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Overall Experience

UC Santa Barbara - Santa Barbara, CA

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UCSB students can’t say enough good things about this place—most never want to leave. Whether it’s the academics, the weather, the social scene, or the laid-back atmosphere, practically all students fall in love with something here. And, if you do get the urge to leave, LA is an hour and a half south, the wine country is half an hour inland, San Francisco is five hours north, and San Diego is four hours south. You can spend your entire four years exploring Isla Vista and Santa Barbara, as well. Tourists pay money to get to hang out here for a vacation, and we get to live here, full-time! Give yourself a chance to get to know the school and the town. It can take a year to find your type of friends or your major or your favorite club, but if you are actively searching, you will be able to find what you are looking for at UCSB. The students who excel at UCSB are independent and able to take care of themselves. Students have to be able to resist the social temptations a party school presents and plan their own schedules, while still keeping their well-being in mind—the school is too big to hold everyone’s hand. Overall, UCSB is the true college experience that many high-school students have been anxiously awaiting. Sure, it doesn’t have a football team, but who needs that when students can spend Saturdays surfing or playing football game with friends, right on the beach?

By The Numbers

General Information:
UC Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA 93106

Control:
Public

Academic Calendar:
Quarters

Religious Affiliation:
None

Founded:
1944 (became affiliated with University of California)

Web Site:
Main Phone:
(805) 893-8000

Full-Time Undergraduates:
17,960

Part-Time Undergraduates:
455

Total Male Undergraduates:
8,250

Total Female Undergraduates:
10,165

Overall Acceptance Rate:
54%

Early Decision Acceptance Rate:
Not offered

Early Action Acceptance Rate:
Not offered

Total Applicants:
40,933

Total Acceptances:
22,273 

Freshman Enrollment:
4,338 

Yield (% of admitted students who actually enroll):
19%

Regular Decision Deadline:
November 30

Regular Decision Notification:
March 17

Must-Reply-By Date:
May 1

Transfer Applications Received:
7,937

Transfer Applications Accepted:
5,622

Transfer Students Enrolled:
1,273

Transfer Application Acceptance Rate:
71%

SAT I or ACT Required?:
Either

SAT I Range (25th–75th Percentile):
1090–1320

SAT I Verbal Range (25th–75th Percentile):
530–650

SAT I Math Range (25th–75th Percentile):
560–670

Freshman Retention Rate:
91%

Top 10% of High School Class:
96%

Application Fee:
$40

Common Application Accepted?:
No

Admissions Phone:
(805) 893-2881

Admissions E-Mail:
Admissions Web Site:
In-State Tuition:
$7,896

Out-of-State Tuition:
$27,516

Room and Board:
$11,604

Books and Supplies:
$1,435 per year

Average Need-Based Financial Aid Package (including loans, grants, work study, and other sources):
$14,753

Students Who Applied for Financial Aid:
61%

Applicants Who Received Financial Aid:
47%

Financial Aid Forms Deadline:
File FAFSA by March 3

Financial Aid Phone:
(805) 893-2432

Financial Aid Web Site:

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