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Statement · Santa Barbara, CA

University of California-Santa Barbara

Public4-year · Bachelor's degreesCompare with other schools →

  1. Families earning under $30k paid $9,231 a year after grants and aid, against a published cost of $41,573.

  2. Students who received federal aid earned a median $74,915 ten years after entering, the 95th percentile among public 4-years.

  3. 83% of students finish within 150% of normal time.

Founded
1891
Enrollment, 2023
28,257
Website
ucsb.edu
Motto
“Let there be light”
Campus of University of California-Santa Barbara

Coolcaesar · CC BY-SA 4.0

AboutPublic university in California, US. Wikipedia ↗

Read the Wikipedia extract

The University of California, Santa Barbara is a public land-grant research university in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Tracing its roots back to 1891 as an independent teachers college, UC Santa Barbara joined the University of California system in 1944. It is the third-oldest campus in the system, after Berkeley, and UCLA.

From the Wikipedia article “University of California, Santa Barbara”, revision 1364251252, used under CC BY-SA 4.0.

What it costs

The published sticker cost is $41,573 a year; after grants, families who received aid paid between $9,231 and $31,863 a year depending on income at University of California-Santa Barbara.

Statement of cost · University of California-Santa Barbara

Family income (per year)
Sticker costPublished yearly cost of attendance, all students
$41,573
What families earning under $30k paidYearly net price after grants, for students receiving federal aid
$9,231
Average net price, all incomesAided students, all family incomes
$16,109
In-state tuition & feesLatest reported, 2024
$16,414

Each figure is reported separately; none is computed from another.

Net price by family income

Pick an income bracket above; the marked point follows. Dollars are what aided families paid each year after grants.

Yearly net price by family income, in dollars

under $30k: $9,231; $30–48k: $9,992; $48–75k: $12,588; $75–110k: $17,136; over $110k: $31,863. Shaded band: middle half of public 4-years, from $8,778 to $16,425; dotted line at the median, $12,780.
  • Shaded: the middle half of public 4-years (all incomes), $8,778 to $16,425. Dotted line: the median, $12,780.
Table of the same numbers
Average yearly net price by family income bracket
Family incomePaid per year
Under $30k$9,231
$30k–$48k$9,992
$48k–$75k$12,588
$75k–$110k$17,136
Over $110k$31,863

College Scorecard, 2023–24 aid cohort (students who received federal aid)

What graduates earn and owe

Ten years after entry, the median federally aided student here earns $74,915; the median graduate who borrowed owes $13,993.

Statement, continued

Earnings, 6 years after entryFederally aided (Title IV) students only. Median.
$56,852
Earnings, 8 years after entryFederally aided (Title IV) students only. Median.
$68,092
Median earnings 10 years after entryFederally aided (Title IV) students only. Median.
95th percentile among public 4-years
$74,915
Median debt, graduatesStudents who finished and borrowed federal loans.
25th percentile among public 4-years
$13,993
Median debt, all who borrowedEveryone who borrowed, whether or not they finished.
$11,875

Earnings and debt come from federal aid records, so students who never received federal aid are not counted.

Earnings after entry

The shaded band is the middle half of public 4-years at 10 years: $42,655 to $60,720.

6 yrs after entry: $56,852; 8 yrs after entry: $68,092; 10 yrs after entry: $74,915. Median graduate debt: $13,993. Shaded band: middle half of public 4-years at 10 years, from $42,655 to $60,720; dotted line at the median, $50,178.
  • Shaded: middle half of public 4-years, 10 years out ($42,655 to $60,720); dotted line is the median.
  • Dashed: median graduate debt, $13,993.

Earnings cover federally aided (Title IV) students only. Hollow marks are rungs with no reported value, not zero.

Table of the same numbers
Earnings after entry and graduate debt
MeasureDollars
Median earnings, 6 yrs after entry$56,852
Median earnings, 8 yrs after entry$68,092
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry$74,915
Median graduate debt$13,993

College Scorecard, federal tax and aid records

What programs pay

Median earnings five years after completing, by field of study. Small programs are privacy-suppressed and shown as not reported, never zero.

What programs pay at University of California-Santa Barbara
ProgramCredentialGraduatesEarnings, 5 yrsMedian debt
EconomicsBachelor's Degree696$107,948$13,516
SociologyBachelor's Degree692$59,183$13,500
Research and Experimental PsychologyBachelor's Degree650$66,321$15,000
Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's Degree620$73,857$13,018
Biology, GeneralBachelor's Degree391$76,068$14,586
StatisticsBachelor's Degree355$110,783$17,500
Natural Resources Conservation and ResearchBachelor's Degree338$66,752$16,533
Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's Degree322$73,638$16,485
English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's Degree184$58,240$17,550
Applied MathematicsBachelor's Degree184$109,292$17,000
PhysicsBachelor's Degree183$104,149$15,982
Film/Video and Photographic ArtsBachelor's Degree174$52,687$15,000
Show all 27 programs
Remaining programs
ProgramCredentialGraduatesEarnings, 5 yrsMedian debt
Computer ScienceBachelor's Degree162$145,485$11,000
HistoryBachelor's Degree159$57,621$14,500
International/Globalization StudiesBachelor's Degree143$65,890$14,792
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and ServicesBachelor's Degree125$52,393$14,100
MathematicsBachelor's Degree123$75,626$17,000
Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's Degree122$48,583$16,978
AnthropologyBachelor's Degree121$58,077$19,500
ChemistryBachelor's Degree114$79,458$15,805
Materials SciencesDoctoral Degree22not reportednot reported
Computer EngineeringBachelor's Degree58$139,942$14,410
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications EngineeringBachelor's Degree58$108,865$15,571
Chemical EngineeringBachelor's Degree41$104,039$14,937
Psychology, OtherDoctoral Degree9not reportednot reported
Mechanical EngineeringBachelor's Degree82$100,669$15,908
Pharmacology and ToxicologyBachelor's Degree62$97,773$14,500

Source: College Scorecard field-of-study data.

Who goes here

University of California-Santa Barbara: 23,113 undergraduates; 28% of students receive Pell grants; 33% of applicants are admitted.

Admission rate

33%

4th percentile among public 4-years

Undergraduates

23,113

91st percentile among public 4-years

Pell share

28%

of undergraduates receive Pell grants

36th percentile among public 4-years

Completion

83%

finish within 150% of normal time

95th percentile among public 4-years

First-generation

42%

parents did not attend college

Median family income

$36,166

55th percentile among public 4-years

Students by family income

Share of students in each family-income bracket, for students who received federal aid.

  • Under $30k37%
  • $30k–$48k20%
  • $48k–$75knot reported
  • $75k–$110knot reported
  • Over $110knot reported
Show as a table
Students by family income
Family incomeShare of students
Under $30k37%
$30k–$48k20%
$48k–$75knot reported
$75k–$110knot reported
Over $110knot reported

Who Wikipedia remembers

Wikidata records 3,239 people who studied at University of California-Santa Barbara, most often in science & academia (57%). That is the archive's memory, not a census.

What the recorded alumni are remembered for

Share of recorded people by field, in a fixed order so schools compare.

Fields of the people the archive recorded for this school, in a fixed order: science & academia 57% (1,639 people); medicine 0.4% (12 people); law 1.1% (33 people); politics & gov 2.1% (62 people); business 1.5% (43 people); engineering & tech 4.5% (132 people); writing & journalism 5.0% (145 people); film & stage 3.7% (107 people); music 1.4% (41 people); visual arts 2.6% (76 people); sports 20% (593 people); religion 0.2% (6 people); military 0.3% (10 people). These are shares of people recorded in Wikidata, the archive's memory, not a census of alumni.
Table of the same numbers
Fields of the people the archive recorded for this school (the archive's memory, not a census)
FieldPeople recordedShare
science & academia1,63956.5%
medicine120.4%
law331.1%
politics & gov622.1%
business431.5%
engineering & tech1324.5%
writing & journalism1455.0%
film & stage1073.7%
music411.4%
visual arts762.6%
sports59320.5%
religion60.2%
military100.3%

Source: Wikidata, via the archive's memory (not a census).

most recorded occupationsresearcher (1,050) · basketball player (465) · university teacher (300) · computer scientist (97) · writer (63) · physicist (61) · academic (54) · politician (54)

Women among recorded alumni, by birth decade

Counts reflect who the archive records, not a census.

Share of women among recorded alumni, from 33% for the 1900s to 40% for the 2000s. Decades with fewer than 5 recorded people are not drawn. The line breaks at every decade not drawn.

Counts only people the archive records with a gender. Hollow marks are decades with no women reported or fewer than 5 recorded, not zero.

Table of the same numbers
Recorded alumni by birth decade
BornWomenMenShare women
1900s2433%
1910s1128%
1920s31319%
1930s73019%
1940s379927%
1950s4615023%
1960s4110129%
1970s309225%
1980s398133%
1990s277826%
2000s172540%

Source: Wikidata, via the archive's memory (not a census).

Wikipedia attention, by month

Wikipedia attention

monthly views

Monthly Wikipedia article views from 2015-07 to 2026-06; peak 35,832 in 2025-03.
Table of the same numbers
Wikipedia article views by month
MonthViews
2026-0610,241
2026-0512,690
2026-0413,331
2026-0313,099
2026-029,916
2026-0110,467
2025-1211,919
2025-1111,797
2025-1014,543
2025-0912,847
2025-0812,515
2025-0712,262
2025-0611,679
2025-0513,241
2025-0414,693
2025-0335,832
2025-0211,917
2025-0113,387
2024-1212,897
2024-1113,408
2024-1013,909
2024-0914,981
2024-0813,960
2024-0712,564
2024-0613,442
2024-0516,686
2024-0417,612
2024-0320,515
2024-0215,321
2024-0116,498
2023-1214,719
2023-1115,354
2023-1015,582
2023-0917,966
2023-0816,168
2023-0715,473
2023-0616,152
2023-0518,302
2023-0419,304
2023-0326,921
2023-0214,563
2023-0115,419
2022-1213,958
2022-1117,058
2022-1016,731
2022-0916,673
2022-0817,115
2022-0716,062
2022-0615,620
2022-0517,142
2022-0419,091
2022-0320,368
2022-0215,288
2022-0115,610
2021-1214,440
2021-1116,470
2021-1018,924
2021-0921,362
2021-0817,144
2021-0717,692
2021-0615,608
2021-0516,405
2021-0418,036
2021-0330,256
2021-0212,870
2021-0114,411
2020-1215,548
2020-1116,443
2020-1015,575
2020-0913,847
2020-0815,296
2020-0714,172
2020-0615,503
2020-0521,688
2020-0423,093
2020-0320,333
2020-0218,042
2020-0119,632
2019-1220,173
2019-1119,920
2019-1020,609
2019-0920,193
2019-0818,159
2019-0717,038
2019-0617,027
2019-0519,002
2019-0422,796
2019-0325,886
2019-0216,104
2019-0118,948
2018-1218,756
2018-1120,761
2018-1020,482
2018-0920,131
2018-0818,561
2018-0717,248
2018-0618,770
2018-0521,365
2018-0424,522
2018-0325,013
2018-0216,988
2018-0117,147
2017-1216,618
2017-1117,214
2017-1017,740
2017-0917,166
2017-0816,745
2017-0715,780
2017-0615,957
2017-0518,669
2017-0422,179
2017-0323,922
2017-0217,194
2017-0117,652
2016-1216,858
2016-1118,240
2016-1018,569
2016-0919,171
2016-0817,544
2016-0715,441
2016-0624,224
2016-0520,137
2016-0423,114
2016-0323,556
2016-0217,045
2016-0117,233
2015-1215,738
2015-1116,458
2015-1018,889
2015-0918,434
2015-0816,738
2015-0716,032

Source: Wikimedia pageviews.

Nobel laureates who studied here

  • Carol Greider Medicine 2009

The portrait wall

Ordered by Wikipedia footprint (language editions).

Show all 15 portraits

Similar schools

These are the nearest neighbors in the same sector. The list is not an ordering.

Sources & caveats

Figures come from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Built 2026-07-17.

not reported
Not reported: suppressed for privacy or never collected. It is not zero, and nothing has been filled in.
Percentiles
A percentile compares this school with others in its own sector (for example, public 4-year schools). It describes position, not quality.
Earnings
Earnings cover students who received federal (Title IV) aid, measured from the year they entered. Students who never received federal aid are not included.
Provenance notes
  • U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard, 2026-06 release. Earnings cover federally aided (Title IV) students only. Suppressed values are null, never imputed.
  • Annual Scorecard files 1996-2026. A null in early years usually means the measure was not yet collected, not zero.
  • Coordinates and locale describe the campus address, not where students live.
  • Wikidata is not an alumni census: a person appears only when volunteer editors record them. Counts measure the archive's memory - access x achievement x documentation - never placement rates or institutional quality.
  • Images are from Wikimedia Commons under free licenses. Render the credit line (artist + license) with every image.

Lead text from Wikipedia (revision 1364251252), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.