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University of California-Santa Barbara

University of California-Santa Barbara is a public campus in suburban Santa Barbara, CA. The federal record identifies it as a land-grant institution.

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What could it cost?

Start with net price after grants, then read the published costs. Each chart names its academic year and the students it covers.

Net price by family income

key chart

Average annual cost after grants for each family-income band. These group averages are not personal price quotes.

IPEDS Income brackets, 2022–23

family-income band

$7,745

family income
under $30k

$8,910

$30–48k

$11,398

$48–75k

$16,839

$75–110k

$30,085

over $110k

Average net price

$16,1092023–24Skip to data table

Average annual attendance cost after grants for the reported student group. Your own aid offer and costs may differ.

Average net price at University of California-Santa Barbara rose from $14,034 (2008) to $16,109 (2023).

Average net price — data
Year	Net price
2008	$14,034
2009	$14,589
2010	$16,011
2011	$14,042
2012	$14,142
2013	$15,755
2014	$14,748
2015	$14,900
2016	$15,801
2017	$16,236
2018	$15,884
2019	$16,252
2020	$15,458
2021	$15,482
2022	$13,825
2023	$16,109

IPEDS 16 federal reports, 2008–2023

Total cost of attendance

$41,5732024–25Skip to data table

Estimated annual attendance budget before grants, including tuition, fees, housing, food and books. Not every expense is billed by the school.

Total cost at University of California-Santa Barbara rose from $26,336 (2009) to $41,573 (2024).

Total cost of attendance — data
Year	Cost
2009	$26,336
2010	$27,838
2011	$30,224
2012	$31,603
2013	$31,913
2014	$33,826
2015	$34,493
2016	$34,998
2017	$34,990
2018	$35,987
2019	$36,319
2020	$36,492
2021	$34,738
2022	$36,607
2023	$36,776
2024	$41,573

IPEDS Academic-year cost 2009–2024

Tuition (in-state vs out-of-state)

Skip to data table

Published tuition and fees before grants. Housing, food, books and other attendance costs are separate.

In-stateOut-of-state

Tuition — data
Year	In-state	Out-of-state
2000	$3,832	$14,446
2001	$4,300	$15,374
2002	$4,363	$16,742
2003	$6,148	$20,358
2004	$7,062	$24,018
2005	$6,997	$24,817
2006	$7,010	$25,694
2007	$7,896	$25,096
2008	$8,386	$28,994
2013	$13,746	$36,624
2014	$13,865	$36,743
2015	$13,968	$38,676
2016	$14,073	$40,755
2017	$14,451	$42,465
2018	$14,391	$43,383
2019	$14,391	$44,145
2020	$14,406	$44,160
2021	$14,417	$44,171
2022	$14,617	$44,689
2023	$14,965	$45,742

IPEDS Published price 2000–01 to 2023–24 (not adjusted for inflation)

Cost, size & completion summary

Cost, size & completion

University of California-Santa Barbara reports tuition of $16,414 for in-state students and $50,614 for out-of-state students. Check University of California-Santa Barbara’s residency rules, attendance budget and aid offer. Scorecard snapshot: 2026-06-10; historical charts show their own years.

University of California-Santa Barbara is a big school: 23,113 undergraduates at last count.

83% of first-time, full-time bachelor's entrants completed at University of California-Santa Barbara within six years (2026-06-10 release). This measure excludes other student groups.

Do students finish — and what comes after?

Graduation, debt and earnings cover different groups. Read each chart's entering class or fiscal period; they are not one group's journey.

Six-year graduation rate

key chart

83%entered Fall 2018Skip to data table

The share of first-time, full-time bachelor's entrants who completed at this institution within six years. Other students are not included.

The six-year graduation rate at University of California-Santa Barbara rose from 72.5% (entered 1991) to 83% (entered 2018).

A six-year rate can only describe a class that entered six or more years ago — by definition the last point on the line is that old.

Six-year graduation rate — data
Year	Graduated within 6 yrs
1991 cohort	72.5%
1992 cohort	70.3%
1993 cohort	67.2%
1994 cohort	66.8%
1995 cohort	68.1%
1996 cohort	71%
1997 cohort	73.6%
1998 cohort	75.2%
1999 cohort	78.7%
2000 cohort	78.5%
2001 cohort	79.9%
2002 cohort	81.5%
2003 cohort	80.2%
2004 cohort	79.4%
2005 cohort	79.8%
2006 cohort	80.2%
2007 cohort	80.7%
2008 cohort	81.3%
2009 cohort	81%
2010 cohort	82.3%
2011 cohort	81.5%
2012 cohort	81.8%
2013 cohort	83.4%
2014 cohort	84%
2015 cohort	85.4%
2016 cohort	85.7%
2017 cohort	85.3%
2018 cohort	83%

IPEDS Entering cohorts 1991–2018

Median debt at exit (completers vs non-completers)

Historical student groups

key chart

Skip to data table

Median federal student loan debt when students left school, shown separately for those who completed and those who did not.

CompletedLeft without degree

Each point combines two years. Neighboring points share one year, so changes should be read with that overlap in mind.

These two-year windows closed before today's students borrowed — they describe past cohorts, not the current price of a degree.

Median debt at exit — data
Year	Completed	Left without degree
Left school in fiscal years 1999 and 2000 (FY1999/00)	—	$10,813
Left school in fiscal years 2000 and 2001 (FY2000/01)	$13,547	$10,269
Left school in fiscal years 2001 and 2002 (FY2001/02)	$13,625	$9,166
Left school in fiscal years 2002 and 2003 (FY2002/03)	$13,625	$9,325
Left school in fiscal years 2003 and 2004 (FY2003/04)	$13,700	$8,700
Left school in fiscal years 2004 and 2005 (FY2004/05)	$14,191	$8,000
Left school in fiscal years 2005 and 2006 (FY2005/06)	$13,518	$8,966
Left school in fiscal years 2006 and 2007 (FY2006/07)	$11,897	$9,041
Left school in fiscal years 2007 and 2008 (FY2007/08)	$11,625	$8,119
Left school in fiscal years 2008 and 2009 (FY2008/09)	$12,833	$7,744
Left school in fiscal years 2009 and 2010 (FY2009/10)	$13,625	$9,028
Left school in fiscal years 2010 and 2011 (FY2010/11)	$14,850	$10,264
Left school in fiscal years 2011 and 2012 (FY2011/12)	$15,000	$10,978
Left school in fiscal years 2012 and 2013 (FY2012/13)	$15,400	$11,000
Left school in fiscal years 2013 and 2014 (FY2013/14)	$16,250	$6,534
Left school in fiscal years 2014 and 2015 (FY2014/15)	$16,304	$6,500
Left school in fiscal years 2015 and 2016 (FY2015/16)	$16,171	$11,000
Left school in fiscal years 2016 and 2017 (FY2016/17)	$16,300	$12,167
Left school in fiscal years 2017 and 2018 (FY2017/18)	$15,306	$10,000
Left school in fiscal years 2018 and 2019 (FY2018/19)	$15,000	$10,830
Left school in fiscal years 2019 and 2020 (FY2019/20)	$14,500	$9,996
Left school in fiscal years 2020 and 2021 (FY2020/21)	$13,993	$7,500

NSLDS GRAD_DEBT_MDN / WDRAW_DEBT_MDN, merged FY periods · via College Scorecard

Earnings after entry

Historical student groups

Median annual earnings after entering college, for federally aided students who were working and not enrolled when measured.

Entered: academic years 2013–14 or 2014–15

$56,852

6 years after entry

Entered: academic years 2011–12 or 2012–13

$68,092

8 years after entry

Entered: academic years 2009–10 or 2010–11

$74,915

10 years after entry

Each figure covers a different group of students who entered college in the stated years. Earnings were measured in the same two years; these are not one group followed over time.

Measured in 2020–21, adjusted for inflation to 2022 dollars. Each figure pools two entering academic years.

Treasury Pooled entering cohorts · Scorecard 2020–21 historical file

What does the admissions record show?

Rates and score ranges describe a past admissions cycle. Submitted scores are not cutoffs or a prediction of admission.

Admissions snapshot & test policies

University of California-Santa Barbara admitted 36,347 of 110,259 applicants in Fall 2024. The 33% rate describes that application pool.

33%

acceptance rate · Fall 2024 admissions cycle

rate trend $14,965 in-state tuition · 2023–24 23,113 undergraduates · Fall 2024

Tests not considered · Fall 2024

Not sure where you stand? Estimate your GPA →

Admissions

In the Fall 2024 cycle, University of California-Santa Barbara received 110,259 applications and admitted 36,347 (33%), with 5,008 enrolling.

University of California-Santa Barbara did not consider scores in the Fall 2024 admissions cycle. No score range is displayed for University of California-Santa Barbara under that historical policy.

Check current requirements with admissions.

Acceptance rate

33%Fall 2024Skip to data table

The share of applicants offered a spot — lower means more selective; read it alongside the score ranges below.

Read University of California-Santa Barbara's change from 50% to 33% as a share of applications, not an explanation of admissions decisions. This describes Fall 2001 to Fall 2024.

Acceptance rate — data
Year	Acceptance rate
Fall 2001	50%
Fall 2002	50%
Fall 2003	51%
Fall 2004	53%
Fall 2005	53.1%
Fall 2006	52.8%
Fall 2007	53.4%
Fall 2008	54.4%
Fall 2009	49.3%
Fall 2010	48.1%
Fall 2011	45.5%
Fall 2012	46.3%
Fall 2013	44.4%
Fall 2014	36.3%
Fall 2015	32.6%
Fall 2016	35.8%
Fall 2017	32.8%
Fall 2018	32.2%
Fall 2019	29.6%
Fall 2020	36.7%
Fall 2021	29.2%
Fall 2022	25.9%
Fall 2023	27.8%
Fall 2024	33%

IPEDS Fall cycles 2001–2024

SAT range (section sums, 25th–75th)

1230–1460Fall 2020 · submittersSkip to data table

Sums of the reading/writing and math percentiles among enrolled submitters — not percentiles of total SAT scores or admission cutoffs.

SAT range (section sums) — data
Year	25th	75th
Fall 2001	1090	1300
Fall 2002	1090	1300
Fall 2003	1050	1270
Fall 2004	1070	1300
Fall 2005	1060	1300
Fall 2006	1080	1320
Fall 2007	1050	1290
Fall 2008	1070	1300
Fall 2009	1060	1300
Fall 2010	1080	1320
Fall 2011	1090	1320
Fall 2012	1100	1330
Fall 2013	1090	1340
Fall 2014	1100	1370
Fall 2015	1090	1360
Fall 2016	1120	1390
Fall 2017	1190	1400
Fall 2018	1230	1460
Fall 2019	1230	1480
Fall 2020	1230	1460

IPEDS Fall 2001–2020, submitters only

ACT middle 50%

28–34Fall 2020 · submittersSkip to data table

The middle half of enrolled ACT submitters, using published composite-score percentiles — not admission cutoffs.

ACT middle 50% — data
Year	25th	75th
Fall 2004	23	29
Fall 2005	21	28
Fall 2006	22	28
Fall 2007	22	28
Fall 2008	23	28
Fall 2009	23	29
Fall 2010	23	29
Fall 2011	24	29
Fall 2012	24	30
Fall 2013	24	29
Fall 2014	26	31
Fall 2015	26	31
Fall 2016	27	32
Fall 2017	28	33
Fall 2018	27	33
Fall 2019	27	34
Fall 2020	28	34

IPEDS Fall 2004–2020, submitters only

What is the campus like?

Enrollment counts a campus population; retention follows first-years returning. Their dates and populations are shown separately.

Undergraduate enrollment

23,113Fall 2024Skip to data table

Reported undergraduate enrollment. This count does not measure class size or teaching access.

Undergraduate enrollment at University of California-Santa Barbara rose from 17,705 (Fall 2002) to 23,113 (Fall 2024).

Undergraduate enrollment — data
Year	Undergraduates
Fall 2002	17,705
Fall 2003	17,838
Fall 2004	18,114
Fall 2005	18,044
Fall 2006	18,210
Fall 2007	18,412
Fall 2008	18,888
Fall 2009	19,793
Fall 2010	19,184
Fall 2011	18,617
Fall 2012	18,974
Fall 2013	19,362
Fall 2014	20,237
Fall 2015	20,606
Fall 2016	21,570
Fall 2017	22,181
Fall 2018	23,063
Fall 2019	23,337
Fall 2020	23,166
Fall 2021	23,081
Fall 2022	23,419
Fall 2023	23,205
Fall 2024	23,113

IPEDS Fall headcounts 2002–2024

First-year retention (full-time)

93%Fall 2023 cohortSkip to data table

The share of the reported first-time student group who returned the following year. This rate does not explain why others left.

First-year retention at University of California-Santa Barbara has held near 93% from Fall 2003 to Fall 2023.

First-year retention — data
Year	Retention
Fall 2003 cohort	91%
Fall 2004 cohort	90%
Fall 2005 cohort	89%
Fall 2006 cohort	91%
Fall 2007 cohort	91%
Fall 2008 cohort	91%
Fall 2009 cohort	91%
Fall 2010 cohort	92%
Fall 2011 cohort	91%
Fall 2012 cohort	92%
Fall 2013 cohort	92%
Fall 2014 cohort	93%
Fall 2015 cohort	93%
Fall 2016 cohort	93%
Fall 2017 cohort	92%
Fall 2018 cohort	92%
Fall 2019 cohort	91%
Fall 2020 cohort	91%
Fall 2021 cohort	92%
Fall 2022 cohort	92%
Fall 2023 cohort	93%

IPEDS Full-time cohorts 2003–2023

More about University of California-Santa Barbara

27.9% of University of California-Santa Barbara's undergraduates carry Pell grants — the standard federal marker of lower-income enrollment. Carnegie classes University of California-Santa Barbara as a primarily residential campus of 23,113 undergraduates — and 93% of the reported first-time, full-time student group returned for a second year.

University of California-Santa Barbara reported not considering test scores in Fall 2024, when its admission rate was 33%. Review University of California-Santa Barbara's current requirements before applying; use the GPA calculator for your semester numbers.

Why some charts are marked “key chart”

key chart

Start with three useful questions: what costs were reported for families in your income band, how many first-time full-time students finished, and what federal debt borrowers held when leaving.

How University of California-Santa Barbara compares

State and national medians cover active bachelor-primary institutions, mixing public and private schools. Tuition uses in-state rates at public schools. These are broad reference points, not a ranking of similar schools or your likely bill.

Scorecard dates identify the release snapshot, not a shared measurement year. Earnings describe federally aided students who were working and not enrolled ten years after entry; cohorts and populations differ from the admissions and tuition figures.

Acceptance rate

Fall 2024 admissions cycle · IPEDS

University of California-Santa Barbara33%

California median74.4%

National median76.8%

Tuition (in-state)

Scorecard 2026-06-10 snapshot · published tuition before aid

University of California-Santa Barbara$16,414

California median$23,000

National median$19,591

Median earnings (10 yr)

Ten years after entry · Scorecard 2026-06-10 snapshot

University of California-Santa Barbara's snapshot: calendar years and dollar basis unverified.

University of California-Santa Barbara$74,915

California median$64,778

National median$53,781

View comparison data & dates

University of California-Santa Barbara, California and national reference values
Metric & basis	University of California-Santa Barbara	California median	National median
Acceptance rateFall 2024 admissions cycle · IPEDS	33%	74.4%	76.8%
Tuition (in-state)Scorecard 2026-06-10 snapshot · published tuition before aid	$16,414	$23,000	$19,591
Median earnings (10 yr)Ten years after entry · Scorecard 2026-06-10 snapshot	$74,915	$64,778	$53,781

Published earnings by bachelor's field of study

For University of California-Santa Barbara, these are federal subject groups (CIP), not departments. Median is the middle annual income.

University of California-Santa Barbara federal-aid recipients · graduated 2017–18 or 2018–19 · income measured 2022 or 2023 · inflation-adjusted to 2024 dollars. Definitions and limits.

View 40 fields & earnings

Bachelor's field of study (CIP category)	Median earnings, 4 yrs after completion
Computer Science	$149,190
Computer Engineering	$144,703
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering	$117,215
Chemical Engineering	$113,317
Applied Mathematics	$109,360
Mechanical Engineering	$104,336
Pharmacology and Toxicology	$98,462
Economics	$98,178
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods	$96,078
Statistics	$90,778
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology	$90,694
Microbiological Sciences and Immunology	$90,061
Mathematics	$85,391
Physics	$85,219
Chemistry	$74,713
Communication and Media Studies	$72,976
Philosophy	$71,796
Political Science and Government	$70,384
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	$68,496
Geography and Cartography	$67,521
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences	$66,788
Research and Experimental Psychology	$66,171
International/Globalization Studies	$66,127
Biology, General	$64,520
Natural Resources Conservation and Research	$63,628
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services	$61,580
Sociology	$60,013
History	$59,342
English Language and Literature, General	$59,334
Area Studies	$59,042
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies	$59,004
Anthropology	$56,238
Zoology/Animal Biology	$53,727
Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology	$50,694
Film/Video and Photographic Arts	$49,893
Fine and Studio Arts	$46,428
Dance	$44,858
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft	$44,106
Religion/Religious Studies	$43,377
Music	$33,825

These 40 fields listed for University of California-Santa Barbara measure earnings after completion. The $74,915 institution-level snapshot above measures earnings after entry; it is not the same cohort or a total for these fields. 13 additional University of California-Santa Barbara fields have earnings withheld under federal privacy rules.

Frequently asked questions

What test-score data does University of California-Santa Barbara report?

University of California-Santa Barbara did not consider scores in Fall 2024: 33% admitted. Check current requirements.

What is University of California-Santa Barbara's acceptance rate?

33% in the Fall 2024 cycle — 36,347 admitted from 110,259 applicants.

How much does University of California-Santa Barbara cost?

In-state tuition is $16,414; out-of-state students pay $50,614. Fees, housing and aid move the real total in both directions.

What earnings data does University of California-Santa Barbara report?

Median earnings ten years after entry: $74,915. Major figures measure four years after completion. Source and date limits.

Similar colleges in California

University of California-San Diego — 26.7% admitted
University of California-Irvine — 28.6% admitted
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo — 31.3% admitted
California Institute of the Arts — 32.3% admitted

Run your own numbers

Data: IPEDS ADM2024 (Fall 2024 admissions, provisional) · IPEDS HD2024/IC2024 directory · College Scorecard 2026-06-10 release (institution and field-of-study files; earnings from Treasury records). Retrieved 2026-09-01. Chart dates follow this institution's available observations; the release date is not an academic year or an earnings year. Some records end earlier than others. Field-of-study cohort dates are shown with the table. Read the date and population definitions.