First-year deadlines, 2026–27
| Plan | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Regular decision The standard deadline, with answers in spring. Not binding. | November 30, 2026 |
Plans are listed in calendar order. What the plans mean
Source: admissions.sa.ucsb.edu · checked September 30, 2026
What families actually pay
Average yearly net price after grants, in-state students, by family income
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education, College Scorecard · data snapshot October 2, 2026
AP credit
Most-taken exams, lowest score that earns credit| Exam | Min score | University of California-Santa Barbara course | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spanish Language and Culture | 3 | 8 **B Spanish 1-3 | |
| Computer Science Principles | 3 | 8 **C: 1 course None | |
| +Computer Science A (beginning S18) | 3 | 8 **C: 1 course# None | |
| English – Language and Composition or Literature and Composition | 3 | 8 Entry Level Writing Requirement Writing 1, 1E | |
| French Language and Culture | 3 | 8 **B French 1-3 | |
| German Language and Culture | 3 | 8 **B German 1-3 | |
| Italian Language and Culture | 3 | 8 **B Italian 1-3 | |
| Spanish Literature and Culture | 3 | 8 **B Spanish 1-4 |
Show all 8 exams and every score level
| Exam | Min score | Course | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spanish Language and Culture | 3 | 8 **B Spanish 1-3 | |
| Spanish Language and Culture | 4 | 8 **B Spanish 1-4 | |
| Spanish Language and Culture | 5 | 8 **B Spanish 1-5 | |
| Computer Science Principles | 3 | 8 **C: 1 course None | |
| Computer Science Principles | 3 | 8 **C: 1 course# None | |
| Computer Science Principles | 4 | 8 **C: 1 course Computer Science | 4 credits |
| Computer Science Principles | 4 | 8 **C: 1 course# Computer Science | 8 credits |
| +Computer Science A (beginning S18) | 3 | 8 **C: 1 course# None | |
| +Computer Science A (beginning S18) | 4 | 8 **C: 1 course# Computer Science | 8 credits |
| English – Language and Composition or Literature and Composition | 3 | 8 Entry Level Writing Requirement Writing 1, 1E | |
| English – Language and Composition or Literature and Composition | 4 | 8 A1 Writing 1, 1E, 2, 2E, 2LK | |
| English – Language and Composition or Literature and Composition | 5 | 8 A1, A2 Writing 1, 1E, 2, 2E, 2LK, 50, 50E | |
| French Language and Culture | 3 | 8 **B French 1-3 | |
| French Language and Culture | 4 | 8 **B French 1-4 | |
| French Language and Culture | 5 | 8 **B French 1-5 | |
| German Language and Culture | 3 | 8 **B German 1-3 | |
| German Language and Culture | 4 | 8 **B German 1-4 | |
| German Language and Culture | 5 | 8 **B German 1-5 | |
| Italian Language and Culture | 3 | 8 **B Italian 1-3 | |
| Italian Language and Culture | 4 | 8 **B Italian 1-5 | |
| Italian Language and Culture | 5 | 8 **B Italian 1-6 | |
| Spanish Literature and Culture | 3 | 8 **B Spanish 1-4 | |
| Spanish Literature and Culture | 4 | 8 **B Spanish 1-5 | |
| Spanish Literature and Culture | 5 | 8 **B Spanish 1-6 |
Source: catalog.ucsb.edu · checked September 19, 2026
Biggest majors
| Major | Graduates |
|---|---|
| Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | 667 |
| Sociology | 605 |
| Communication | 597 |
| Experimental Psychology | 503 |
| Biology/Biological Sciences | 377 |
| Statistics | 338 |
| Environmental Studies | 331 |
| Political Science and Government | 285 |
Show the other 60 majors
| Film/Cinema/Media Studies | 196 |
| Computer Science | 168 |
| Behavioral Neuroscience | 158 |
| Physics | 138 |
| International/Globalization Studies | 126 |
| English Language and Literature | 123 |
| History | 112 |
| Anthropology | 106 |
| Mathematics | 97 |
| Applied Mathematics | 91 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 87 |
| Philosophy | 84 |
| Applied Mathematics, Other | 82 |
| Computer Engineering | 81 |
| Chemistry | 70 |
| Fine/Studio Arts | 64 |
| Electrical and Electronics Engineering | 58 |
| Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences, Other | 57 |
| Linguistics | 55 |
| Pharmacology | 55 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, Other | 51 |
| Aquatic Biology/Limnology | 49 |
| Geographic Information Science and Cartography | 45 |
| Chemical Engineering | 44 |
| Geology/Earth Science | 43 |
| History, Other | 43 |
| Actuarial Science | 37 |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics and Population Biology, Other | 35 |
| Art History, Criticism and Conservation | 32 |
| Spanish Language and Literature | 32 |
| Microbiology | 31 |
| Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts | 29 |
| Biochemistry | 27 |
| Zoology/Animal Biology | 26 |
| Dance | 21 |
| Music | 20 |
| Comparative Literature | 18 |
| Hispanic-American, Puerto Rican, and Mexican-American/Chicano Studies | 17 |
| Religion/Religious Studies | 16 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services, Other | 14 |
| Women's Studies | 12 |
| Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 8 |
| French Language and Literature | 8 |
| Art/Art Studies | 8 |
| Physiology | 7 |
| Asian Studies/Civilization | 5 |
| Chemistry, Other | 5 |
| Hydrology and Water Resources Science | 5 |
| Geography | 5 |
| Asian-American Studies | 4 |
| African-American/Black Studies | 4 |
| Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 3 |
| Japanese Language and Literature | 3 |
| Business/Managerial Economics | 2 |
| Music Theory and Composition | 2 |
| Area Studies, Other | 2 |
| Near and Middle Eastern Studies | 2 |
| Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 1 |
| Legal Studies | 1 |
| Italian Studies | 1 |
Bachelor’s graduates, first major, most recent year · Source: U.S. Dept. of Education, IPEDS · data snapshot October 2, 2026
Ranked programs
Where University of California-Santa Barbara ranks in the top 25 on our top-programs lists, best rank first. How we rank programs
- #9 for Wildlife biologyof 50 colleges
- #15 for Ecology and environmental biologyof 50 colleges
- #16 for Microbiology and immunologyof 50 colleges
- #20 for Statisticsof 50 colleges
- #24 for Biochemistryof 50 colleges
Sports and campus life
Men’s varsity · NCAA Division I, Big West Conference
Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Golf, Soccer, Swimming, Tennis, Track and Field (Outdoor), Volleyball, Water Polo
Women’s varsity · NCAA Division I, Big West Conference
Basketball, Cross Country, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Tennis, Track and Field (Indoor), Track and Field (Outdoor), Volleyball, Water Polo
ROTC
Army
Faith groups
Cru, Hillel, InterVarsity, Newman Connection
Also
Study abroad
Sources: U.S. Dept. of Education athletics data (EADA), hillel.org · checked September 4, 2026 · data snapshot October 2, 2026
The place
Setting
Suburb, midsize
Federal locale classification
Metro area
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
444,500 people
Big-city metro (1 million+)
No
More about the place
Nearest airport
Santa Barbara Municipal (SBA)
Nearest hub airport
Bob Hope (BUR)
Walkability
EPA walkability index 12.3 of 20
Elevation
53 ft
Time zone
Pacific
January low
41°F
July high
73°F
Annual snowfall
0.0 in
Days at 90°F or higher
3 per year
One-bedroom fair market rent
$2,930 per month
Sources: U.S. Dept. of Education (IPEDS locale), U.S. Census metro estimates, NOAA climate normals, HUD fair market rents, EPA walkability · data snapshot October 2, 2026
Colleges nearby
- Antioch University-Santa Barbara9 mi
- Westmont College11 mi
- Thomas Aquinas College43 mi
- California State University-Channel Islands49 mi
- California Lutheran University57 mi
- Pepperdine University70 mi
Straight-line distance between campuses
Similar colleges
Public, suburban campus, NCAA Division I, similar size
- Clemson University22,875 students
- University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus22,025 students
- California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo21,559 students
- Kent State University at Kent20,485 students
- University at Buffalo20,463 students
- University of Delaware19,772 students