Yes! Throughout the summer the Black Academy mentors will keep in touch and make sure you have everything you need prior to joining us on campus. Also from July 24-August 4th there will be pre-program sessions offered by some campus partners to make sure you have the items that you need to get done out of the way before you even step foot on campus in September. Be prepared for a lot of interaction throughout the summer. We want you to feel how much we have your back right from the beginning!

ABC themed housing is an option on the housing application available at studenthousing.ucsc.edu .  Once you have your UCSC CruzID and Gold Password, you will log into the housing portal and fill out your Academic Year 23-24 housing application. Within the housing application there will be a page about themed housing and there is where you will express interest in the different ABC themed living communities on campus. The Office of ABC Student Success works with housing to select students to live in these communities and housing will take over room assignment coordination. If you have a friend that you want to live with, make sure they also apply for the ABC themed housing community you're also applying. We only offer to those who have applied. 

That's different. R.PAATH is one of the only themed living communities that you can live in regardless of your college affiliation. Otherwise all incoming students would live at the College that they are selected for. The other ABC themed living communities available to incoming frosh would be Biko House at Oakes college, which will be for Oakes affiliates only, this is a dorm as well. The ABC STARS community is strictly for transfer students and is apartment style living. 

Both! R.PAATH has a dorm (Stevenson House 7) that primarily houses first year students. There are some continuing students who live in the building as well but a majority of the continuing students will live in the R.PAATH apartments. Most of the housing options for incoming first year (frosh) will be in what is called community style living or Dorms across campus. Most of the apartments on campus will be occupied by continuing or transfer students. 

No! It's not required but it's strongly suggested. We have seen a strong community built with Black Academy Participants and almost every year we have students who want to change their housing assignment to live with other Black Academy students. It's not impossible to room change after fall move in, but there is a 2 week room freeze across campus before those room changes are allowed to occur. So we suggest that you apply for ABC theme housing so that you can live together and not have to wait for that process. But the ultimate decision is up to you!