MESA is a statewide program through the UC Office of the President, which provides academic development for middle and high school students to prepare for baccalaureate degree programs in mathematics and science and careers in engineering and other mathematics-based scientific fields.

MentorNet's One-on-One Mentoring Programs focus on matching women and underrepresented minorities with female or male professionals from all sectors as mentors for one-on-one, email-based mentoring (e-mentoring) relationships. MentorNet proteges are in the engineering and science fields and are community college, undergraduate and graduate students, postdocs and untenured faculty. UC Santa Cruz partners with MentorNet to provide this service to UCSC students.

The Multicultural Engineering Program (MEP), also known as the MESA Engineering Program, is the university level component of the statewide Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA)—a program of the University of California Office of the President. At UC Santa Cruz, MEP is supported by the Baskin School of Engineering with its goal to promote diversity and facilitate the retention and graduation of a diverse population of students, especially groups which continue to remain the most underrepresented in engineering studies. The program received the 2004 UC Santa Cruz “Excellence Through Diversity Award” which is presented to programs or individuals for efforts which promote a diverse and inclusive environment.

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship in Information Technology (SURF-IT) offers opportunities for both UCSC students and non-UCSC students. SURF-IT will provide an intensive and personalized summer program with a focus on women, minority, and disadvantaged undergraduates. SURF-IT includes a research experience supervised by a UCSC faculty member in computer engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, or bioinformatics.

AGEP is a program sponsored by the National Science Foundation whose goal it is to significantly increase the number of African American, Latino, Native American, and Pacific Islander students earning PhDs in the physical and life sciences, math, and engineering and to foster their interest in and commitment to an academic career. The UCSC AGEP program is designed to increase the number of graduate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields while also providing special programs addressing the diverse and specific educational needs of incoming graduate students.

The University of California Leadership Excellence through Advanced Degrees (UC LEADS) program educates California's future leaders by preparing students for graduate education in STEM fields. UC LEADS identifies promising upper-division undergraduate students who have experienced conditions that have adversely impacted their advancement in their field of study.