Basic Information
Type
Public
Geographical Reach
Regional
Location
Santa Barbara, CA
Population
280,000
Website
http://www.ucsb.edu/
Weather
Comfortable Days
195 (99% 😎)
Sunshine Hours
3,120 (92% ☀️)
Days Without Precipitation
322 (96% 🏖️)
Demographics
Total Undergraduates
23,520
Men / Women
42% / 58%
From State
83%
From Region
1%
Athletes
2.6%
Racial/Ethnic
White
31%
Hispanic
28%
Asian
18%
Mixed
9%
International
9%
Black
2%
Native American
0%
Men in the Entering Class
Men
Entering Class by Race & Ethnicity
Native
Asian
Black
Hispanic
White
International
Share of the full-time first-time degree-seeking cohort. Groups IPEDS reports separately — two or more races, and race unknown — are left out, so the lines don't sum to 100%.
Enrolled Undergraduates by Race & Ethnicity
Native
Asian
Black
Hispanic
White
International
Share of all full-time degree-seeking undergraduates, not just the entering class. Same excluded groups as above.
IPEDS Admissions (2011–2024), Graduation Rates (2011–2024) and 12-month Enrollment (2020–2025) surveys. Years a college didn't file leave a gap in the line.
Schools & Majors
| ⇅ | Trends | Degrees | Male/Female | Intl | Earnings | ROI | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| College of Creative Studies | 83 | 53% / 47% | 16% | $71,170 | 71 | 91% | |
| Computing (CCS) | 7 — | 71% / 29% | 14% | $131,187 | 99 | 95% | |
| Marine Science (CCS) | — — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Mathematics (CCS) | 14 +2 | 71% / 29% | 36% | $68,194 | 66 | 91% | |
| Physics (CCS) | 16 +1 | 81% / 19% | 31% | $93,913 | 92 | 89% | |
| Biology (CCS) | 11 — | 36% / 64% | 0% | $68,592 | 66 | 93% | |
| Chemistry & Biochemistry (CCS) | 8 — | 50% / 50% | 12% | $71,649 | 72 | 93% | |
| Literature (CCS) | 12 +1 | 25% / 75% | 0% | $52,516 | 24 | 90% | |
| Art (CCS) | 9 +1 | 11% / 89% | 11% | $43,808 | 8 | 87% | |
| Music Composition (CCS) | 6 — | 67% / 33% | 0% | $29,891 | 2 | 100% |
| ⇅ | Trends | Degrees | Male/Female | Intl | Earnings | ROI | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| College of Engineering | 482 | 77% / 23% | 10% | $114,273 | 98 | 94% | |
| Chemical Engineering | 49 — | 63% / 37% | 14% | $93,814 | 92 | 95% | |
| Computer Engineering | 54 — | 80% / 20% | 2% | $126,189 | 99 | 94% | |
| Electrical Engineering | 78 +1 | 82% / 18% | 9% | $98,166 | 95 | 94% | |
| Mechanical Engineering | 86 +1 | 84% / 16% | 1% | $90,775 | 91 | 90% | |
| Computer Science | 215 +7 | 75% / 25% | 15% | $131,187 | 99 | 95% |
| ⇅ | Trends | Degrees | Male/Female | Intl | Earnings | ROI | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| College of Letters and Science | 5,992 | 40% / 60% | 9% | $68,779 | 67 | 93% | |
| Applied Mathematics | 79 +12 | 67% / 33% | 51% | $98,551 | 95 | 88% | |
| Chemistry | 11 — | 55% / 45% | 27% | $71,649 | 72 | 93% | |
| Earth Science | 45 +1 | 44% / 56% | 2% | $64,671 | 58 | 96% | |
| Financial Mathematics and Statistics | 108 — | 57% / 43% | 38% | $98,551 | 95 | 88% | |
| Hydrology and Water Resources Science | 4 — | 50% / 50% | 0% | $64,671 | 58 | 96% | |
| Marine Sciences | 1 — | 100% / 0% | 0% | — | — | — | |
| Mathematics | 67 +7 | 73% / 27% | 33% | $68,194 | 66 | 91% | |
| Physics | 112 +6 | 80% / 20% | 28% | $93,913 | 92 | 89% | |
| Statistical Science | 408 +39 | 64% / 36% | 27% | $99,895 | 95 | 93% | |
| Biochemistry | 32 — | 56% / 44% | 6% | $81,873 | 84 | 80% | |
| Biochemistry-Molecular Biology | 46 +2 | 54% / 46% | 4% | $81,873 | 84 | 80% | |
| Biology | 340 +7 | 32% / 68% | 3% | $68,592 | 66 | 93% | |
| Cell Biology | 40 — | 35% / 65% | 5% | $51,399 | 21 | 84% | |
| Cellular and Molecular Biology | 12 — | 33% / 67% | 0% | — | — | — | |
| Chemistry & Biochemistry | 46 +2 | 50% / 50% | 7% | $71,649 | 72 | 93% | |
| Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology | 33 — | 30% / 70% | 0% | $44,748 | 9 | 91% | |
| Microbiology | 19 — | 32% / 68% | 0% | $79,586 | 82 | 100% | |
| Physiology | 6 — | 33% / 67% | 0% | $70,591 | 70 | — | |
| Aquatic Biology | 39 — | 23% / 77% | 0% | $44,748 | 9 | 91% | |
| Environmental Studies | 353 +16 | 30% / 70% | 4% | $60,192 | 46 | 96% | |
| Zoology | 37 — | 24% / 76% | 0% | $47,802 | 13 | 93% | |
| Pharmacology | 51 +7 | 47% / 53% | 10% | $88,164 | 89 | 100% | |
| Actuarial Science | 31 — | 65% / 35% | 39% | $89,131 | 89 | 95% | |
| Business Economics | 4 — | 75% / 25% | 25% | $91,000 | 91 | — | |
| Economics | 699 +40 | 62% / 38% | 17% | $97,339 | 94 | 93% | |
| African-American Studies | 5 +2 | 20% / 80% | 0% | $52,458 | 23 | 93% | |
| Anthropology | 101 +8 | 33% / 67% | 2% | $52,369 | 23 | 93% | |
| Area Studies | 2 +2 | 50% / 50% | 0% | $52,175 | 23 | 85% | |
| Asian American Studies | 8 +6 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $52,458 | 23 | 93% | |
| Asian Studies | 6 — | 33% / 67% | 33% | $52,175 | 23 | 85% | |
| Chicano and Chicana Studies | 22 +7 | 27% / 73% | 0% | $52,458 | 23 | 93% | |
| Chinese | 2 — | 50% / 50% | 0% | $51,384 | 21 | — | |
| Classical Languages | 6 +2 | 67% / 33% | 0% | $51,487 | 21 | — | |
| Cognitive Science | 52 +2 | 21% / 79% | 4% | — | — | — | |
| Communication | 618 +41 | 32% / 68% | 5% | $66,598 | 62 | 94% | |
| Comparative Literature | 26 +4 | 35% / 65% | 8% | $47,244 | 12 | 85% | |
| English | 114 +8 | 28% / 72% | 1% | $52,516 | 24 | 90% | |
| Feminist Studies | 15 +6 | 7% / 93% | 7% | $52,458 | 23 | 93% | |
| French | 6 +5 | 50% / 50% | 0% | $54,351 | 29 | 95% | |
| Geographic Information Science and Cartography | 47 +15 | 57% / 43% | 6% | $58,504 | 41 | 95% | |
| Geography | 11 +1 | 27% / 73% | 9% | $58,504 | 41 | 95% | |
| German | 3 +4 | 33% / 67% | 33% | $51,285 | 20 | — | |
| Global Studies | 107 +19 | 34% / 66% | 9% | $59,414 | 44 | 91% | |
| History | 96 +14 | 61% / 39% | 2% | $51,958 | 22 | 94% | |
| History and Administrative Studies | 68 +7 | 40% / 60% | 1% | $51,958 | 22 | 94% | |
| Interdisciplinary Studies | 1 — | 100% / 0% | 0% | $52,814 | 24 | — | |
| Italian Studies | 2 +2 | 50% / 50% | 0% | $52,175 | 23 | 85% | |
| Japanese | 5 — | 40% / 60% | 0% | $50,704 | 19 | — | |
| Language Studies | 11 +3 | 27% / 73% | 18% | $47,244 | 12 | 85% | |
| Linguistics | — — | — | — | $47,244 | 12 | 85% | |
| Medieval and Renaissance Studies | 1 — | 0% / 100% | 0% | $51,431 | 21 | — | |
| Near and Middle Eastern Studies | — — | — | — | $52,175 | 23 | 85% | |
| Philosophy | 72 +9 | 60% / 40% | 7% | $58,928 | 42 | 90% | |
| Political Science | 241 +28 | 43% / 57% | 4% | $66,401 | 62 | 96% | |
| Portuguese | 1 +2 | 0% / 100% | 0% | — | — | — | |
| Psychological and Brain Sciences | 171 +1 | 27% / 73% | 1% | $59,803 | 45 | 94% | |
| Psychology | 545 +4 | 21% / 79% | 6% | $59,803 | 45 | 94% | |
| Religious Studies | 12 +4 | 42% / 58% | 17% | $38,331 | 4 | 100% | |
| Russian and Slavic Studies | — +1 | — | — | $54,452 | 29 | — | |
| Sociology | 661 +48 | 27% / 73% | 4% | $53,367 | 26 | 95% | |
| Spanish | 15 +14 | 33% / 67% | 0% | $54,351 | 29 | 95% | |
| Dance | 16 — | 6% / 94% | 0% | $39,641 | 4 | 90% | |
| Film and Media Studies | 155 +15 | 43% / 57% | 4% | $47,509 | 12 | 94% | |
| Fine Arts | 61 +3 | 25% / 75% | 5% | $43,808 | 8 | 87% | |
| History of Art and Architecture | 38 +9 | 13% / 87% | 3% | $43,808 | 8 | 87% | |
| Music | 16 — | 50% / 50% | 6% | $29,891 | 2 | 100% | |
| Theater | 29 +2 | 38% / 62% | 3% | $38,976 | 4 | 98% | |
| Legal Studies | 1 — | 100% / 0% | 0% | $54,301 | 29 | — |
Financial
In-State Tuition & Fees
$15,307
Out-of-State Tuition & Fees
$55,153
Est. In-State Cost
$19,801
Est. Out-of-State Cost
$71,346
ROI Percentile
73th
Retention & Graduation
Full-Time Retention
93%
4-Year Graduation Rate
70%
6-Year Graduation Rate
83%
Transfer-Out Rate
0%
Six-Year Graduation Rate
Graduated
Students finishing within 150% of normal time. Each year labels the cohort that entered six years earlier — 2024 tracks the class that started in 2018.
Six-Year Graduation Rate by Gender
Men
Women
IPEDS reports the cohort as men and women only.
Six-Year Graduation Rate by Race & Ethnicity
Asian
Black
Hispanic
White
International
Each group's completers over its own share of the entering cohort. Groups making up less than 2% of everyone this college graduated over the period are left off — their rates swing on a handful of students and read as noise.
IPEDS Graduation Rates survey, 2011–2024. Years a college didn't file leave a gap in the line.
Earnings by Major Category
Each major category's degree-weighted estimated median 5-year earnings at this college, expressed as a z-score against the national degree-weighted distribution for that category. 0 is the national average. The shaded band between +1.28 and −1.28 marks the central 80% of the national distribution (10th–90th percentile).
Academics
| ⇅ | % | Degrees | Male/Female | Intl | Earnings | ROI | Employment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46.7% | 3,065 | 31% / 69% | 4% | $58,796 | 42 | 94% | ||
| Physical Sciences & Math | 13.2% | 865 | 66% / 34% | 30% | $93,389 | 92 | 91% | |
| Business & Economics | 11.2% | 734 | 63% / 37% | 18% | $96,958 | 94 | 93% | |
| Life & Natural Sciences | 9.0% | 593 | 37% / 63% | 4% | $68,501 | 66 | 91% | |
| Agriculture & Food Science | 6.5% | 429 | 29% / 71% | 3% | $57,719 | 39 | 95% | |
| Arts | 5.0% | 330 | 34% / 66% | 4% | $43,992 | 8 | 92% | |
| Engineering | 4.1% | 267 | 79% / 21% | 6% | $100,654 | 95 | 93% | |
| Computer Science | 3.4% | 222 | 75% / 25% | 15% | $131,187 | 99 | 95% | |
| Health Sciences | 0.8% | 51 | 47% / 53% | 10% | $88,164 | 89 | 100% | |
| Professional | 0.0% | 1 | 100% / 0% | 0% | $54,301 | 29 | — |
Research R1
| ⇅ | Research $ | Rank | Federal | Industry $ | PhDs | Rank | PhD students | Postdocs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Physical Sciences & Math | $113M | #28 | 52% | $1.3M | 112 | #14 | 687 | 149 |
| Engineering | $108M | #48 | 68% | $6.6M | 63 | #61 | 316 | 87 |
| $17.1M | #122 | 42% | $0.0M | 131 | #32 | 303 | 25 | |
| Computer Science | $14.9M | #62 | 75% | $0.6M | 21 | #45 | — | 5 |
| Business & Economics | $10.8M | #63 | 0% | $0 | 14 | #95 | 75 | 1 |
| Life & Natural Sciences | $7.1M | #182 | 85% | $0.0M | 45 | #59 | 182 | 22 |
| Education | $5.2M | #96 | 34% | $0 | 7 | #365 | — | — |
| Agriculture & Food Science | $0 | #318 | — | $0 | 10 | #51 | 58 | 10 |
| Health Sciences | $0 | #441 | — | $0 | — | — | — | — |
| Total | $276M | #95 | 57% | $8.6M | 403 | #55 | 1,621 | 299 |
Expenditure and funding source: NSF HERD, FY2024. Degrees: IPEDS completions, 2023–24. Students and postdocs: NSF Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates, fall 2024, which covers science, engineering and selected health fields only. An em dash means the source does not report the figure, which is not the same as zero.
Admissions
Uses Common App
No
Acceptance Rate
38%
Yield (Unbound)
12%
Regular Decision
Jan 1
Acceptance Rates
| In-State | Out-of-State | International | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Decision | 32% | 55% | 48% |
Acceptance & Yield
Acceptance
Yield
Applicants, Admitted & Enrolled
Applicants
Admitted
Enrolled
IPEDS Admissions survey, 2011–2024. Years a college didn't file leave a gap in the line.
Standardized Tests
Test Policy
blind
SAT Composite
25th
75th
SAT Math
25th
75th
SAT Reading & Writing
25th
75th
Submitting a Test Score
Submitted
IPEDS Admissions survey, 2011–2024. Years a college didn't file leave a gap in the line. Test-score submission adds SAT and ACT submitters, capped at 100% — a student can send both.
Rankings
Fun and Games
Party til You Drop (Out)
Party Schools
Legendary
Ski Bums and Surf Bros
Top Recreation
Surf
Politically Incorrect
Equal Opportunity Objectification
Most Attractive Men
Gym Selfie Central
I'm Getting Cancelled in 3, 2, 1...
Most Attractive Women
Instagram vs Reality (It's Real)
Engineering
It's Not About Molecules, It's About Pipes
Chemical Engineering
Polymer Whisperers & Battery Bros
Resistance Is Futile
Computer Engineering
Segfault Survivors & Kernel Panickers
Resistance Is Not Futile
Electrical Engineering
Short Circuit Survivors
Hugging Trees with Calculus
Environmental Engineering
Pollution Police
Is It a Solid? Is It a Liquid? Yes.
Materials Engineering
Crystal Clear Leaders
WD-40 & Duct Tape
Mechanical Engineering & Robotics
The Kinetic Energy Cartel
Computer Science
No, I Can't Fix Your Printer
Computer Science (Eng)
LeetCode Grinders
Explaining That HTML is Not a Programming Language
Computer Science (A&S)
LeetCode Grinders
Physical Sciences & Math
Breaking Bad
Chemistry
Industry Pipeline & Analytical Automatons
Rocks and Whales
Earth & Atmospheric Sciences
Core Samplers
The "I Understand Interstellar" Elite
Physics & Astronomy
We Cited Ourselves in the Standard Model
No Words Allowed
Pure Mathematics
Number Crunchers
Life & Natural Sciences
Pre-Med Reject Waiting Room
Biology
Petri Dish Elite
Photosynthesis Fan Club
Ecology & Plant Biology
Botanical Brigade
Agriculture & Food Science
Doomsday Prepping with Data
Environmental Science
Ecosystem Engineers
Puppies Over People
Zoology & Veterinary Sciences
Overqualified Scuba Divers (Marine Biology)
Business & Economics
Pivot Tables & Missing Pallets
Business Analytics
Supply Chain Bottlenecks
It's Basic Supply and Demand, Bro
Economics
Mega-Macro State Factories
Humanities & Social Sciences
Much Ado About Nothing
English, Literature & Writing
Bookworm Elite
Saving the Planet, One Policy at a Time
Environmental Policy & Sustainability
Sustainability Wonks
Smashing the Patriarchy 101
Gender Studies
Activist Academics
Mappy Few, the Cartography Crew
Geography & Cartography
Cartography Cartel
Model UN Generation
Government & Politics
The Filibuster
Hindsight is 20/20 (And So is My Salary)
History & Archaeology
The Time Travelers
I'll Figure Out the Career Later
Liberal Arts & Interdisciplinary
Dabbler Deluxe
Professional Yapping
Media & Communication Studies
Solidly Upper-Middle-Class Comm Degrees
Feelings, But With Error Bars
Research & Experimental Psychology
Rodent Wranglers
Decolonizing the Curriculum
Regional & Ethnic Studies
Cultural Cartographers
Arguing with God for a Grade
Religion
Sunday School Professors
Everything is a Construct
Sociology & Anthropology
Field Observers
Grammar Police Academy
World Languages & Linguistics
Syntax Scholars
Education
Surviving PTA Karens
General Education
Chalkboard Champions