University of California - Santa Barbara Overview
University of California - Santa Barbara is a public institution situated in Santa Barbara, California. UCSB is located in a safe and convenient suburb.
What Is University of California - Santa Barbara Known For?
- The student loan default rate at UCSB is 2%, which is significantly lower than the national rate of 10.1%. That's great news for students who are worrying about paying off their student loans.
- The doctor's degree is the highest award offered at UCSB.
- In 2017-2018, 85% of the faculty were full-time.
- After graduation, UCSB bachelor's degree recipients go on to jobs where they make $55,300 a year. That's about 36% more than their peers at other schools.
- The average UCSB student graduates in 4.2 years. That's better than the national average of 4.4 years.
Featured schools near , edit

University of California - Santa Barbara Rankings
UCSB is ranked #304 out of 2,320 schools in the nation for overall quality on our 2021 Best Colleges list. This puts it in the top 15% of all schools in the nation. UCSB also holds the #28 spot on the Best Colleges in California ranking.
Our rankings are based on an outcomes-based approach rather than subjective ones used by other media outlets. As such, we utilize data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and the College Scorecard, among other sources. Visit our rankings and methodology section to learn more.
Program Level Awards
These are highlights of some of the most noteworthy awards granted to specific programs at UCSB.
Awards From Around the Web
The following table lists some notable awards UCSB has earned from around the web.
Rank | Ranking Name | Source |
---|---|---|
#2 | Best Colleges for Natural Resources Conservation | College Factual |
#9 | Best Colleges for Foreign Languages & Linguistics | College Factual |
#10 | Best Colleges for Sociology | College Factual |
#25 | Best Colleges for Social Sciences | College Factual |
#33 | Best Colleges for Biological & Biomedical Sciences | College Factual |
#103 | Best Business Schools | Business Degree Central |
Where Is University of California - Santa Barbara?

Contact details for UCSB are given below.
Contact Details | |
---|---|
Address: | 5221 Cheadle Hall, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 |
Phone: | 805-893-8000 |
Website: | www.ucsb.edu |
Facebook: | https://www.facebook.com/ucsantabarbara |
Twitter: | https://twitter.com/ucsantabarbara |
How Do I Get Into UCSB?
You can apply to UCSB online at: admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/apply-now.html
Admission Requirements for UCSB
Submission | Required? |
---|---|
High School GPA | required |
High School Rank | neither required nor recommended |
High School Transcript | required |
College Prep Program | required |
Recommendations | neither required nor recommended |
SAT or ACT Scores | required |
TOEFL | required |
How Hard Is It To Get Into UCSB?
Approximately 41% of accepted students are men and 59% are women. The acceptance rate for men is 30%, and the acceptance rate for women is 36%.
Average Test Scores
About 75% of students accepted to UCSB submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 600 and 680. Math scores were between 590 and 720.
Can I Afford University of California - Santa Barbara?
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid.
Student Loan Debt
Almost 66% of college students who graduated with the class of 2018 took out student loans, but that percentage varies from school to school. At UCSB, approximately 37% of students took out student loans averaging $6,168 a year. That adds up to $24,672 over four years for those students.
The student loan default rate at UCSB is 2.3%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you'll be able to pay back your student loans.
University of California - Santa Barbara Undergraduate Student Diversity

There are also 2,906 graduate students at the school.
Gender Diversity
Of the 22,601 full-time undergraduates at UCSB, 45% are male and 55% are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity
The racial-ethnic breakdown of University of California - Santa Barbara students is as follows.

Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 4,042 |
Black or African American | 475 |
Hispanic or Latino | 5,941 |
White | 6,867 |
International Students | 2,815 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 2,461 |
Geographic Diversity
California students aren't the only ones who study at University of California - Santa Barbara. At this time, 39 states are represented by the student population at the school.
Over 88 countries are represented at UCSB. The most popular countries sending students to the school are China, India, and South Korea.
Online Learning at University of California - Santa Barbara
The following chart shows how the online learning population at UCSB has changed over the last few years.

This is the #2,028 largest growth rate of all schools that are only partially online. This refers to all students at UCSB regardless of major.
University of California - Santa Barbara Undergraduate Concentrations
The table below shows the number of awards for each concentration.
References
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
- College Factual
- National Center for Education Statistics
- Image Credit: By Nandaro under License
More about our data sources and methodologies.
Featured Schools
![]() |
Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs. Learn More > |