International Student
Lead Software Engineer
