C
#17 Best Public Universities in America

UCSB Admission Requirements

Santa Barbara, California

 3 Reviews

Chances of getting into University of California Santa Barbara

Acceptance Rate

Admitted 
29%
Admission Difficulty for University of California Santa Barbara
Measure Difficulty
Admission Standards Exceptional 
Applicant Competition High 
How hard is it to get into UCSB and can I get accepted?

The acceptance rate at UCSB is 29%.  It ranks #11 in California and #85 in the nation for lowest rate of acceptance. UCSB is a highly competitive school to get into with a lesser chance of acceptance for qualifying applicants. Last year, 30,824 out of 105,641 applicants were admitted.

The school has extremely high admission requirements, generally admitting students who can score in the top 16 percent on standardized admission tests. University of California Santa Barbara typically accepts and attracts "A-" average high school students with an average GPA around 3.82. Most incoming freshmen graduate in the top ten percent of their high school class. 16% of those admitted chose to enroll in the school.

The UCSB application fee is $70 and applications are due by Nov 30.

Test Optional

Submission of SAT or ACT scores is not required or recommended by University of California Santa Barbara.

UCSB SAT Scores

SAT Requirements & Average SAT Score

SAT Range 
1230-1460
Applicants Submitting SAT 
81%
SAT Scores for University of California Santa Barbara
SAT Test 25th Percentile Score
SAT Reading 25th 620
SAT Math 25th 610
SAT Composite 25th 1230
SAT Scores for University of California Santa Barbara
SAT Test 25th Percentile Score
SAT Reading 75th 710
SAT Math 75th 750
SAT Composite 75th 1460
Average SAT Score 1350

SAT Scores you need to get in

What are the SAT requirements for students to be admitted to University of California Santa Barbara?

University of California Santa Barbara is a test optional school meaning applicants are not required to submit SAT scores with their application. The position on SAT scores from the school is "neither required nor recommended".

Students who get into University of California Santa Barbara score in the top 20 percent of all SAT test takers.. The SAT composite score range for the middle 50% of students is 1230-1460.

Find other colleges with similar SAT score requirements

Data Sources, IPEDS for Fall 2021 starting class

Estimated Chance of Acceptance by SAT Score

University of California Santa Barbara admission chances by SAT score
SAT Score (1600 scale) Competitiveness  Admission Chances 
1460 and Above Good >44%
1345 to 1460 Avg + 29%-44%
1230 to 1345 Avg - 18%-29%
1115 to 1230 Reach 10%-18%
Less than 1115 Low <10%
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UCSB ACT Scores

ACT Requirements & Average ACT Score

ACT Range 
28-34 
Applicants Submitting ACT 
48%
ACT Scores for University of California Santa Barbara
ACT Test 25th Percentile Score
ACT Reading 25th 26
ACT Math 25th 26
ACT Composite 25th 28
ACT Scores for University of California Santa Barbara
ACT Test 75th Percentile Score
ACT Reading 75th 34
ACT Math 75th 31
ACT Composite 75th 34
Average ACT Score 31

ACT Scores needed to get accepted

What are the ACT requirements for prospective students to get into UCSB?

University of California Santa Barbara is test optional. Students are not required to submit ACT scores with their application. The policy on ACT scores is "neither required nor recommended".

UCSB regularly accepts students who score 28 and above on the ACT. These students typically score in the top 12 percent nationally. The ACT composite score range for the middle 50% of students is 28-34.

Find other colleges with similar ACT score requirements

Data Sources, IPEDS for Fall 2021 starting class

Estimated Chance of Acceptance by ACT Score

University of California Santa Barbara admission chances by ACT score
ACT Score Competitiveness  Admission Chances 
34 and Above Good >44%
31 to 34 Avg + 29%-44%
28 to 31 Avg - 18%-29%
25 to 28 Reach 10%-18%
Less than 25 Low <10%
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UCSB GPA

Estimated GPA Requirements & Average GPA

Avg. High School GPA 
3.82*
Typical High School Grades 
A-

What GPA do you need to get into University of California Santa Barbara?

Applicants require exceptionally good grades to get into UCSB. The average high school GPA of the admitted freshman class at University of California Santa Barbara was 3.82 on the 4.0 scale indicating that primarily A- students are accepted and ultimately attend. The school ranks #17 in California for highest average GPA. Even with a competitive GPA, admission to UCSB will be challenging as the school denies more applicants than it admits.

 What do these ratings mean?

Explore more colleges with similar GPA requirements

High School GPA's for admitted University of California Santa Barbara students
High School GPA Freshmen Within Range Competitiveness 
4.0 86.92% Avg
3.75 to 3.99 8.63% Avg -
3.50 to 3.74 3.09% Reach
3.25 to 3.49 0.95% Reach
3.00 to 3.24 0.32% Reach
2.50 to 2.99 0.06% Reach
2.00 to 2.49 0.02% Reach
1.00 to 1.99 0% Reach
less than 1.00 0% Reach

*This school has not released high school GPA data for its incoming freshmen. In these cases, CollegeSimply employs an artificial intelligence (AI) process to predict GPA based on this school's test scores and a large sample of other colleges' data. 3.82 is an estimate of the school's average incoming freshman GPA.

High School Class Rank

100% of University of California Santa Barbara freshman were in the top ten percent of their high school graduating class.

High School Class Rank for admitted University of California Santa Barbara students
High School Class Rank Freshmen Within Range
Top 10% of class 100%
Top 25% of class 100%
Top 50% of class 100%
Data Source, Peterson's Data

Applying

Admission Statistics

University of California Santa Barbara admission statistics
Women Men Total
Applied 57,700 47,941 105,641
Accepted 18,352 12,472 30,824
Acceptance Rate 32% 26% 29%
Enrolled 2,949 1,951 4,900
Percent of Admitted Who Enrolled (Admission Yield) 16% 16% 16%
Data Sources, IPEDS for Fall 2021 starting class

Fall 2023 Application Deadline

Applications were Due
Nov 30, 2022
Days left to Apply
None

The application deadline for Fall 2023 has passed. Applications were due on Nov 30, 2022.

Application Fee

The cost for prospective students to apply to University of California Santa Barbara is $70.

Application Requirements

What are the requirements for admission to University of California Santa Barbara and what student information is used for admission decisions?

University of California Santa Barbara Application Requirements
Test Scores Neither required nor recommended
High School GPA Required
High School Class Rank Considered but not required
Completion of College Preparatory Program Required
Recommendations Neither required nor recommended
Demonstration of Competencies Neither required nor recommended

Credits Accepted

High School Credits Accepted at University of California Santa Barbara
AP Credit Yes
Dual Credit Yes
Credit for Life Experiences No
Other Colleges to Consider 

Primary data source, U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=110705 IPEDS survey data for University of California Santa Barbara.

FAQs

Does University of California Santa Barbara prefer SAT or ACT?

81% of students submit their SAT scores to UCSB. 48% of applicants send their ACT scores when applying.

What is my chance of getting into University of California Santa Barbara?

29% of those who apply are granted admission to UCSB. Admission competition is high and the college has exceptional admission standards. See if your grades and scores are good enough for admission.

What SAT score is required for University of California Santa Barbara?

The middle 50% of addmitted applicants have SAT scores between 1230 and 1460. 81% of students submit SAT scores when applying. See if your SAT score is good enough for admission.

What ACT score is required for University of California Santa Barbara?

The middle 50% of addmitted applicants have ACT scores between 28 and 34. 48% of students submit ACT scores when applying. See if your ACT score is good enough for admission.