A+
Overall Niche Grade
How are grades calculated?
  1. Academics
    A
  2. Value
    A
  3. Diversity
    A
  4. Campus
    A+
  5. Athletics
    B+
  6. Party Scene
    A+
  7. Professors
    A+
  8. Location
    A+
  9. Dorms
    B+
  10. Campus Food
    A
  11. Student Life
    A+
  12. Safety
    B-
View Full Report Card
University of California - Santa Barbara is ...
Public
Athletic Division
NCAA Division I-AAA
Athletic Conference
Big West Conference
Address
5221 Cheadle Hall
Santa Barbara, CA 93106
Website
ucsb.edu

University of California - Santa Barbara Rankings

Niche rankings are based on rigorous analysis of key statistics from the U.S. Department of Education and millions of reviews.

Admissions

Acceptance Rate
36%
SAT Range
1100-1370
ACT Range
26-31
Application Fee
$70
SAT/ACT
Required
High School GPA
Required
Will You Get In?

Test Scores and GPA for University of California - Santa Barbara

Cost

Net Price
$14,966/ year
National
$15,431
Average cost after financial aid for students receiving grant or scholarship aid, as reported by the college.
Net Price by Household Income
  • <$30k
    $10,190/ year
  • $30-48k
    $11,353/ year
  • $49-75k
    $14,511/ year
  • $76-110k
    $22,816/ year
  • $110k+
    $30,464/ year

Academics

Professors
A+
Based on faculty accomplishments, salary, student reviews, and additional factors.
Student Faculty Ratio
17:1
Evening Degree Programs
No
77%
of students agree that professors put a lot of effort into teaching their classes.247 responses
37%
of students agree that it is easy to get the classes they want.252 responses
57%
of students agree that the workload is easy to manage.252 responses

Majors

Most Popular Majors
  • Research and Experimental Psychology
    489 Graduates
  • Economics
    467 Graduates
  • Sociology
    422 Graduates
  • Communications
    352 Graduates
  • International Studies
    322 Graduates
  • Political Science and Government
    276 Graduates
  • Environmental Studies
    247 Graduates
  • Biology
    234 Graduates
  • English
    197 Graduates
  • Physiological Psychology
    169 Graduates

Students

Full-Time Enrollment
19,914Undergrads
Undergrads Over 25
2%
Pell Grant
36%
Varsity Athletes
2%
Poll
What one word or phrase best describes the typical student at this school?
Based on 151 responses
Report
  • Work hard, party hard
    34%
  • Studious, but can party
    16%
  • Balanced
    15%
  • Party hard, study harder
    15%
  • Everyone's different
    6%
  • Athletic, smart, liberal, good-looking
    5%
  • Extremely chill
    4%

Campus Life

Freshmen Live On-Campus
—
Poll
57%
of students say that Greek life is average, and no one will treat you differently if you don't join.352 responses
Poll
56%
of students say varsity sporting events are attended, but not a huge part of campus life.394 responses
Poll
What one word or phrase best describes your school?
Based on 149 responses
Report
  • Work hard play hard
    54%
  • Balance work and play
    33%
  • Awesome
    6%
  • Many options
    3%
  • "Sleep when you're dead" - School's motto
    3%
  • Undescribable
    1%

After University of California - Santa Barbara

Median Earnings 6 Years After Graduation
$52,000/ year
National
$33,028
Graduation Rate
81%
National
47%
Employed 2 Years After Graduation
91%
National
83%
61%
of students feel confident they will find a job in their field after graduation.159 responses
Colleges like University of California - Santa Barbara
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University of California - Santa Barbara Reviews

4,068 reviews
All Categories
This school is utterly fantastic. I came here out of state and it's almost everything I expected in terms of academics and student life. This school has great programs in econ, communications, engineering, and tons more and it's generally not too stressful to handle unless it's dead week. This is the kind of campus that you just feel great being here. IV is right next door and it has some pretty great food spots and I get great vibes from the housing and students living here (I'll be moving here next year as well). Weather is chillier than I thought but it's awesome being on the beach everyday and parties by the ocean have been unforgettable. The people here are cool and unique, so you will surly find your niche here in due time. There seem to always be parties/socials going on too if you're into that! I have much more to experience in my time here but UCSB has treated me very well and I encourage anybody to at least apply here. In conclusion,come to this school; you won't regret it.
Review University of California - Santa Barbara
It's a good school if you are willing to take advantage of your resources. The academics are so-so depending on what professors you receive, but if your professor is bad then go to CLAS or put more time into learning the material yourself. SB's social life is fairly good after all you do live near the beach and have a mini college town (hint: free drinks at parties if you're female); I recommend being outgoing the first week of school since that is the time where everyone is looking for friends or joining clubs. The beach is plus factor in this school, take advantage of it while you're there! As for the food, it is alright and to be honest, on some days the dining food are pretty terrible.
Even though I only went to UCSB for only a Quarter, it was an awesome time! It was amazing to meet people from all over California. The party scene is insane as every Friday- Sunday there is always something going on and Del Playa is always the place to be! The classes may be tough, but it flies by so fast and then it's on to the next party. UCSB always has events for the students, and the life on campus is vibrant and busy. It is definitely a place to call home.