R1 ResearchPublicHSILand-grant

University of California-Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California·Public, 4-year or above·Far West·ucsb.edu
6-yr Graduation
83%
+8.0pp vs R1 Research
Total enrollment
26,133
peer median 32,171
Avg net price
$13,825
-$4.4k vs R1 Research
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AboutAdmissionsOutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsAthleticsCampus safetyFacultyPeersIR OfficeDocumentsAlumni

About

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.

Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

IPEDS
Applied
110,259
110,259 candidates competed
Admitted
36,347
33.0% acceptance rate
Enrolled
5,008
13.8% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

IPEDS
Overall completion
83%+8.0pp vs R1 Research
4-year graduation
70%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
83%
Full-time retention
93%

Pell equity

4.0pp gap
Pell recipients
80%
Non-Pell
84%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 4.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

FVT/GE

Of 141 Title IV programs, 45 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 95 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
141
Passing
45
31.9% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
1
0.7% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.7%
+0.1pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

141programs
  • Passing45 · 31.9%
  • No Data95 · 67.4%
  • Failing1 · 0.7%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
1
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
3
Safe
42
No data
95

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

46
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
-6.3%
$33,825 vs $36,082
Religion/Religious Studies
Bachelor Degree · Philosophy And Religious Studies
+20.2%
$43,377 vs $36,082
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+22.2%
$44,106 vs $36,082
Dance
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+24.3%
$44,858 vs $36,082
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+28.7%
$46,428 vs $36,082
Film/Video and Photographic Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+38.3%
$49,893 vs $36,082
Ecology Evolution Systematics and Population Biology
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
+40.5%
$50,694 vs $36,082
Zoology/Animal Biology
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
+48.9%
$53,727 vs $36,082

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

40
Zoology/Animal Biology
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
40%
$21,500 debt · $53,727 earn
Area Studies
Bachelor Degree · Area, Ethnic, Cultural, And Gender Studies
38%
$22,697 debt · $59,042 earn
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
38%
$16,676 debt · $44,106 earn
Natural Resources Conservation and Research
Master's Degree · Natural Resources And Conservation
38%
$33,333 debt · $88,781 earn
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences
Bachelor Degree · Physical Sciences
37%
$24,869 debt · $66,788 earn
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
37%
$17,177 debt · $46,428 earn
Religion/Religious Studies
Bachelor Degree · Philosophy And Religious Studies
35%
$15,198 debt · $43,377 earn
Ecology Evolution Systematics and Population Biology
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
33%
$16,941 debt · $50,694 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

WASC Senior College and University Commission

Accredited since 1949Next review Feb 2034

Programmatic accreditations · 6

Action history · 5

  1. Feb 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    WASC Senior College and University Commission
  2. Jul 2021Renewal of Accreditation
    American Psychological Association, Commission on Accreditation · Professional/Scientific Psychology (PSPSY) - PhD Doctoral programs
  3. Oct 2019Renewal of Accreditation
    American Psychological Association, Commission on Accreditation · Professional Psychology (IPSY) - Predoctoral internship programs
  4. Aug 2014Change in Agency recognition
    National Association of Schools of Dance, Commission on Accreditation · Dance (DANCE) - Institutions and units within institutions offering degree-granting and non-degree-granting programs
  5. Feb 2014Renewal of Accreditation
    WASC Senior College and University Commission

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

College Scorecard

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$7,745
$30–48k$8,910
$48–75k$11,398
$75–110k$16,839
$110k+$30,085

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$13,825
-$4,401vs R1 Research median $18,226
Federal loans
20.2%
In-state tuition
$14,965
Out-of-state
$45,742

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, 7,464 students received $51.8M in Pell grants, alongside $55.0M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
7,464
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$51.8M
$51,837,693 total
Direct Loans
$55.0M
6,900 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

8k
’20
7k
’21
7k
’22
7k
’23
7k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$10.9M
2,848 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$10.5M
2,618 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$2.1M
151 loan awards
Parent PLUS$29.6M
1,209 loan awards
Grad PLUS$1.9M
74 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 3,725 borrowers who entered repayment, 19 (0.5%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.5%
-1.8pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
3,725
Defaulted
19
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
2.3%
2017
1.5%
2018
1.8%
2019
0.5%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at UCSB

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs93
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

6,712 total completions
01Social Sciences
1,92728.7%
02Biological Sciences
77811.6%
03Mathematics
70810.5%
04Psychology
69510.4%
05Communication
67010.0%
06Visual/Performing Arts
4406.6%
07Natural Resources
4346.5%
08Physical Sciences
4236.3%
09Engineering
3925.8%
10Computer Sciences
2453.7%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

IPEDS
Fall total
26,133
12-mo unduplicated
27,662
Undergraduate
24,660
Graduate
3,002

Gender split

Men
44%12,202
Women
56%15,460

Race / ethnicity composition

White
31.7%
Hispanic
26.0%
Asian
18.7%
Non-resident
9.8%
Two or more
8.8%
Unknown
2.7%
Black
2.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

EADA
Athletes
446
245 M · 201 W
Women athletes
45.1%
Athletic aid
$6.2M
Total student aid
Budget
$28.9M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$3.1M
$3.1M
Recruiting expense
$337K
$177K
Head-coach salaries
$178K
$88K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 12

Track and Field (Outdoor)
46 M · 46 W
$673K
Soccer
34 M · 38 W
$2.4M
Swimming
30 M · 31 W
$964K
Water Polo
32 M · 20 W
$1.1M
Track and Field (Indoor)
— · 46 W
$44K
Baseball
46 M · —
$3.1M

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
6.02
159 offenses · 26,420 students

3-year trend

2.372 yrs ago4.171 yr ago6.02Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
330
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
178
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
19
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
29

Criminal offenses by type

Motor vehicle theft
63
Rape
28
Burglary
26
Aggravated assault
20
Arson
13
Fondling
9

By location

159total
  • On campus132
  • Non-campus15
  • Public property12

Includes 55 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

6
Domestic violence
18
Dating violence
47
Stalking
71 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Sexual orientation4
  • Gender2
  • Religion1
  • Ethnicity1
  • Gender identity1
  • National origin1

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons32
Drugs3643
Liquor2227

Residence-hall fires

  • SANTA CATALINA RESIDENCE HALL NORTH1 fire
    CookingDamage $100-$999
  • SAN CLEMENTE VILLAGES BRADBURY1 fire
    ElectricalDamage $0-$99
  • SAN JOAQUIN VILLAGES MALIBU CO1 fire
    CookingDamage $100-$999
  • SAN NICOLAS RESIDENCE HALL1 fire
    Machinery/IndustrialDamage $100-$999
  • SANTA ROSA RESIDENCE HALL1 fire
    Open flamesDamage $100-$999
  • STORKE FAMILY STUDENT HOUSING1 fire
    Machinery/IndustrialDamage $1,000-$9,999
  • WEST CAMPUS FAMILY STUDENT HOU1 fire
    Damage $50,000-$99,999
  • WESTGATE APARTMENTS1 fire
    CookingDamage $0-$99
  • TROPICANA GARDENS10 fires
    plastic sign set on fireDamage $0-$99
  • TROPICANA GARDENS10 fires
    wall poster set on fireDamage $0-$99
  • TROPICANA GARDENS10 fires
    door poster set on fireDamage $0-$99
  • TROPICANA GARDENS10 fires
    door poster set on fireDamage $0-$99
  • TROPICANA GARDENS10 fires
    door poster set on fireDamage $0-$99
  • TROPICANA GARDENS10 fires
    door poster set on fireDamage $0-$99
  • TROPICANA GARDENS10 fires
    door poster set on fireDamage $0-$99
  • TROPICANA GARDENS10 fires
    door poster set on fireDamage $0-$99
  • TROPICANA GARDENS10 fires
    door poster set on fireDamage $0-$99
  • TROPICANA GARDENS10 fires
    door poster set on fireDamage $0-$99
  • TROPICANA VILLAS1 fire
    CookingDamage $100-$999

Data quality: 1 report was later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

IPEDS
Student-to-faculty
17.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
1,112

UCSB vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions UCSB selected for federal comparison reporting.

IPEDS
GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectUniversity of California-Santa Barbara
83%—26,133$13,825R1 Research
Auburn University
82%45.9%34,145$23,897R1 Research
Clemson University
87%38.3%29,077$22,112R1 Research
Colorado State University-Fort Collins
67%88.5%34,096$20,332R1 Research
George Mason University
68%87.5%39,766$18,287R1 Research
Georgia State University
53%55.4%34,944$15,931R1 Research
Iowa State University
75%88.7%30,380$18,165R1 Research
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College
66%73.3%41,705$20,015R1 Research
North Carolina State University at Raleigh
85%41.7%38,464$16,931R1 Research
Oregon State University
70%77.3%37,163$19,568R1 Research
Stony Brook University
76%49.0%26,689$18,430R1 Research
Temple University
75%80.4%29,640$29,219R1 Research
The University of Alabama
73%76.6%40,846$22,150R1 Research
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
74%41.6%38,728$18,109R1 Research
The University of Texas at Dallas
76%65.1%29,886$17,435R1 Research
The University of Texas at San Antonio
53%86.8%35,770$11,234R1 Research
University at Buffalo
75%74.2%31,903$20,470R1 Research
University of Arkansas
71%74.3%33,610$17,525R1 Research
University of California-Riverside
76%76.4%26,384$13,707R1 Research
University of Colorado Boulder
74%78.1%38,799$21,480R1 Research
University of Connecticut
83%52.4%28,306$22,886R1 Research
University of Delaware
83%70.6%24,412$16,931R1 Research
University of Illinois Chicago
62%77.4%33,906$12,313R1 Research
University of Iowa
75%83.6%30,779$21,398R1 Research
University of Kentucky
71%92.9%34,709$17,218R1 Research
University of Massachusetts-Amherst
83%59.7%31,726$23,691R1 Research
University of Missouri-Columbia
75%78.5%31,543$19,889R1 Research
University of Nevada-Las Vegas
51%96.2%32,911$10,011R1 Research
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
91%15.3%32,438$12,983R1 Research
University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus
75%76.6%30,851$17,413R1 Research
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus
85%58.1%35,724$30,074R1 Research
University of Utah
65%86.0%36,894$13,172R1 Research
University of Virginia-Main Campus
96%16.8%26,409$22,881R1 Research
Virginia Commonwealth University
63%92.6%28,464$19,452R1 Research
Washington State University
60%86.6%25,685$14,401R1 Research
West Virginia University
64%89.0%23,643$12,997R1 Research
Peer group median75%76.6%32,171$18,226

Institutions like UCSB

Explore the federal data for institutions in UCSB's comparison group.

IPEDS

UCSB Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Office
Institutional Research, Planning & Assessment
Reports to Office of Budget & Planning
Email
GauchoSurveys [at] bap.ucsb.edu
Address
1325 Cheadle Hall, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-2032

The mission of Institutional Research, Planning & Assessment is to provide high quality, accurate and timely statistical information and analytical studies to campus leaders and decision-makers in support of evidence-based planning, evaluation and assessment.

Visit IR office page
Team
7 members
  • Steven Velasco
    Director, Institutional Research, Planning & Assessment
  • Laurel Wilder
    Associate Director, Institutional Research, Planning & Assessment
  • Joshua Kuntzman
    Principal Assessment Analyst
  • Nancy Carrada Zuniga
    Survey Research Analyst
  • Yali Chen
    Data Administrator / Institutional Research Analyst
  • Yolanda Luo
    Institutional Research Analyst
  • Luis Cuarao
    Institutional Research Analyst

Reports & documents (4)

Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.

Notable alumni of UCSB (19)

A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.

  • Carol W. Greider
    Science
  • Michael Douglas
    Arts, entertainment, and literature
  • Eric Roth
    Arts, entertainment, and literature
  • Steve Aoki
    Arts, entertainment, and literature
  • Jack Johnson
    Arts, entertainment, and literature
  • Gwyneth Paltrow
    Arts, entertainment, and literature
  • Josh Elliott
    Arts, entertainment, and literature
  • Harvey Levin
    Arts, entertainment, and literature
  • Angela Belcher
    Science
  • Logan Green
    Business
  • Chade-Meng Tan
    Business
  • Alexei Filippenko
    Science
Showing 1–12 of 19
1 / 2

Frequently asked questions about University of California-Santa Barbara

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about UCSB.

What is the graduation rate at University of California-Santa Barbara?

University of California-Santa Barbara reports a 6-year graduation rate of 83% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend University of California-Santa Barbara?

University of California-Santa Barbara reports a total enrollment of 26,133 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at University of California-Santa Barbara?

The average net price at University of California-Santa Barbara is $13,825 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at University of California-Santa Barbara?

University of California-Santa Barbara's yield rate is 13.8%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is University of California-Santa Barbara located?

University of California-Santa Barbara is located in Santa Barbara, California 93106.

Who runs Institutional Research at University of California-Santa Barbara?

University of California-Santa Barbara's IR work is done by the Institutional Research, Planning & Assessment, which reports to Office of Budget & Planning.

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