University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA · West
- Undergraduates
- 23,113Fall 2024
- Admission rate
- 33%Fall 2024
- Tuition & fees
- $16,4142024–25
- Graduates in 6 yrs
- 83%2024–25
General information
- Type
- Four or more years, Public
- Campus setting
- Suburb: Midsize
- Campus housing
- Yes — capacity 11,432
- Student population
- 26,068 total · 23,232 undergraduate
- Student-to-faculty
- 17 to 1
- Highest award offered
- Doctor's degree · Four or more years
Dig into the details
Choose a topic. The list stays put, so you can move between them.
Tuition, fees and estimated expenses
The published price, before any aid.
- Tuition & fees / year
- $16,4142024–25Excludes housing and other living expenses.
- In-state vs out-of-state
- $16,414 in-state · $50,614 out-of-state2024–25
- Room & board, on campus
- $20,2792024–25
- Books & supplies
- $1,482IPEDS, academic year 2023-24
Ask a student
The numbers start the conversation. A current student can tell you what they feel like.
Annual campus housing and meals
$20,279
2024–25
Ask a student: What are the housing and dining tradeoffs?
What this measures
Cost of attendance: on-campus room and board. AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25.
U.S. Dept. of Education, College Scorecard. View source ↗
Financial aid
Who gets help, and how much.
- Students receiving any aid
- 58%IPEDS, academic year 2022-23Full-time first-time degree-seeking undergraduates only.
- Average grant or scholarship
- $21,732IPEDS, academic year 2022-23
- Students with federal loans
- 18.1%2023–24
- Average loan amount
- $4,326IPEDS, academic year 2022-23
Ask a student
The numbers start the conversation. A current student can tell you what they feel like.
Students receiving Pell Grants
27.9%
2023–24
Ask a student: Which resources help students manage college costs?
What this measures
Percentage of undergraduates who receive a Pell Grant. AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25.
Students using federal loans
18.1%
2023–24
Ask a student: How manageable is combining campus work with coursework?
What this measures
Percent of all undergraduate students receiving a federal student loan. AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25.
Median federal debt among graduates who borrowed
$13,993
2020–21
Ask a student: What would you ask financial aid before committing?
What this measures
Median debt of completers, suppressed for n=30. NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid component. View source ↗
Net price
What families actually pay after aid.
- Average net price
- $16,1092023–24First-time full-time students receiving federal aid.
- Family income $0–30,000
- $7,745IPEDS, academic year 2022-23
- Family income $48,001–75,000
- $11,398IPEDS, academic year 2022-23
- Family income over $110,000
- $30,085IPEDS, academic year 2022-23
Budget for life here
Compare campus living with an off-campus housing benchmark before planning everyday spending.
- Campus room & board
- $20,279
- Studio rental benchmark
- $2,720
- 1-bedroom rental benchmark
- $3,030
- 2-bedroom rental benchmark
- $3,450
Per academic year · 2024–25
Per month · HUD FY2026
Per month · HUD FY2026
Whole apartment / month · HUD FY2026
Rental area: Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA MSA, ZIP 93106. HUD figures are 40th-percentile gross rents, not average asking rents. Basic utilities are included; phone, television, and internet are excluded. Room and board is an annual college-reported cost, not a monthly rent.
HUD rental data ↗A night at the movies
Check local prices
One adult standard 2D evening ticket. Premium formats and booking fees vary.
A verified local price is not yet available.
Find nearby theaters ↗The Big Mac benchmark
Check local prices
One Big Mac sandwich at regular pickup price, before tax. Excludes meals, delivery, and offers.
A verified local price is not yet available.
Find nearby McDonald’s ↗Ask a student: What do you actually spend in a typical month, and where do you save?
Ask a student
The numbers start the conversation. A current student can tell you what they feel like.
Average annual cost after grants
$16,109
2023–24
Ask a student: Which costs surprised you beyond tuition?
What this measures
Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid; public institutions cover in-state students. AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25.
U.S. Dept. of Education, College Scorecard. View source ↗
Enrollment
How many people are here, and who.
- Total enrollment
- 26,068IPEDS 2023
- Undergraduate
- 23,232IPEDS 2023
- Graduate and professional
- 2,836IPEDS 2023
- Student-to-faculty ratio
- 17 to 1Fall 2024Not a class size.
Ask a student
The numbers start the conversation. A current student can tell you what they feel like.
Students per faculty member
17:1
Fall 2024
Ask a student: How easy is it to get help from professors?
What this measures
Undergraduate student to instructional faculty ratio. Fall 2024, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25.
Students studying part time
1.9%
Fall 2024
Ask a student: How do students balance classes with work or other responsibilities?
What this measures
Share of undergraduate, degree-/certificate-seeking students who are part-time. Fall 2024, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25.
IPEDS institutional directory. Total, undergraduate and graduate are reported together for IPEDS 2023, so they reconcile. The undergraduate figure in the key stats above is a newer College Scorecard count for Fall 2024, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25. View source ↗
Admissions
How selective, and what they weigh.
- Admission rate
- 33%2024–25
- Applicants
- 110,871IPEDS 2023
- SAT total, middle 50%
- Not reported
- Required for admission
- Completion of college-preparatory program · English Proficiency Test · Personal statement or essay · Secondary school GPA · Secondary school recordIPEDS 2023
U.S. Dept. of Education, College Scorecard. View source ↗
Retention and graduation rates
Who comes back, and who finishes.
- Graduation rate, 6 years
- 83%2024–25First-time full-time students only; excludes transfers entirely.
- Graduation rate, 4 years
- 73%IPEDS 2023
- First-year retention, full-time
- 93%2023–24
- Transfer-out rate
- Not reported
Ask a student
The numbers start the conversation. A current student can tell you what they feel like.
First-year return rate
93%
2023–24
Ask a student: What helped you settle in during your first year?
What this measures
First-time, full-time student retention rate at four-year institutions. Fall 2023 bachelor's-seeking cohort, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25.
U.S. Dept. of Education, College Scorecard. View source ↗
Outcome measures
Eight-year results for every kind of student.
- Award rate, first-time full-time
- 86%IPEDS 2023, 2015–16 entering cohortShare of the 2015–16 entering cohort holding an award eight years later.
- Award rate, first-time part-time
- 59%IPEDS 2023, 2015–16 entering cohort
- Award rate, non-first-time
- 91%IPEDS 2023, 2015–16 entering cohortStudents who transferred in or returned — the group graduation rates leave out.
- Still enrolled at 8 years
- 0%IPEDS 2023, 2015–16 entering cohort
Student perspective
People you could talk with
These sample profiles show the kinds of conversations we are building for University of California, Santa Barbara. Actual students and availability will appear here.
Maya
A sample perspective for students exploring Econometrics and Quantitative Economics at University of California, Santa Barbara. Ask about classes, finding your people, and settling into life in Santa Barbara.
Jordan
A sample perspective for students curious about Sociology, General and the choices outside class at University of California, Santa Barbara. Bring questions about campus culture, activities, and a typical week.
Alex
A sample perspective for students considering Communication, General at University of California, Santa Barbara. Talk through housing, budget, and what the move to Santa Barbara could feel like.
Sample profiles. Actual students and availability will appear here.
Ask a student
The numbers start the conversation. A current student can tell you what they feel like.
Median earnings four years after graduation
$70,323
2022–23 earnings; 2024 dollars
Ask a student: How do students find internships and career support?
What this measures
Median earnings of graduates working and not enrolled 4 years after completing. Treasury AY2017-18, AY2018-19 pooled cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars.
IPEDS Outcome Measures component. View source ↗
Programs and majors
What you can study, and to what level.
- Highest award
- Doctor's degreeIPEDS 2023
- Largest program
- Econometrics and Quantitative Economics2023–24Ranked by degrees awarded, not by program quality.
- Carnegie classification
- Doctoral Universities: Highest Research ActivityIPEDS 2023
- Academic calendar
- QuarterIPEDS 2023
Top 10 majors
2023–24Ranked by bachelor’s degrees awarded, not by program quality.
- Econometrics and Quantitative Economics667 awarded
- Sociology, General605 awarded
- Communication, General597 awarded
- Experimental Psychology503 awarded
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General377 awarded
- Statistics, General338 awarded
- Environmental Studies331 awarded
- Political Science and Government, General285 awarded
- Film/Cinema/Media Studies196 awarded
- Computer Science168 awarded
Federal program names may differ from the college’s own major names.
IPEDS Completions component. View source ↗
Servicemembers and veterans
Benefits, credit and support on campus.
- Yellow Ribbon Program
- YesIPEDS 2023Post-9/11 GI Bill benefit that can cover costs above the state cap.
- Credit for military training
- YesIPEDS 2023
- Dedicated point of contact
- YesIPEDS 2023
- Student veteran organization
- YesIPEDS 2023
IPEDS institutional directory. View source ↗
Varsity athletic teams
Association, conference and what is fielded.
- National athletic association
- NCAAIPEDS 2023
- Primary conference
- Big West ConferenceIPEDS 2023
- Sports with conference play
- Baseball · Basketball · Cross country / trackIPEDS 2023IPEDS records football, basketball, baseball and cross country / track only.
- NCAA division
- Not reported
IPEDS institutional directory. View source ↗
A year on campus
What each month actually feels like.
- Warmest month
- August — 75° / 58°1991–2020 normals
- Coldest month
- December — 64° / 40°1991–2020 normals
- Wettest month
- February — 3.9 in1991–2020 normalsPrecipitation includes the water equivalent of snow.
- Move-in week, late August
- 75° / 58°1991–2020 normals
Right now on campus
Checking nearby weather…
Typical daily highs and lows, plus monthly precipitation. Plan for the whole school year.
1991–2020 climate averages from SANTA BARBARA MUNI AP, CA US, 0.7 miles from campus. Precipitation includes the water equivalent of snow. NOAA normals may include estimated records; actual conditions vary.
NOAA climate source ↗NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. View source ↗
About these numbers
College Scorecard release: 2026-06-10. Data retrieved: 2026-09-17. Majors: IPEDS 2023–24 bachelor’s completions. Reporting years vary by measure and are shown with each figure.
Enrollment, admissions, tuition, and graduation reporting periods
- Enrollment of undergraduate certificate/degree-seeking students: Fall 2024, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25.
- Admission rate: Fall 2024, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25.
- In-state tuition and fees: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25.
- Out-of-state tuition and fees: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25.
- Completion rate for first-time, full-time students at four-year institutions (150% of expected time to completion): Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25.