Top high schools for UC Santa Barbara (UCSB)
Fall 2025: every California high school with applicants to UC Santa Barbara (UCSB), from the University of California.
Fall 2026 preliminary: UC Santa Barbara (UCSB) admitted 25,289 California first-years, up 1,340 from fall 2025 at the same point. Offers as of June 17, 2026 (UC); school-by-school numbers come later.
California applicants admitted
32%about 1 in 3 get in
UC Santa Barbara (UCSB) admits 32% of applicants from California high schools
The tick is the overall rate: 28% of all applicants, including out-of-state and international, in fall 2023.
Average GPA, California admits (2025)
4.21applicants averaged 3.90
UC's weighted, capped GPA, averaged over the California high schools UC reports a GPA for.
Enrolled freshmen scores, middle 50% (2020)
UC and CSU no longer consider SAT/ACT scores; last reported 2020.
Who gets in: residency and transfers
Applicants to UC Santa Barbara (UCSB) by where they live, for fall 2025.
First-year students
California resident 57%Out-of-state (U.S.) 22%International 21%
| Residency | Applicants | Admitted | Admit rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| California resident | 74,659 | 23,972 | 32% |
| Out-of-state (U.S.) | 16,870 | 9,237 | 55% |
| International | 18,644 | 8,885 | 48% |
Transfer students
California resident 87%Out-of-state (U.S.) 1%International 12%
| Residency | Applicants | Admitted | Admit rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| California resident | 16,420 | 9,723 | 59% |
| Out-of-state (U.S.) | 438 | 110 | 25% |
| International | 2,001 | 1,305 | 65% |
Counts applications to this campus, so a student who applied to several UC campuses appears at each. Out-of-state means U.S. residents of other states; international means students living outside the U.S. Transfer figures include applicants from every residency. A dash means UC hides a figure that is too small to publish. Source: University of California Information Center.
Admits by intended major
What applicants to UC Santa Barbara (UCSB) said they wanted to study, grouped into broad areas, for fall 2025.
Admit rate for this areaUC Santa Barbara (UCSB) overall: 38%
| Middle 50% admit GPA | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Sciences | 33,738 | 12,720 | 4.07 – 4.28 | |
| Life Sciences | 21,225 | 8,909 | 4.11 – 4.29 | |
| Physical Sciences/Math | 13,760 | 7,558 | 4.11 – 4.28 | |
| Arts & Humanities | 10,271 | 3,619 | 4.03 – 4.26 | |
| Undeclared | 7,051 | 2,890 | 4.00 – 4.26 | |
| Engineering | 12,679 | 2,694 | 4.21 – 4.30 | |
| Computer Science | 5,865 | 1,989 | 4.19 – 4.29 | |
| Other/Interdisciplinary | 5,201 | 1,553 | 4.04 – 4.27 | |
| Business | 383 | 162 | 4.11 – 4.29 |
Counts all applicants, including out-of-state and international, so the rate differs from the California-only rate above. Areas with very few applicants, admits or enrolled students are hidden. Major is generally not a factor in UC admission, though some campuses admit directly into a major. Source: University of California Information Center.
Most admitted to UC Santa Barbara (UCSB)
- 1.Canyon Crest AcademySan Diego152 admitted
- 2.Dougherty Valley High SchoolContra Costa133 admitted
- 3.Arcadia High SchoolLos Angeles127 admitted
- 4.American High SchoolAlameda126 admitted
- 5.Aquinas International AcademySan Bernardino125 admitted
- 6.Monta Vista High SchoolSanta Clara125 admitted
- 7.Lynbrook High SchoolSanta Clara122 admitted
- 8.Cupertino High SchoolSanta Clara119 admitted
- 9.Mira Costa High SchoolLos Angeles114 admitted
- 10.Valley Christian High SchoolSanta Clara114 admitted
Highest UC Santa Barbara (UCSB) admit rate
- 1.BASIS Independent Silicon ValleySanta Clara78% of 85
- 2.Sanger High SchoolFresno72% of 32
- 3.Aquinas International AcademySan Bernardino65% of 192
- 4.Clovis High SchoolFresno63% of 30
- 5.Tulare Western High SchoolTulare63% of 27
- 6.Bakersfield High SchoolKern62% of 26
- 7.BASIS Independent Fremont Upper SchoolAlameda61% of 44
- 8.Paloma Valley High SchoolRiverside61% of 36
- 9.Central Valley High SchoolStanislaus60% of 25
- 10.Justin Garza High SchoolFresno60% of 25
The admit rate list only includes schools with at least 25 applicants, so a school where a handful applied and all got in does not top it. Admitted counts each student once for this campus.
Showing 1–50 of 824 schools
The tick marks UC Santa Barbara (UCSB)'s overall admit rate. Admit GPA is the average UC-calculated GPA (weighted, capped) of each school's admitted students.