More selective than 85% of California colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $41,573. College Scorecard.
Higher than 81% of California colleges we cover and 91% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 74% of California colleges we cover and 89% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
University of California-Santa Barbara acceptance rate & admissions
Of 110,871 applicants, University of California-Santa Barbara admitted 30,804 and 5,043 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
University of California-Santa Barbara tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for California residents who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (in-state, federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
State aid: California residents who meet income, asset and GPA standards may receive a Cal Grant (California Student Aid Commission); apply with the FAFSA or California Dream Act Application. At University of California and California State University campuses, the Middle Class Scholarship can also help families with income and assets up to $250,000 (2026-27, dependent students). Not included in the prices above. California Student Aid Commission
University of California-Santa Barbara majors, earnings & careers
University of California-Santa Barbara offers 53 bachelor's majors across 9 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 16
- Science & Math · 15
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 7
- Arts & Design · 5
- Engineering · 4
- Business & Finance · 3
- Communications & Media · 1
- Health & Medicine · 1
- Technology & Computing · 1
Highest-earning majors at University of California-Santa Barbara
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | $149,190 | $11,000 |
| Computer Engineering | $144,703 | $14,410 |
| Electrical Engineering | $117,215 | $15,571 |
| Chemical Engineering | $113,317 | $14,937 |
| Applied Mathematics | $109,360 | $17,000 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $104,336 | $15,908 |
| Pharmacology and Toxicology | $98,462 | $14,500 |
| Economics | $98,178 | $13,516 |
Quick list of all 53 majors
- Anthropology$56,238
- Applied Mathematics$109,360
- Area Studies$59,042
- Biochemistry$90,694
- Biology$64,520
- Business Economics—
- Cell / Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences—
- Chemical Engineering$113,317
- Chemistry$74,713
- Classics—
- Communications$72,976
- Computer Engineering$144,703
- Computer Science$149,190
- Dance$44,858
- East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean)—
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology$50,694
- Economics$98,178
- Electrical Engineering$117,215
- English$59,334
- Environmental Science / Conservation$63,628
- Ethnic / Gender Studies$59,004
- Film and Photography$49,893
- Geography$67,521
- Geology / Earth Science$66,788
- German—
- History$59,342
- International / Global Studies$66,127
- Legal Studies / Paralegal—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Linguistics$61,580
- Management Science / Analytics$96,078
- Mathematics$85,391
- Mechanical Engineering$104,336
- Medieval and Renaissance Studies—
- Microbiological Sciences and Immunology$90,061
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
- Music$33,825
- Pharmacology and Toxicology$98,462
- Philosophy$71,796
- Physics$85,219
- Physiology—
- Political Science$70,384
- Psychology—
- Psychology (Research)$66,171
- Religious Studies$43,377
- Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Sociology$60,013
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages$68,496
- Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders—
- Statistics$90,778
- Studio Art$46,428
- Theatre$44,106
- Zoology / Animal Biology$53,727
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Communications → Public relations specialist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 1.8% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Environmental Science / Conservation → Environmental scientist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 6.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Santa Maria
Overall prices in the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $3,106. Housing costs 51% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 17 inches of rain a year, almost no snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: wildfire (relatively high); river flooding (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Santa Barbara County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Santa Barbara County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare University of California-Santa Barbara with similar schools
Similar public colleges in California by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of California-Santa Barbara | 33% | $16,109 | 83% | $74,915 | This school |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | 31% | $16,665 | 86% | $90,768 | |
| University of California-Irvine | 29% | $14,251 | 87% | $80,735 | |
| University of California-Davis | 42% | $14,741 | 86% | $80,838 | |
| San Diego State University | 36% | $15,364 | 76% | $64,909 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
University of California-Santa Barbara would cost you $556 less per year than California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo, on average.
- Higher sticker price at University of California-Santa Barbara, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$2,818).
- University of California-Santa Barbara gives aided families $9,864 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, California resident | University of California-Santa Barbara | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $16,414 | $13,596 | +$2,818 |
| Books & supplies | $1,482 | $1,089 | +$393 |
| Housing & meals | $18,684 | $17,220 | +$1,464 |
| Personal & travel | $5,456 | $2,937 | +$2,519 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$463 | −$2,577 | +$2,114 |
| Sticker price | $41,573 | $32,265 | +$9,308 |
| Average grants | −$25,464 | −$15,600 | −$9,864 |
| You pay | $16,109 | $16,665 | −$556 |
“+” means University of California-Santa Barbara costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about University of California-Santa Barbara
What is the University of California-Santa Barbara acceptance rate?
University of California-Santa Barbara accepts 33% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 30,804 of 110,871 applicants were admitted.
How much does University of California-Santa Barbara cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $41,573 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $16,109 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $9,231 and families earning $110k+ pay $31,863.
How much do University of California-Santa Barbara graduates earn?
Former University of California-Santa Barbara students earn a median $74,915 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the University of California-Santa Barbara graduation rate?
83% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 93% return for their second year.
Is University of California-Santa Barbara the right fit for your family?
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “University of California-Santa Barbara: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/university-of-california-santa-barbara (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).