Acceptance Rate History
University of California-Santa Barbara Acceptance Rate: 38.0% in 2025 (2013–2025 history)
CA · Current rate: 38.0%
What is University of California-Santa Barbara's acceptance rate in 2025?
University of California-Santa Barbara's acceptance rate in 2025 is 38.0%, up from 33.0% in 2024.
Common Data Set 2025-2026
What is University of California-Santa Barbara's out-of-state acceptance rate?
- In-state: 32.1% (23,923 admitted of 74,486 applicants)
- Out-of-state: 54.5% (9,302 admitted of 17,067 applicants)
- International: 47.6% (8,868 admitted of 18,634 applicants)
Out-of-state applicants were admitted at a higher rate than in-state applicants. International applicants were admitted at a higher rate than in-state applicants.
Fall 2025 · University of California-Santa Barbara Common Data Set (2025-26), section C1. Rates are our calculation from the counts the college reported.
Year-by-Year Data
| Year | Acceptance Rate | Applicants | Admitted |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 38.0% | 106,883 | 40,572 |
| 2024 | 33.0% | 110,259 | 36,347 |
| 2023 | 27.8% | 110,871 | 30,804 |
| 2022 | 25.9% | 110,995 | 28,688 |
| 2021 | 29.2% | 105,641 | 30,824 |
| 2020 | 36.7% | 90,961 | 33,384 |
| 2019 | 29.6% | 93,446 | 27,626 |
| 2018 | 32.2% | 92,306 | 29,726 |
| 2017 | 32.8% | 81,824 | 26,846 |
| 2016 | 35.8% | 77,112 | 27,581 |
| 2015 | 32.6% | 70,536 | 23,026 |
| 2014 | 36.3% | 66,813 | 24,283 |
| 2013 | 44.4% | 55,258 | 24,556 |
Source: IPEDS Admissions Survey (NCES) · College Scorecard
Cost
The same school, two different prices
Family income under $30k: $9,231/yr · Family income over $110k: $31,863/yr (AY 2023–24)
Average paid by students receiving federal aid, by family income (College Scorecard). In-state students only. International students are not eligible for U.S. federal aid, so they are not in this cohort and typically pay closer to the sticker price.
High-income families typically pay closer to sticker.
Aid for international students
University of California-Santa Barbara's average institutional aid award to international undergraduates was $27,537 (2025-2026 Common Data Set).
These figures describe only the international students who actually received aid — not what a typical international admit can expect. International students outside this group pay the full sticker price.
Source: official Common Data Set filing
What this school weighs — University of California-Santa Barbara
Course rigor and GPA are not in this table. Nearly every school rates both at the top, so they tell you nothing about this one. These six are where schools differ.
| Class rank | Not considered |
|---|---|
| Standardized test scores | Not considered |
| Application essay | Very important |
| Recommendations | Not considered |
| Extracurricular activities | Considered |
| Character / personal qualities | Considered |
University of California-Santa Barbara Common Data Set 2025–26, section C7
How to read these numbers
- The 2025 rate covers University of California-Santa Barbara's whole applicant pool — early and regular applications counted together in one figure. It is not the rate of any single round.
- The table above holds 13 reported years, 2013 through 2025. Across them University of California-Santa Barbara's rate ranged from 25.9% to 44.4%, so any single year is one point inside that range.
Each figure above describes a class a school already admitted in a completed cycle. It is a record of who was admitted, not a measurement of any one application.
Source: College Scorecard · IPEDS Admissions Survey (NCES) · U.S. Dept. of Education
Where do you stand?
School
University of California-Santa Barbara
University of California-Santa Barbara
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Trend Analysis
University of California-Santa Barbara's acceptance rate has decreased from 44.4% in 2013 to 38.0% in 2025, reflecting increased selectivity. The most notable shift occurred in 2014.
Analysis compiled from official data trends.
Similar Schools — Acceptance Rate History
Data sourced from IPEDS and College Scorecard. Does not represent endorsements or guarantee admission outcomes.