University of California, Santa Barbara

University of California, Santa Barbara Overview

University of California, Santa Barbara is a public, state school in the suburban setting of Santa Barbara, California. UC Santa Barbara was founded in 1909 and the school presently has around 26,124 students a year, including 23,091 undergrad students. UC Santa Barbara offers on-campus housing for students. Most students live in off campus housing.

📆 Mark your calendar! November 30, 2023 is the final deadline to submit an application for the Fall 2023 semester. Regular decision applicants for Fall 2023 should receive admissions decisions by March 31.

There are many ways for students to get involved at UC Santa Barbara!

Love music or performing? Sing in a chorus or perform with one of UC Santa Barbara's theater groups.

Are you interested in journalism and communications? UC Santa Barbara students can write for the campus newspaper, host a radio show or be a producer for the student-run television channel.

Interested in Greek life? UC Santa Barbara has fraternities and sororities.

Planning to play sports? UC Santa Barbara has many options for athletes. See them all and learn more about life at UC Santa Barbara on the Student Life page.

Is UC Santa Barbara a Good School?

Different people have different ideas about what makes a "good" school. Admissions difficulty, admitted student statistics, tuition, and financial aid can all provide a sense of how selective a college is.

Let's take a closer look at these factors to get a better view of what UC Santa Barbara offers and if it could be a good fit for you.

2022 Acceptance Rate for University of California, Santa Barbara

UC Santa Barbara is very difficult to get into. UC Santa Barbara admitted 29% of all applicants in 2022. Out of 103,174 applications received in 2022, 30,039 students were offered admission.

Retention and Graduation Rates at UC Santa Barbara

Retention refers to the number of students that stay enrolled at a school over time. It gauges how satisfied students are with their school experience, and if they have the support necessary to succeed in college.

Approximately 91% of first-year, full-time undergrads who start at UC Santa Barbarareturn for their sophomore year. Around 89% of students who started at UC Santa Barbara earn their Bachelor's degrees within six years. The average six-year graduation rate for U.S. colleges and universities is 61% for public schools, and 67% for private, non-profit schools.

Job Outcomes for UC Santa Barbara Grads

Job placement rates after graduation and average starting salaries can all give important clues about the value of a degree from a specific school.

Check with UC Santa Barbara directly, for information on any information on starting salaries for recent grads.

University of California, Santa Barbara's Endowment

An endowment is the total value of a school's investments, donations, and assets. Endowment is not necessarily an indicator of the quality of a school, but it can give you a sense of how much money a college can afford to invest in expanding programs, improving facilities, and support students.

UC Santa Barbara's endowment was valued at $434.1 million in 2022, compared to a national average of $905 million.

Tuition and Financial Aid at UC Santa Barbara

Tuition is another important factor when choose a college. Some colleges may have high tuition, but do a better job at meeting students' financial need.

UC Santa Barbara meets 78.1% of the demonstrated financial need for undergraduates. The average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $24,798 a year.

Students in the class of 2022 who had taken out student loans graduated with an average of $18,508 of debt. For context, compare this number with the average national debt, which is around $36,000 per borrower.

The 2023-2024 FAFSA Opened on October 1st, 2022

Some aid is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, so fill out the FAFSA asap. Visit the FAFSA website to apply for student aid. Remember, the first F in FAFSA stands for FREE! You should never have to pay to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), so don't give your money (or info!) to any website that claim you do.

Learn more about Tuition and Financial Aid at UC Santa Barbara.

Based on this information, does UC Santa Barbara seem like a good fit? Remember, the best school for one person may be a terrible fit for another! So ask yourself: Is UC Santa Barbara a good school for you?

If University of California, Santa Barbara seems like a school you want to apply to, click the heart button to save it to your college list.

Still Researching Schools?

Click below to find out more about the admissions requirements and deadlines, student life, academics, majors and more.

Admissions

Student Life

Academics

Tuition & Aid

UC Santa Barbara Community Forums

Then use the college admissions predictor to take a data science look at your chances of getting admitted to some of the most selective schools in the U.S.

Where is UC Santa Barbara?

UC Santa Barbara is located in the suburban setting of Santa Barbara, California.

If you would like to see UC Santa Barbara for yourself, plan a visit. The best way to reach campus is to take U.S. Highway 101 to Santa Barbara, or book a flight to the nearest airport, Los Angeles International.

You can also take a virtual campus tour to get a sense of what UC Santa Barbara and Santa Barbara are like without leaving home.

Considering Colleges in California?

See a full list of colleges in California and save your favorites to your college list.