TL;DR: UC Santa Barbara admitted 44.0% of first-year applicants for fall 2026 (47,716 offers), and by our calculation from UC Office of the President tables it admitted 63.9% of domestic out-of-state applicants, nearly double the 34.6% rate for California residents; the 29.3-point gap was the second widest in the UC system after UC Davis. Admitted students had a High School GPA (UC’s A-G GPA from 10th and 11th grade, with honors credit) of 4.05 to 4.27 in the middle range. The campus number hides big differences by major: changing into Computer Science later requires a 3.0 overall GPA, a 3.2 in the CS prerequisites and a 3.0 in the math series, with no guarantee, and the College of Creative Studies has its own application, with a priority deadline of January 5, 2027. UC Santa Barbara’s own 2026-27 sample budget for a new nonresident first-year in the residence halls is $90,216, and UC’s systemwide estimate for a new nonresident living on campus in 2027-28 is $90,100. To plan a UC Santa Barbara application with Oriel Admissions, schedule a consultation.
What Is the UC Santa Barbara Acceptance Rate?
The UC Santa Barbara acceptance rate for fall 2026 is 44.0%: 47,716 offers of admission from 108,503 first-year applicants in UC’s January application table (108,512 on UC’s Santa Barbara admit data page) in the preliminary count the University of California published in July 2026 (UC Office of the President, fall 2026 admissions fact sheet). That compares with 38.3% for fall 2025 and 32.9% for fall 2024, so the three-year picture is a campus that has grown less selective with fewer applicants (1,733 fewer than fall 2024) and more admits (11,404 more). The residency split is the number that matters for a family reading this page: by our calculation, California residents were admitted at 34.6%, domestic out-of-state applicants at 63.9%, and international applicants at 63.2%.
| Cycle | Applicants | Admits | Overall rate | California residents | Domestic out-of-state | International |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2026 | 108,503 | 47,716 | 44.0% | 34.6% | 63.9% | 63.2% |
| Fall 2025 | 110,165 | 42,170 | 38.3% | 32.1% | 54.8% | 48.1% |
| Fall 2024 | 110,236 | 36,312 | 32.9% | 32.3% | 38.5% | 30.4% |
UC Santa Barbara first-year admissions, fall 2024 to fall 2026, computed from the UC Office of the President preliminary application tables (fall 2026 applicants as of January 21, 2026) and admit tables (fall 2026 admits as of June 17, 2026). Rates are admits divided by applicants within each residency group.
Two things stand out across the three cycles. Out-of-state applicants have been admitted at a higher rate than California residents in every year shown (38.5% against 32.3% in fall 2024, 63.9% against 34.6% in fall 2026), which, in our experience, is the reverse of the pattern at most public flagships: the University of Washington, for example, admitted 45.7% of Washington residents and 42.2% of nonresidents for fall 2025, by our calculation from its Common Data Set 2025-2026 (see our Washington out-of-state acceptance rate guide). That reversal is the reason the rest of this page is written for out-of-state families. The international rate also rose in each cycle shown, from 30.4% to 48.1% to 63.2%. Sources for each year: fall 2024 applications, fall 2024 admits, fall 2025 applications, fall 2025 admits, and the fall 2026 fact sheet. Our guide to UC acceptance rates by campus puts these numbers next to the other eight campuses.
What Is the UC Santa Barbara Acceptance Rate for Out-of-State Students?
For fall 2026, the UC Santa Barbara acceptance rate for domestic out-of-state applicants was 63.9%, computed from preliminary University of California systemwide data reflecting offers as of June 17, 2026. California residents were admitted at 34.6% and international applicants at 63.2%, against an overall rate of 44.0%. By the same calculation, nonresidents made up 47% of all admits (10,403 domestic out-of-state and 12,024 international of 47,716). For comparison, UC Irvine admitted 49.5% of out-of-state applicants and UC Davis 71.0%.
| Applicant Group | Applications | Admits | Admit Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| California residents | 73,187 | 25,289 | 34.6% |
| Domestic out-of-state | 16,290 | 10,403 | 63.9% |
| International | 19,026 | 12,024 | 63.2% |
| All first-year applicants | 108,503 | 47,716 | 44.0% |
Source: rates computed from the UC Office of the President fall 2026 preliminary application table (as of January 21, 2026) and admissions fact sheet (offers as of June 17, 2026). Figures may shift as waitlist offers are finalized.
The pattern matches most of the system: by our calculation, UC Berkeley and UC Merced were the only campuses to admit domestic out-of-state applicants at a lower rate than California residents for fall 2026 (Merced’s California count includes students offered admission through UC’s referral process, so its resident rate is not a like-for-like comparison), and in our view Nonresident Supplemental Tuition ($39,270 for 2026-27, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office) and lower nonresident yield explain much of the rest, as covered in our guide to UC admissions for out-of-state students. What makes UC Santa Barbara distinctive is how much the major matters inside a friendly campus-level rate.
How Does the Major Drive UC Santa Barbara Strategy?
Applicants choose a first-choice major and can list an alternate, and the rules differ sharply by program. Computer Science sits in the College of Engineering, and the College of Creative Studies is a separate small college with its own application: its majors are Art, Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Computer Science, Marine Science, Mathematics, Music Composition, Physics, and Writing and Literature. To apply to Creative Studies, a student submits the UC application for UC Santa Barbara by the UC deadline and then a separate Creative Studies application, with a priority deadline of January 5, 2027 for fall 2027, including a letter that is separate from the UC essays. Creative Studies cannot release decisions until UC Santa Barbara announces its general decisions in March, and a denial from Creative Studies does not affect admission to UC Santa Barbara or other majors. Unlike the UC application, the Creative Studies application can require letters of recommendation: they are required for CCS Biology and optional for CCS Art, for example.
The one-way doors matter most for computer science. UC Santa Barbara says changing into or double-majoring in Computer Science is very competitive: a student must complete CMPSC 16, CMPSC 24 (taken at UC Santa Barbara) and CMPSC 40 or Math 8 with at least a 3.2 GPA, complete Math 3A, 3B, 4A and 4B with at least a 3.0, all on the first attempt for a letter grade, and hold at least a 3.0 overall UC Santa Barbara GPA. The department also requires at least 30 units completed at UC Santa Barbara before applying, no history of academic probation at UC Santa Barbara, and no more than six regular quarters completed there. Meeting those minimums offers only the possibility of review, there are no guarantees, and a denial cannot be appealed. Oriel Admissions advises that a student who needs computer science should win the seat on the fall application, and that a student admitted to another major should be planned as a graduate of that major.
What Academic Profile Does UC Santa Barbara Expect?
Admitted first-years for fall 2026 had a middle-range High School GPA of 4.05 to 4.27 on UC’s Santa Barbara admit data page. UC defines that GPA as the A-G grade point average from 10th and 11th grade, including up to eight semesters of honors courses; our UC GPA calculator converts a standard transcript. UC does not consider SAT or ACT scores in admission under the systemwide test-free policy, does not require or read letters of recommendation at application, and UC Santa Barbara holds no interviews, so the transcript and the four personal insight questions do the work. In our experience, families increasingly treat UC Santa Barbara as a serious research destination rather than a lifestyle campus.
What Does UC Santa Barbara Cost an Out-of-State Family?
UC Santa Barbara publishes its own sample budget: for 2026-27, it puts a new nonresident first-year living in the residence halls at $90,216, made up of $15,588 in tuition and the student services fee, $2,085 in campus-based fees, $39,270 in Nonresident Supplemental Tuition, $13,203 for rent, $10,782 for food, a $4,008 health care allowance and $5,280 for books, transportation, personal expenses and a phone (UC Santa Barbara Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships). UC’s systemwide estimate for a new nonresident living on campus in 2027-28 is $90,100, including $57,300 in UC tuition with Nonresident Supplemental Tuition, and UC notes that the total varies by campus; UC tuition for California residents is $16,278. Under the Tuition Stability Plan, systemwide tuition, Nonresident Supplemental Tuition and student services fees stay flat for up to six years; housing, food and campus-based fees are not part of the plan. UC says virtually all nonresident undergraduates with nonresident parents remain nonresidents for their entire undergraduate career, and that very limited UC financial aid is available to students from other states, though UC will help them receive any federal aid for which they are eligible. Four years at the 2027-28 systemwide estimate come to $360,400 by our calculation. In our view, that total is comparable to the cost of many private universities, so the admitted major determines much of the value.
What Should Out-of-State Applicants Do to Stand Out?
The mechanics match the system: for fall 2027 the application opened August 1, 2026, the filing period runs October 1 to November 30, 2026, decisions arrive in March, and nothing binds until the May 1 Statement of Intent to Register, which leaves a binding Early Decision bid at a private university fully compatible; with most Early Decision I deadlines of November 1 now past, that usually means an Early Decision II round at colleges that offer one. In our view, UC Santa Barbara is a strong target on an out-of-state list, between UC San Diego and UC Davis. Applicants aiming at the College of Creative Studies should treat its application as a genuine second application with its own materials and January 5, 2027 priority deadline, and applicants to selective majors should choose the alternate major with the same seriousness as the first choice, because in our experience the alternate is often the offer.
Frequently Asked Questions About the UC Santa Barbara Acceptance Rate
Substantially. For fall 2026, UC Santa Barbara admitted 63.9% of domestic out-of-state applicants against 34.6% of California residents, a 29.3-point gap, by an Oriel Admissions calculation from UC Office of the President tables. Selective majors such as computer science remain hard for everyone.
In our view, for the right program, often yes. UC Santa Barbara puts a new nonresident first-year in the residence halls at $90,216 for 2026-27, and UC estimates $90,100 systemwide for a new nonresident living on campus in 2027-28. In our experience, the value case is weakest when a student admitted to another major actually needed a computer science seat.
It is a small college within UC Santa Barbara with majors in Art, Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Computer Science, Marine Science, Mathematics, Music Composition, Physics, and Writing and Literature. It has its own application after the UC application, with a priority deadline of January 5, 2027, and a denial does not affect admission to UC Santa Barbara.
The change-of-major path requires a 3.0 overall GPA, a 3.2 in the CS prerequisites (including CMPSC 24 taken at UC Santa Barbara) and a 3.0 in the math series, all on the first attempt, and even then there is no guarantee and no appeal.
Not for the UC application. UC does not consider SAT or ACT scores in admission, does not require or read letters of recommendation at the time of application, and UC Santa Barbara holds no interviews. The separate College of Creative Studies application can require letters of recommendation: they are required for CCS Biology and optional for CCS Art, for example.
No. For fall 2027 the UC application is filed between October 1 and November 30, 2026, decisions arrive in March 2027, and the Statement of Intent to Register is due May 1, 2027.
Rarely. UC says obtaining residency is extremely difficult for undergraduates with nonresident parents and that virtually all of them remain nonresidents for their entire undergraduate career.
UC Santa Barbara admitted 63.9% of out-of-state applicants for fall 2026 and UC Irvine 49.5%. Many out-of-state families apply to both on the same application and let the admitted majors decide.
Sources: UC Santa Barbara Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships, 2026-27 undergraduate cost of attendance budget; UC Admissions, who can get financial aid; University of Washington Seattle Common Data Set 2025-2026; UC Admissions, Santa Barbara first-year admit data; UC Office of the President, fall 2026 admissions fact sheet; UC Office of the President, fall 2026 application table; UC Santa Barbara Computer Science, prospective students and change of major; UC Santa Barbara College of Creative Studies, apply; UC Admissions, dates and deadlines; UC tuition and cost of attendance; Legislative Analyst’s Office, nonresident tuition rates at UC (May 2026).
About Oriel Admissions
Oriel Admissions is a college admissions consulting firm advising families nationwide on elite university admissions strategy, with offices in Princeton, New Jersey and New York. Our team brings deep expertise across every dimension of the application, and our distinctive 360 approach develops strategy, positioning, activities, essays, and interviews as one coherent whole. To discuss your family’s admissions strategy, schedule a consultation.
