University of California, Santa Barbara Info Guide
School Type
UC Santa Barbara is a public, research-intensive university founded in 1909
School Size
For the 2020-2021 school year, UCSB had
23,000 undergraduate students
3,000 graduate students
a freshman class of almost 5,000 students
a transfer class of almost 2,500 students
Student Demographics
UCSB’s enrolled student body is
55% female
45% male
31.7% White
23% Hispanic or Latino
17.5% Asian
7.8% Mixed Races
2.11% Black or African American
0.202% Native American
0.415% Pacific Islander
Campus
UCSB is located 155 miles north of Los Angeles in the city of Santa Barbara and is one of the few schools in the nation with its “own” beach.
A direct drive from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles is around 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Surrounding Area
Because of its central location, many attractions can be found within 5 minutes of walking distance from the main campus, including
Museum of Contemporary Art, Santa Barbara
Paseo Nuevo
Antique Alley
Santa Barbara Certified Farmers Market
The Red Piano
Nightlife is a major attraction in Isla Vista, giving UCSB students looking for fun a great chance to find it!
Because UCSB is right on the beach, many students often use the coast as a study room, place to hang out with friends, or just relax after a long day of studies.
Housing
UCSB offers a very wide range of housing, including
Residence Halls
Undergraduate Apartments
Graduate Apartments
Family Student Apartments
and even Staff and Faculty Housing!
Housing rates are dependent on the option chosen as well as the number of occupants. Rates also include internet access, live-in staff, and 24-hour emergency staff. Amenities including gyms, WiFi, pools, elevators, etc… are dependent on the Residence Hall.
Residence Hall housing also includes meal plan options, ranging from 10-19 meals per week.
2022-23 Academic Year Housing Rates
Residence Hall → $15,524 to $21,276
Undergraduate Apartment → $701 to $1,279 (per month/person)
Graduate Apartment → $799 to $914 (per month/person)
Family Student Housing → $1,042 to $1,571 (per month)
Gender-inclusive housing is offered in San Nicolas, San Rafael, Manzanita Villa, Santa Catalina, and all UCSB apartments
LLCs → Black/African-American Scholars and College of Creative Studies
Tropicana Gardens
Offers 3 Bed/2 Bath and 2 Bed/1 Bath suites
Residents become automatic members of the Tropicana Student Organization, allowing them to be involved in community activities, gatherings, and meetings, such as
Art Museum Tour, Hiking, Holiday Cookie Decorating, and many more
Amenities → Heated Swimming Pool, 24-Hour Quiet Study Lounge, Recreation Room, On-Site Parking, Movie Theater, Laundry Rooms, Fitness Room, Trop Cafe
Dining
Offers a range of meal plans to students, giving them access to all dining commons on campus
committed to providing locally sourced, sustainable food
Residential Meal Plan options
Gaucho Platinum → up to 19 swipes per week in the four Dining Commons
Gaucho Gold → up to 14 swipers per week in the four Dining Commons
Gaucho Silver → up to 10 swipers per week in the four Dining Commons
Dining Commons
Carrillo Dining Commons
De La Guerra Dining Commons
Portola Dining Commons
Take Out at Ortega Commons (only take out)
The campus also offers a number of markets and eateries accessible to the students throughout the week, including
The Arbor
Coral Tree Cafe
Root Burger
Starbucks
Summit Cafe
UCSB also takes action in practicing sustainability through sourcing food such as organic coffee, cage-free and certified humane eggs, sustainable seafood (following the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch guidelines), and other practices
UCSB sustainability initiatives include waste reduction, “green” buildings, and sponsoring education and outreach events
Student Life
UCSB promotes student involvement with the school. With access to programs like student organizations, intramural sports, study groups, and Greek life, students have a wide variety of programs to choose from.
The school has over 500 student organizations available. Students can also become involved through Associated Students, which is responsible for campus resources such as the UCSB radio station. and Bike Shop.
UCSB also has a Recreation Center available to all students. The Center offers pools, courts, weight rooms, and much more. Further, any student can participate in sport clubs or intramural sports.
UCSB offers five Cultural Resource Centers in efforts to support each of their students. These Resource Centers are for African diasporic, Chicanx/Latinx, Asian, Native American, and Middle Eastern students. In these centers, students will find resources for sexual diversity, gender diversity, international students, and many more.
Academics
With three colleges and hundreds of majors, UCSB offers many programs. Below is a breakdown of each college and the college-specific majors
College of Creative Studies
With 385 undergraduate students and 53 total faculty, CCS boasts a student-to-faculty ratio of 8:1. 75% of CCS Alumni attend Graduate School, and 1 CCS Alum was awarded a Nobel Prize. The school offers 9 majors, which are
Art (B. A.)
Biology (B. A.)
Chemistry and Biochemistry (B. A., B. S.)
Computing (B. S.)
Marine Science (B. A.)
Mathematics (B. A., B. S.)
Music Composition (B. A.)
Physics (B. A., B. S.)
Writing and Literature (B. A.)
College of Engineering
The College of Engineering hosts 1,643 graduate students and 163 faculty, making a 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio. The college boasts 3 Nobel Prizes and was ranked among the Top Two global universities for engineering research impact for 11 consecutive years (2011-2021). The school offers five majors, which are
Chemical Engineering (B. S.)
Computer Engineering (B. S.)
Computer Science (B. S.)
Electrical Engineering (B. S.)
Mechanical Engineering (B. S.)
The school also offers six combined 5-year BS/MS programs for excelling undergraduate students. These include
BS/MS in Computer Science
BS Electrical Engineering and MS Electrical and Computer Engineering
BS Computer Engineering and MS Computer Science
BS Computer Engineering and MS Electrical and Computer Engineering
BS Chemical, Electrical, or Mechanical Engineering and MS Materials
BS Mechanical Engineering and MS Mechanical Engineering
College of Letters and Sciences
The College of Letters and Sciences hosts 20,000 undergraduate students and 700+ faculty, making an approximate 28:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Outside of the traditional classroom, the school provides and encourages many research opportunities for their students. The school offers over 90 majors, which are
Actuarial Science (B. S.)
Anthropology (B. A.)
Anthropology - Archaeology Emphasis (B. A.)
Anthropology - Cultural Emphasis (B. A.)
Anthropology - Biological Emphasis (B. A.)
Applied Mathematics (B. S.)
Aquatic Biology (B. S.)
Art (B. A.)
Asian American Studies (B. A.)
Asian Studies (B. A.)
Biochemistry (B. S.)
Biochemistry - Molecular Biology (B. S.)
Biological Sciences (B. A.)
Biological Sciences (B. S.)
Biopsychology (B. S.)
Black Studies (B. A.)
Cell and Developmental Biology (B. S.)
Chemistry (B. A.)
Chemistry (B. S.)
Chicana and Chicano Studies (B. A.)
Chinese (B. A.)
Chinese - High Proficiency Track (B. A.)
Classics - Classical Archaeology Emphasis (B. A.)
Classics - Classical Language and Literature Emphasis (B. A.)
Classics - Greek and Roman Emphasis (B. A.)
Communication (B. A.)
Comparative Literature - Foreign Language Emphasis (B. A.)
Comparative Literature - Interdisciplinary Emphasis (B. A.)
Dance (B. A.)
Dance (B. F. A.)
Earth Science (B. A.)
Earth Science - Geology Emphasis (B. S.)
Earth Science - Climate and Environment Emphasis (B. S.)
Earth Science - Geohydrology Emphasis (B. S.)
Earth Science - Geophysics Emphasis (B. S.)
Earth Science - Paleobiology Emphasis (B. S.)
Ecology and Evolution (B. S.)
Economics and Accounting (B. A.)
Economics (B. A.)
English (B. A.)
Environmental Studies (B. A.)
Environmental Studies (B. S.)
Feminist Studies (B. A.)
Film and Media Studies (B. A.)
Financial Mathematics and Statistics (B. S.)
French (B. A.)
Geography (B. A.)
Geography - Geographic Information Science Emphasis (B.A.)
Physical Geography (B. S.)
Physical Geography - Ocean Science Emphasis (B. S.)
German (B. A.)
Global Studies (B. A.)
History (B. A.)
History of Public Policy and Law (B. A.)
History of Art and Architecture (B. A.)
History of Art and Architecture - Architecture and Environment Emphasis (B. A.)
History of Art and Architecture - Museum Studies Emphasis (B. A.)
Hydrologic Sciences and Policy - Biology and Ecology Emphasis (B. S.)
Hydrologic Sciences and Policy - Physical and Chemical Policy Emphasis (B. S.)
Hydrologic Sciences and Policy - Policy Emphasis (B. S.)
Individual (B. A.)
Interdisciplinary Studies (B. A.)
Italian Studies (B. A.)
Japanese (B. A.)
Japanese - High Proficiency Track (B. A.)
Language, Culture, and Society (B. A.)
Latin American and Iberian Studies (B. A.)
Linguistics (B. A.)
Linguistics - Chinese Emphasis (B. A.)
Linguistics - English Emphasis (B. A.)
Linguistics - French Emphasis (B. A.)
Linguistics - German Emphasis (B. A.)
Linguistics - Japanese Emphasis (B. A.)
Linguistics - Language and Speech Technologies Emphasis (B. A.)
Linguistics - Slavic Emphasis (B. A.)
Linguistics - Spanish Emphasis (B. A.)
Linguistics - Speech-Language Sciences and Disorders Emphasis (B. A.)
Mathematics (B. S.)
Mathematics (B. A.)
Medieval Studies (B. A.)
Microbiology (B. S.)
Middle East Studies (B. A.)
Music - Bassoon Emphasis (B. M.)
Music - Cello Emphasis (B. M.)
Music - Clarinet Emphasis (B. M.)
Music - Composition Emphasis (B. M.)
Music - Double Bass Emphasis (B. M.)
Music - Flute Emphasis (B. M.)
Music - French Horn Emphasis (B. M.)
Music - Oboe Emphasis (B. M.)
Music - Percussion Emphasis (B. M.)
Music - Piano Emphasis (B. M.)
Music - Trombone Emphasis (B. M.)
Music - Trumpet Emphasis (B. M.)
Music - Tuba Emphasis (B. M.)
Music - Viola Emphasis (B. M.)
Music - Violin Emphasis (B. M.)
Music - Voice Emphasis (B. M.)
Music Studies (B. A.)
Music Studies - Ethnomusicology Emphasis (B. A.)
Music Studies - Interdisciplinary Studies of Music Emphasis ( B. A.)
Music Studies - Western Art Music Emphasis (B. A.)
Pharmacology (B. S.)
Philosophy - Core Philosophy (B. A.)
Philosophy - Ethics and Public Policy (B. A.)
Physics (B. A.)
Physics (B. S.)
Physiology (B. S.)
Political Science (B. A.)
Portuguese (B. A.)
Psychological and Brain Sciences (B. S.)
Religious Studies (B. A.)
Renaissance Studies (B. A.)
Russian and East European Studies (B. A.)
Sociology (B. A.)
Spanish (B. A.)
Statistics and Data Science (B. A.)
Statistics and Data Science (B. S.)
Theater - Acting (B. F. A.)
Theater (B. A.)
Zoology (B. S.)
Tuition + Financial Aid
In-State Cost Breakdown
Tuition and Fees → $13,746
Room and Board: On-Campus → $14,115
Room and Board: Off-Campus → $10,012
Textbooks → $1,444
Other Expenses → $4,746
Out-of-State Cost Breakdown
Tuition and Fees → $36,624
Room and Board: On-Campus → $14,115
Room and Board: Off-Campus → $10,012
Textbooks → $1,444
Other Expenses → $4,746
Total Cost Before Aid
In-State, On-Campus → $34,051
In-State, Off-Campus → $30,398
Out-of-State, On-Campus → $56,929
Out-of-State, Off-Campus → $53,276
At UCSD, 70% of students receive aid, which is 16% lower than the national public school average
63% receive any grant money, which is 10% lower than the national public school average
62% receive school grants, which is 16% higher than the national public school average
47% have any loans, which is 11% lower than the national public school average
46% have federal loans, which is 11% lower than the national public school average
2% have private loans, which is 3% lower than the national public school average
Net price calculators can help each student gauge a more accurate estimate of their costs based on their household income, number of (immediate) family members in college, as well as household size
UCSB is considered a very high value school, meaning the cost is well worth the quality and reputation of the school
Application Stats
37% acceptance rate with 84% graduation rate
Freshman Admission Profile
high school GPA → 4.04-4.28
ACT → 26-31
SAT Reading and Writing → 620-710
SAT Math → 610-750
94% of transfer students were admitted from community colleges
Each year, the application opens on August 1. Submissions can be made from November 1-30. There are no EA/ED options.
One application can be sent to any UC campus, for a cost of $70 per campus. The application consists of demographics, financial information, transcripts, and writing. The writing portion offers 8 Personal Insight Questions (PIQs), of which students must choose 4. For federal student aid, students should also submit a FAFSA application.
International Student Application Information
International applicants must meet the standard UC freshman requirements for admission. They must also take an English proficiency exam (if their school lessons were not in English), provide a passport and visa, make living accommodations, and have health insurance. UCSB has an Office of International Students and Scholars, which offers resources and accommodation. More information can be found at https://oiss.ucsb.edu/ and https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/admission-requirements/international-applicants/
Transfer Student Application Information
UCSB only accepts junior-level, fall quarter transfers. The application opens August 1 and is due by November 30. UCSB has a Transfer Student Center on campus with many resources. Transfer students have access to all of UCSB’s academic programs, including study abroad programs, research opportunities, and internships. The school also has 6 apartment complexes available for transfer student housing. More information can be found at https://admissions.sa.ucsb.edu/transfer
