At a glance
- Address
- UCSB Office of Admissions, 1210 Cheadle Hall, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-2014
- City
- Santa Barbara, California
- Country
- United States — process, visa & costs
- Website
- ucsb.edu
- Type
- Public
- Founded
- 1891
- Students
- 26,179 (2021)
- Map
- Open the campus on a map ↗
Where it ranks
#70 in the world — ShanghaiRanking ARWU 2025.
Strongest subjects (GRAS 2025)
| Physics | #16 |
| Communication | #19 |
| Automation & Control | #20 |
| Geography | #33 |
| Economics | #41 |
| Ecology | #48 |
How to get in
read on the university's own pages, 28 September 2026Bachelor's (after Class 12)
- Apply via
- direct (UC Application, shared across all UC campuses) — application page ↗
- Cycle
- Fall 2027 entry
- Intake
- September
- Tests
- UC's first-year requirements list only A-G courses, GPA, and English proficiency; SAT/ACT scores are not part of the stated admission requirements
- English
- IELTS 6.5 · TOEFL 80 (pre-1/21/2026) / 4.5 (post-1/21/2026) · Duolingo 115
Required only for applicants who completed secondary school in a non-English-speaking country with under 3 years of English instruction; must be completed by December of final year of school - Tuition
- USD 57,300 / year (2027-28) · about ₹54.9 lakh
- Financial aid
- UCSB states financial aid and scholarships for international students are very limited, as the public university primarily awards aid to U.S. residents; international students are directed to the Office of International Students and Scholars for private funding resources.
Deadlines
| Round | Apply by | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| Fall filing period | 30 November 2026 | mid-March 2027 |
What you send
- UC Application (Personal Insight Questions)
- self-reported test/English proficiency scores
- official transcripts due July 1
Master's / PhD (after graduation)
- Apply via
- direct (UCSB Graduate Division, department-specific) — application page ↗
- Intake
- September
- Deadlines
- Deadlines vary by department; 2027 admissions cycle applications open, exact dates set per program
- Tests
- GRE policy not stated on UCSB Graduate Division general pages; varies by department
- English
- IELTS 7.0 · TOEFL 80 (pre-1/21/2026) / 4.0 (post-1/21/2026) · Duolingo 120
Exempt if bachelor's or higher was earned where English was the sole official language of instruction; departments may set higher minimums - Funding
- Graduate Division directs students to department-specific funding and assistantship options; general funding_note not detailed on pages checked.
In numbers
US Department of Education, College Scorecard- Admission rate
- 33% of applicants admitted
- Tuition (non-resident)
- USD 50,614 / year · about ₹48.5 lakh
- Undergraduates
- 23,113
- International undergrads
- 8.8%
- Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
- USD 74,915 / year (all graduates)
Source: College Scorecard — University of California, Santa Barbara. Tuition excludes housing, food, insurance and fees.
Studying in United States
The US offers the widest range of degree programmes and research universities in the world, with flexible majors and strong graduate schools. Indian students go for choice of subject, name-brand universities, and post-study work through OPT, though costs and visa steps are the highest of any major destination.
- Visa
- F-1 student visa
- Work while studying
- Pre-completion OPT/on-campus work: up to 20 hours/week while school is in session, full-time when school is not in session (USCIS).
- After graduating
- Optional Practical Training (OPT): up to 12 months post-completion (pre-completion OPT time is deducted from it); STEM-degree graduates working for an E-Verify employer may add a 24-month STEM OPT extension (USCIS).
Every subject ranking
ShanghaiRanking GRAS 2025Prepare here, free
Admission facts on this page were read from: admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/how-to-apply/applying-as-a-freshman/ · admissions.sa.ucsb.edu/international · admissions.sa.ucsb.edu/deadlines · admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/ · admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/tuition-financial-aid/tuition-cost-of-attendance/index.html · admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/admission-requirements/first-year-requirements/ · admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/admission-requirements/first-year-requirements/english-language-proficiency.html · admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/admission-requirements/index.html · graddiv.ucsb.edu/ · graddiv.ucsb.edu/admissions · graddiv.ucsb.edu/admissions/international-applicants · graddiv.ucsb.edu/how-apply/how-complete-online-application · graddiv.ucsb.edu/fees-costs · admissions.sa.ucsb.edu — checked 28 September 2026.