Universities

Pay a Virtual Visit to UCSB!

With webinars, online chats and special events through College Week Live, there are many ways to be in touch with UCSB – via computer! See Virtual UCSB .

The 12-minute overview showcases our academics, student life, and much more. Click on the Videos tab at Publications and Videos .

The Office of Admissions and the Visitor Center will close for the Labor Day Holiday on Monday, September 3, 2012.
(More information on closures)

To see the UCSB campus is to fall in love with it. We invite you to visit us!

Monday to Friday, explore campus with one or more of the following events:

• Admission Information Session *
• Campus Walking Tour *
• Observe a class through the Lecture Experience (not available in summer months) .
  
  * (Reservations required.)

Please check times and make a reservation here . If you plan to visit on the weekend, take a moment to download our audio podcast and/or SCVNGR application as well as a self-guided tour map.

For more details, see the UCSB Visitor Page .

Campus Quick Facts

Chancellor: Henry T. Yang - (Appointed June 1994) Date established: 1944 School Colors: Blue and Gold Academic calendar: Quarter system Library collection: 3 million volumes NCAA athletics: Division I Campus Mascot: Gaucho

Location/Land area

1,055 acres on the California coast about 100 miles northwest of Los Angeles. Office of Admissions 1210 Cheadle Hall University of California Santa Barbara, CA 93106-2014 (805) 893-2881

Faculty Size: 1,052

In addition to five Nobel Prize winners, UCSB's faculty includes many elected members or fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (25), the National Academy of Sciences (32), the National Academy of Engineering (25), and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (60).

Majors, Degrees, and Credentials

More than 200 majors, degrees, and credentials are offered through UCSB's five schools and the Graduate Division.

Major Colleges and Divisions:

College of Creative Studies College of Engineering College of Letters and Science Donald Bren School of Environmental Science and Management Gevirtz Graduate School of Education

Top Majors

As of fall, 2011, the following majors were most popular with undergraduates.

Biological Sciences Economics Psychology Communication Political Science Chemistry/Biochemistry Environmental Studies English Sociology Physics Computer Science History Film and Media Studies

Freshman Applicant Statistics (Fall 2011 Entering Class)

Applicants: 49,661   Admitted: 23,049 (46.4%)   4.08 average GPA 1916 mean SAT I score Enrolled: 4,098   3.91 mean GPA 1846 mean SAT score 43% GPA of 4.0 or above 606 mean Verbal SAT score 628 mean Math SAT score

Transfer Applicant Statistics (Fall 2011 Entering Class)

Applicants: 14,293   Admitted: 6,580 (46.0%)   Enrolled: 1,415   3.44 mean GPA

Geographic Origins of Undergraduates

Monterey County and North 32% Santa Barbara County 5% Ventura, San Luis Obispo, Kern Counties 8% Other Southern California counties: 51% Out of state: 3% International (76 countries): 1%

Campus Diversity: Undergraduate Enrollment (Fall 2010)

American Indian/Alaskan Native 1% African American 4% Chicano 18% Latino 5% Asian/Pacific Islander/E. Indian/Pakistani 15% Filipino 3% Caucasian 48% Other 6%

Gender of Undergraduates

Female Male 53% 47%

Graduation Rates

The median time to obtain an undergraduate degree is four years, which compares favorably to the national average. 91% of freshmen return for their sophomore year. Approximately 78% of freshmen will graduate from UCSB within five years.

Average Course Enrollment

UCSB offers over 1,800 classes each quarter to more than 18,000 students.

Undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is 18:1. Lower division classes average 52 students each, although there are a number of introductory courses with several hundred students. Upper division classes average 36 students each. Sixty-nine percent of undergraduate classes enroll fewer than 30 students.

Housing

New freshman and new transfer students are guaranteed two years of housing if they submit their Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) by the deadline. SIR deadline is May 1 for freshman and June 1 for transfer students. Housing applications must be submitted by June 1.

The University owns and operates eight residence halls on campus. Tropicana Gardens is a privately-owned residence hall with several locations in the adjacent community of Isla Vista. In addition to the residence halls, transfer students are also eligible for housing in several University apartment complexes on campus and in Isla Vista, including family apartments. Students are not required to live on campus and may commute or rent from numerous private housing providers in the area.

Where students live: UCSB Residence Halls 22% UCSB Apartments 11% Private Residence Halls 2% Fraternities/Sororities 2% Isla Vista, Goleta, Santa Barbara 55% Commuters 6% Education Abroad / Addresses Unknown 2%