UC Santa Barbara vs Texas State

Envision yourself immersed in the vibrant college towns of Santa Barbara, California, and San Marcos, Texas, home to the University of California-Santa Barbara (UCSB) and Texas State University (TXST), respectively. While both institutions offer a wealth of opportunities, they possess distinct characteristics that may influence your academic journey. UCSB boasts a lower acceptance rate, indicating a more selective admissions process, while TXST welcomes a larger and more diverse student body. Explore their contrasting popular majors, ranging from engineering and biological sciences at UCSB to business and education at TXST. Discover the nuances in their graduation rates, reflecting the institutions' unique approaches to student support and academic rigor. Delve into the comparison table to uncover further insights into these universities' costs, campus life, and post-graduate outcomes, empowering you to make an informed decision that aligns with your aspirations and goals.
Texas State University logo

Texas State University

University of California-Santa Barbara logo

University of California-Santa Barbara

Overview

Location San Marcos, Texas Santa Barbara, California
Campus setting City: Small Suburb: Midsize
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Public Public
Calendar system Semester Quarter
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 77.0% 91.0%
Common app member Yes No
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 70.0% 29.2%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $75

Graduate: $55
Undergraduate: $70

Graduate: $120
SAT range 990 - 1180 N/A
ACT range 18 - 25 N/A
Students submitting SAT score 50.0%
Students submitting ACT score 11.0%
Total number of applicants 31,073 105,641
Total number of admissions given out 21,748 30,824
Admitted students who chose to enroll 6,650 4,900
Yield rate 30.6% 15.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Not required Required
Recommendation letters Not required Not required
High school transcript Required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price
In state: $26,275

Out of state: $37,699
In state: $35,374

Out of state: $65,128
Average net price $16,385 $17,333
Tuition
In state: $8,606

Out of state: $20,030
In state: $11,442

Out of state: $41,196
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $7,226

Meal plan: $4,290
$16,699
Available payment plans
  • Prepaid tuition plan
  • Guaranteed tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

73.0%
Average amount $9,224
53.0%
Average amount $18,107
Students receiving federal student loan 52.0%
Average amount $5,196
11.0%
Average amount $4,576
Students taking out private loans 5.0%
Average amount $14,353
3.0%
Average amount $10,788

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 33,175
Men 40.4% Women 59.6%
23,091
Men 43.8% Women 56.2%
Graduate students 4,689
Men 34.5% Women 65.5%
3,033
Men 53.2% Women 46.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Moderate
Out-of-state students 2.1% 13.2%
International students 1.5% 13.4%
Campus local/setting City: Small Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity 6,853 11,031
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from Texas California Colorado Illinois Louisiana California Washington Colorado Texas New York

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Communication and Journalism
  • Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
  • Health Professions
  • Multidisciplinary Studies
  • Education
  • Engineering
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Social Sciences
  • Mathematics and Statistics
  • Physical Science
Students to faculty ratio 22:1 17:1
Institutional accreditation Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 57.0% 85.4%
Dropout rate 39.7% 14.0%
Transferred out N/A N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $93,938
  • Year 2: $104,192
  • Year 3: $103,729
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $62,828
  • Year 2: $68,858
  • Year 3: $82,439
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $66,109
  • Year 2: $68,965
  • Year 3: $79,604
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $58,841
  • Year 2: $72,274
  • Year 3: $79,434
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $67,861
  • Year 2: $74,038
  • Year 3: $78,439
Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $66,059
  • Year 2: $67,660
  • Year 3: $75,055
Industrial Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $62,455
  • Year 2: $65,557
  • Year 3: $71,189
Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $61,981
  • Year 2: $63,263
  • Year 3: $70,863
Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $66,852
  • Year 2: $70,456
  • Year 3: $67,938
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $49,529
  • Year 2: $58,673
  • Year 3: $66,096
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $86,276
  • Year 2: $81,554
  • Year 3: $96,623
Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $83,726
  • Year 2: $76,773
  • Year 3: $94,355
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $70,445
  • Year 2: $72,134
  • Year 3: $88,523
Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $61,540
  • Year 2: $59,485
  • Year 3: $73,916
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $68,678
  • Year 2: $60,452
  • Year 3: $73,907
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $59,465
  • Year 2: $60,790
  • Year 3: $73,844
Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $49,765
  • Year 2: $59,536
  • Year 3: $71,984
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $54,194
  • Year 2: $52,107
  • Year 3: $71,014
Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $51,972
  • Year 2: $57,860
  • Year 3: $70,694
Statistics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $46,652
  • Year 2: $47,650
  • Year 3: $66,826

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.
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