University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA · Public
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See the full analysis — freeAdmission rate
University of California, Santa Barbara admitted 33.0% of applicants university-wide (36,347 of 110,266).
| Cohort | Admit rate | Admitted | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|
| University-wide | 33.0% | 36,347 | 110,266 |
| In-state | 32.4% | 24,403 | 75,368 |
| Out-of-state | 38.2% | 6,781 | 17,745 |
| International applicants | 30.1% | 5,163 | 17,153 |
| Men | 29.0% | 13,764 | 47,530 |
| Women | 35.9% | 20,641 | 57,512 |
Of 36,347 admitted students, 5,008 enrolled (13.8% yield).
University of California, Santa Barbara Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C1–C2 · 2024 — Published cohort admit rates — context, not an applicant-specific probability.
Test scores and GPA of admitted students
- GPA (mid-50%, 4.0 scale)
- 3.50–3.99
Testing policy: Test-blind (scores not considered)
University of California, Santa Barbara Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C9–C12 · 2024 — Published admit stats reflect the entire incoming class unless explicitly labeled international-only.
Cost and financial aid
Published cost of attendance: $76,105/yr.
| Out-of-state tuition | $50,614 |
| Fees, housing, food, books & other | $25,491 |
| Sticker cost of attendance | $76,105/yr |
Average net price by family income (US, federal aid data)
| Under $30k | $9,231 |
| $30k–48k | $9,992 |
| $48k–75k | $12,588 |
| $75k–110k | $17,136 |
| Over $110k | $31,863 |
US applicants
Need- and merit-based aid available.
International applicants
No need-based aid reported for internationals.
University of California, Santa Barbara Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections G–H · 2024
Application requirements
US applicants
- UC Application
- Official Transcripts
- Official Test Scores (AP, IB, TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo)
- SAT/ACT Scores (optional)
- Application fee
International applicants
- UC Application
- Official Transcripts
- Official Test Scores (AP, IB, TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo)
- SAT/ACT Scores (optional)
- Application fee
- GPA credential conversion
- Predicted Class XII marksheet
- Financial documentation (I-20)
Essay prompts
Draft these in the free Essay Coach
Prompts from the UC Application member feed · verified Jul 3, 2026
Graduate outcomes
- Median earnings
- $74,915
- Median earnings · 10 years after entry
- Graduation rate
- 83%
- Within 150% of normal time
- First-year retention
- 93.3%
- Return for year two · CDS Section B
- Median debt
- $13,993
- At graduation
University of California, Santa Barbara · U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2023 release) · 2023 — Earnings and debt figures are federal data for aid-receiving graduates — cohort outcomes, not a guarantee for any individual student.
Published rankings
- U.S. News National: #40
- WSJ: #161
- Forbes: #42
- QS: #179
Deadlines
- 2026-11-30Regular Decision — Standard deadline
University of California, Santa Barbara Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C21–C22 · 2024
Academics and campus
Largest degree fields: Social sciences (27%), Biological & life sciences (10%), Psychology (10%).
Student–faculty ratio: 17:1 · 55% of class sections have under 20 students.
University of California, Santa Barbara Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections E, F, I · 2024 — Published institutional figures for the reporting year — descriptive of the current student body, not a prediction about your experience.