One of the most prestigious universities in the world, University of California, Santa Barbara is a public land-grant research university in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. UC Barbara is one of the best study abroad universities for international students as the UC Santa Barbara ranking has been consistent among the top 200 global universities for more than a decade now.
Students across the globe apply for UC Santa Barbara admissions. However, only a fraction of candidates secure an enrollment due to the competitive nature of the university.
University of California Santa Barbara Acceptance Rate 2025
The University of California, Santa Barbara received over 93,400 applications for the admission cycle of 2024-25, of which over 27,600 students were offered the opportunity to enroll at the UCSB campus. However, only 4,900 students decided to join the university.
This suggests that the UC Santa Barbara acceptance rate stands around 29.6%, whereas the UC Santa Barbara yield rate is 17.9%. Thus, it can be concluded that the admission criteria of the university are rather selective.
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Particulars
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Fall 2023
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Fall 2024
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Applicants
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110,876
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93,457
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Admitted Students
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30,805
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27,626
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Students Enrolled
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5,043
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4,935
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Acceptance Rate
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27.78%
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29.56%
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Yield Rate
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16.4%
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17.9%
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University of California Santa Barbara Acceptance Rate for International Students
Around 19% of the students that UC Santa Barbara admitted hailed from countries other than the U.S. This number of admitted international students stood around 5,248, and the number of countries represented by the international community is 107. The overall UCSB acceptance rate is around 29.6%.
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Particulars
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Headcount/Percentage
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International Students Admitted
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5,240 approx.
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Total Students Admitted
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27,626
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Percent of International Students Admitted
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19%
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Nations Represented
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107
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Acceptance Rate
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29.6%
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The number of international UG students (nonresident aliens) enrolled at UCSB was recorded to be over 3,200. The university also welcomes many other ethnicities and races to enroll at the UC Santa Barbara campus.
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Ethnic Backgrounds
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Undergraduate Students
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|---|
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American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic
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45
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Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic
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59
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Race and/or ethnicity unknown
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319
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Black or African American, non-Hispanic
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492
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Two or more races, non-Hispanic
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1451
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Nonresident aliens
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3261
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Asian, non-Hispanic
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4551
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Hispanic/Latino
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6012
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White, non-Hispanic
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7159
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Total
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23349
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University of California Santa Barbara Admission Requirements for International Students
In order to secure an admission, all overseas applicants must fulfill certain UC Santa Barbara admission requirements listed below:
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Undergraduate Requirements
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Graduate Requirements
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- Official secondary school transcripts;
- Minimum high school GPA of 3.0;
- Proof of English language proficiency; and
- SAT/ACT scores (not mandatory).
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- Four-year bachelor’s degree (or equivalent);
- Proof of English language proficiency;
- Minimum GPA of 3.4 on a 4.0 scale;
- GRE/GMAT scores;
- Resume/CV;
- Letter of recommendations (LOR); and
- Other course-specific requirements.
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University of California Santa Barbara Average GPA, SAT & ACT Scores
In order to secure enrollment in UCSB, students can appear for one of the standardized tests (SAT/ACT). However, it is not mandatory as the university is test-optional. Listed below are the average scores obtained by the students admitted in Fall 2024:
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Entrance Exams
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Average Score Requirements
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SAT
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1360
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ACT
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29 |
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GPA
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4.18
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Tips to Get Selected at the University of California Santa Barbara
UC Santa Barbara is one of the best universities to get into, and thus, students must submit exceptional academic grades as well as excel in co-curricular activities.
Fulfilling the required Grade Point Average is one of the major entry requirements at the university, and international students must maintain a GPA of 3.0 for undergraduate courses and 3.4 for postgraduate courses, in order to boost their chances of getting admitted in the university. Apart from fulfilling the academic qualifications, some of the best practices that students can follow include acquiring strong letters of recommendation, submission of high English language proficiency scores and standardized test scores.
University of California Santa Barbara Acceptance Rate Vs University of Texas at Austin Acceptance Rate
The University of Texas at Austin acceptance rate stands at 29%, which makes it a competitive university to get into. In comparison with the UC Santa Barbara acceptance rate of 29.6%, UT Austin can be considered slightly less selective in their admission criteria.
As listed, getting into UT Austin is selective. Hence, students must excel in academics in order to boost their chances. Apart from this, students who are outstanding in activities outside class also stand a good chance of securing admission.
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