The Athletics and Recreation Department's mission at UC Santa Cruz is to provide a wide variety of professional programs and physical activities that promote and enhance community, academic success, leadership, lifelong wellness, and experiential learning.

Our department consists of NCAA Division III Athletics with 17 varsity teams as well as a robust amount of recreational opportunities including: group exercise and personal training, comprehensive outdoor programming with Adventure Rec, aquatics programming, 30 Sport Clubs organizations, a variety of Intramural Sports opportunities, and focused Physical Education courses.