Public · Santa Barbara, CA

University of California-Santa Barbara

High ROI4 years of net price ≈ 0.8 years of graduates' median earnings

University of California-Santa Barbara merit aid, cost of attendance, freshman GPA and SAT/ACT scores, net price by income, and graduate earnings.

Costs, merit aid & admissions

Acceptance rate: 38%
Undergraduates: 23,113
Avg merit aid / yr: $11,666
Cost of attendance (in-state): $44,907
Cost of attendance (out-of-state): $79,107
SAT 75th percentile: 1460
ACT 75th percentile: 34

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Costs are annual prices before aid. Average merit aid is the average non-need-based award to freshmen who got one — not an offer to every applicant.

University of California-Santa Barbara incoming freshman academic profile

Average high school GPA: 4.292025-26 CDS · Source
SAT composite middle score: Not reported
ACT composite middle score: Not reported

Average GPA of enrolled freshmen (scale may be weighted or unweighted). SAT/ACT are median scores of students who submitted them — not scholarship cutoffs.

University of California-Santa Barbara net price by family income

Historical average cost after all grants and scholarships — not need-based aid eligibility. 2024–25 academic year.

Average annual net price by family income at University of California-Santa Barbara
Family income	$0–30K	$30–48K	$48–75K	$75–110K	$110K+	All
Annual net price	$9,523	$10,281	$14,181	$18,954	$36,658	$16,807

Families earning $150,000+ should not assume they'll get need-based grants; the "Over $110K" group mixes very different incomes.

At what family income does financial aid stop at University of California-Santa Barbara?

There's no universal cutoff. Need-based aid depends on income, assets, family size and college rules; merit scholarships are based on grades and scores, so high income doesn't rule them out. Use University of California-Santa Barbara's net price calculator for a personal estimate, and the federal aid estimator for federal aid.

Graduation, earnings & student debt

6-year graduation: 83.6%Fall 2019 / 2019–20 entering cohort
First-year retention: 93%Fall 2023 entering cohort; return in fall 2024
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry: $82,5682011–12 and 2012–13 entering cohorts; earnings in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars
Median federal debt: $11,776Federal fiscal years 2024 and 2025, pooled

Historical group figures, not individual predictions. Debt excludes private and Parent PLUS loans. Source: College Scorecard (ID 110705).

Colleges with acceptance rates similar to University of California-Santa Barbara

University of California-Santa Barbara accepts about 38% of applicants. These colleges have the closest reported acceptance rates.

Colleges with merit aid similar to University of California-Santa Barbara

University of California-Santa Barbara reports average merit aid of $11,666 per year. These colleges report the closest average non-need-based awards.

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Data sources & limitations

Admissions, costs and merit aid: collegedata.fyi (Common Data Set + federal data), imported Oct 2026. Net prices and outcomes: College Scorecard, Oct 15, 2026 release, matched by federal ID. SAT 75th percentile adds section scores; 90th-percentile and GPA match thresholds are estimates. ROI compares four years of average net price with median earnings 10 years after entry, ranked in thirds across colleges. Blank means not reported — never estimated. Confirm costs and scholarships with the college.