Does UC Santa Barbara require the SAT? No, it's test blind
UC Santa Barbara is test blind: it won't read an SAT or ACT score, even if you send one. It admits 33% of applicants, so grades, courses and essays decide.
UC Santa Barbara doesn't read SAT or ACT scores
A score won't be read even if you send one, so it can't help or hurt. With a 33% admit rate, UC Santa Barbara is a Target for everyone; grades, courses and essays decide.
UC Santa Barbara by the numbers
- Admit rate
- 33%
- Middle 50% SAT
- Not read
- Test policy
- Test blind
Test blind · checked Nov 9, 2026 · UC Santa Barbara admissions · SAT range from the Common Data Set, 2025–26; admit rate from it or IPEDS
UC Santa Barbara admit rate over 10 years
Applications rose 56%, from 70,536 in 2015 to 110,259 in 2024, and UC Santa Barbara's admit rate went from 33% to 33%.
- 33%
- 33%
Show the numbers
| Fall | Applied | Admitted | Admit rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 110,259 | 36,347 | 33% |
| 2023 | 110,871 | 30,804 | 28% |
| 2022 | 110,995 | 28,688 | 26% |
| 2021 | 105,641 | 30,824 | 29% |
| 2020 | 90,961 | 33,384 | 37% |
| 2019 | 93,446 | 27,626 | 30% |
| 2018 | 92,306 | 29,726 | 32% |
| 2017 | 81,824 | 26,846 | 33% |
| 2016 | 77,112 | 27,581 | 36% |
| 2015 | 70,536 | 23,026 | 33% |
In fall 2024, 5,008 of the 36,347 admitted students enrolled. Applicants and admits from IPEDS, the federal college survey, by fall of entry.
UC Santa Barbara GPA
What enrolled first-year students brought from high school.
- Average high school GPA
- 4.29
- 97% of new students reported one
Common Data Set 2025–26.
UC Santa Barbara waitlist
Waitlist
25,713 applicants were offered a spot, 18,022 took it, and 9,603 were admitted from it.
53%of students who stayed on the waitlist got in
Common Data Set 2025–26.
UC Santa Barbara cost and outcomes
What students pay after grants, how many finish, and what they earn.
- Average net price
- $16,109
- per year, after grants
- Graduate in 6 years
- 83%
- Median earnings
- $74,915
- 10 years after starting
- Undergraduates
- 24,637
College Scorecard, 2022–23, from the US Department of Education. Net price averages federal-aid students across family incomes.
Colleges like UC Santa Barbara
Other colleges that don't read scores, with similar admit rates.
- Cal Poly SLOSan Luis Obispo, CA · 31% admittedTest blind
- San Diego StateSan Diego, CA · 36% admittedTest blind
- UC IrvineIrvine, CA · 29% admittedTest blind
- UC San DiegoLa Jolla, CA · 27% admittedTest blind
- PitzerClaremont, CA · 25% admittedTest blind
- UC DavisDavis, CA · 42% admittedTest blind
More colleges in California
Sources
- UC Santa Barbara Common Data Set 2025–26
SAT and ACT ranges, early decision, waitlist, GPA and class rank, as the college reported them.
- College Navigator (IPEDS)
Applications, admissions and enrollment by year, from the federal college survey.
- College Scorecard
Net price, graduation rate and earnings, from the US Department of Education.
- UC Santa Barbara admissions
Test policy for 2026–27, checked Nov 9, 2026.
- UC Santa Barbara website
University of California-Santa Barbara
Updated Nov 9, 2026. Spot a number that's off? Email support@tryashore.com and we'll check it against the source.
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