University of California-Santa Barbara — College Profile

About

The University of California, Santa Barbara is a world-class public research institution renowned for its leading programs in materials science, physics, marine biology, and engineering, bolstered by a faculty that includes multiple Nobel laureates. Academically, UCSB sets itself apart through its unique College of Creative Studies, an intimate "graduate school for undergraduates" that fosters self-directed research and creative work from day one. Situated directly on the Pacific coastline with its own beach and lagoon, the university offers a vibrant, bike-friendly campus culture that famously balances rigorous scholarship with an active, outdoorsy lifestyle centered in the adjacent student community of Isla Vista.

Wikipedia:The University of California, Santa Barbara is a public land-grant research university in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Tracing its roots back to 1891 as an independent teachers college, UC Santa Barbara joined the University of California system in 1944. It is the third-oldest campus in the system, after Berkeley, and UCLA.

Location

Santa Barbara, CA, 93106 · Suburb campus

✈

Nearest airport from college

LAX · Los Angeles

88 mi away

Open in Google Maps

Cost & aid

Cost of attendance

These figures are federal data and may be out of date.

In-stateOut-of-state

Tuition & fees$16,414$50,614

Housing & food (on campus)$20,279$20,279

Books & supplies$1,381$1,381

Cost of attendance$41,573$75,773 est.

Average net price$16,109Not published

Out-of-state prices

Tuition & fees$50,614

In-state: $16,414

Housing & food (on campus)$20,279

Books & supplies$1,381

Cost of attendance$75,773 est.

In-state: $41,573

Average net priceNot published

In-state: $16,109

est. = the in-state cost of attendance with out-of-state tuition swapped in; no out-of-state figure is published.

Source: U.S. College Scorecard

Net price by family income · in-state students, 2023-24

$0–30k

$9,231

$30–48k

$9,992

$48–75k

$12,588

$75–110k

$17,136

$110k+

$31,863

Your family's actual price → University of California-Santa Barbara net price calculator

Source: U.S. College Scorecard

Merit aid · 2025-26

Awarded without financial need. Students with financial need can get merit awards too; they're counted as need-based aid.

Average award$11,666

Share of first-years who get one3%

Source: University of California-Santa Barbara's Common Data Set — the school's own yearly report of its admissions and aid figures.

Outcomes

Completion

Within 6 yrs

84%

Entered 2017–18

Within 4 yrs

70%

Back for yr 2

93%

Transferred

8 yrs after starting · first-time, full-time students

87% graduated · 9% transferred · 4% left or unknown · none still enrolled

Earnings · measured 2020 & 2021

6 yrs after entry$56,852

10 yrs after entry$74,915

Debt

Median at graduation$13,993

Monthly payment$148

Middle 50% owe$7.5k–$23.5k

90th percentile$28,677

Green marks a figure above the typical Doctoral University: 70% graduate within 6 yrs, $63,395 earned 10 yrs after entry.

Admissions

Getting in · applied for fall 2024

Admit rate

33%

Test policy

Test free

Checked Sep 2026

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Essay prompts

If University of California-Santa Barbara asks for supplemental essays, the prompts are in the school's application.

Student Body

Gender

Men 42%Women 58%

Who enrolls

Faculty ratio

17 : 1

Pell grant

28%

First-gen

42%

Family income

$36,166

Independent

Age at entry

20.0

Part-time

Race & ethnicity

White

32%

Hispanic

27%

Black

Asian

18%

Two or more

10%

Non-resident

Unknown

Varsity sports

NCAA Division I without football · EADA 2024-25

Baseball
Men's
Basketball
Men's · Women's
Cross Country
Men's · Women's
Golf
Men's
Soccer
Men's · Women's
Softball
Women's
Swimming
Men's · Women's
Tennis
Men's · Women's
Track and Field (Indoor)
Women's
Track and Field (Outdoor)
Men's · Women's
Volleyball
Men's · Women's
Water Polo
Men's · Women's

Programs & Earnings

Bachelor's degrees by annual completions · 4yr national median earnings

Median earnings, all programs · measured 2020 & 2021

After 6 yrs

$56,852

After 10 yrs

$74,915

Economics696

Sociology692

Research and Experimental Psychology650

Communication and Media Studies620

Biology, General391

Statistics355

Natural Resources Conservation and Research338

Political Science and Government322

English Language and Literature, General184

Applied Mathematics184

Physics183

Film/Video and Photographic Arts174

Computer Science162

History159

International/Globalization Studies143

Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services125

Type your major above to highlight and detail relevant programs.

Institutional

Resources

Endowment

$444M

Full-time faculty

90%

Faculty salary

$20,677/mo

Teaching spend

$17,118

per student

Federal loans

18%

Classification

Carnegie type

Doctoral University

Research activity

R1 — very high research

$303M research spending · 403 research doctorates a year

Undergraduate profile