What majors are the most competitive at UCSB?
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1 Answer
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The UC Santa Barbara courses comprise 200 majors, over 90 undergraduates, and more than 50 graduate programs. Some popular majors and programs are Environmental Science and Management, Economics, Chemistry, Materials, Statistics, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Marine Science, Applied Mathematics, Environmental Data Science, Technology Management, and more. Some of the competitive majors are:
- Economics
- Sociology
- Communications
- Psychology
- Biology
- Environmental Science
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As per an unofficial source, the UCSB acceptance rate is 28%, which shows extremely tough selection chances. The official website states that the university considers various factors on which students must focus to improve their chances. Some of them are rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, application essay, and more. This all can be achievable only if students excel in academics and score well throughout their studies. The 2024-2025 official statistics show over 1.1 L applications were received of which only 5,008 first-year students got enrolled.
No. The University of California, Santa Barbara does not select candidates based on the ACT or SAT scores, even if submitted. The university prioritizes several other things, such as rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, application essay, and more. To improve their selection chances, students must focus on their academics and aim to score a high GPA along with fulfilling the basic eligibility.
The University of California, Santa Barbara, evaluates applications based on the students' academic performance, involvement in relevant extracurricular activities, personal insight responses, and life experiences. Some of the factors considered by the university while selecting UG and PG candidates, along with the level of importance, are given below:
Academic/Non-academic Factors | Level of Importance |
|---|---|
Rigor of secondary school record | Important |
Class rank | Not considered |
Academic Grade Point Average (GPA) | Very Important |
Recommendations | Not considered |
Standardized test scores | Not considered |
Application essay | Very Important |
Interview | Not considered |
Extracurricular activities | considered |
Talent/ability | considered |
Character/personal qualities | considered |
The 2025-26 housing cost for UCSB for on-campus housing are given below:
Accommodation | Rate per Month |
|---|---|
El Dorado | USD 842 - 1,021 (INR 72K - 87K) |
San Joaquin Villages | USD 842 - 958 (INR 72K – 81K) |
Santa Ynez | USD 842 - 958 (INR 72K - 81K) |
Sierra Madre Villages | USD 824 - 958 (INR 70K - 81K) |
Westgate | USD 1,021 – 1,537 (INR 87K – 1.3L) |
Graduate Housing cost 2025-26:
Accommodation | Rate per Month |
|---|---|
Storke | USD 1,628 – 1,717 (INR 1.3L - 1.4L) |
West Campus | USD 1,138 – 1,335 (INR 97K – 1.1L) |
USD/INR = 85.59
Some of the top ranking courses at UCSB, along with the percentage of degrees awarded as per an unofficial source is given below:
Bachelors degree | % | Masters degree | % |
|---|---|---|---|
Econometrics & Quantitative Economics | 9.87% | General Education | 17.7% |
Sociology | 9.81% | Environmental Science | 14.6% |
General Communication | 8.79% | Computer Science | 9.8% |
Experimental Psychology | 6.78% | Electrical & Electronics Engineering | 6.84 |
General Biological Sciences | 5.54% | Management Science | 6.65% |
General Statistics | 5.03% | Data Science, General | 5.73% |
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