UC Santa Barbara vs U of A

Nestled along the sun-kissed shores of California and the vibrant desert landscape of Arizona, the University of California-Santa Barbara (UCSB) and the University of Arizona (UA) stand as two beacons of higher learning, each offering a distinct educational experience. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in several key aspects, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. This side-by-side comparison delves into these differences, providing valuable insights for prospective students seeking the ideal fit for their academic aspirations and personal preferences. Explore the comprehensive table below to discover which university aligns best with your unique goals and aspirations.

	University of Arizona	University of California-Santa Barbara
Overview
Location	Tucson, Arizona	Santa Barbara, California
Campus setting	City: Large	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	84.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	87.3%	29.2%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $85	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $120
SAT range	1120 - 1370	N/A
ACT range	21 - 29	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	13.0%
Students submitting ACT score	19.0%
Total number of applicants	48,065	105,641
Total number of admissions given out	41,946	30,824
Admitted students who chose to enroll	8,436	4,900
Yield rate	20.1%	15.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $30,136 Out of state: $54,658	In state: $35,374 Out of state: $65,128
Average net price	$17,242	$17,333
Tuition	In state: $11,299 Out of state: $35,821	In state: $11,442 Out of state: $41,196
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,400 Meal plan: $5,050	$16,699
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	92.0% Average amount $13,790	53.0% Average amount $18,107
Students receiving federal student loan	24.0% Average amount $4,845	11.0% Average amount $4,576
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $20,814	3.0% Average amount $10,788

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	37,434 Men 44.3% Women 55.7%	23,091 Men 43.8% Women 56.2%
Graduate students	10,840 Men 44.5% Women 55.5%	3,033 Men 53.2% Women 46.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	48.8%	13.2%
International students	6.5%	13.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	7,036	11,031
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Arizona California Washington Illinois Colorado	California Washington Colorado Texas New York

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Engineering Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Engineering Biological and Biomedical Sciences Social Sciences Mathematics and Statistics Physical Science
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	64.3%	85.4%
Dropout rate	14.3%	14.0%
Transferred out	19.6%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Physics (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $88,673 Year 2: $123,527 Year 3: $127,192 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $110,426 Year 2: $117,473 Year 3: $122,962 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $110,630 Year 2: $103,746 Year 3: $104,908 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $100,116 Year 2: $83,388 Year 3: $98,461 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $91,677 Year 2: $92,743 Year 3: $98,271 Chemistry (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $96,308 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $89,806 Year 2: $75,518 Year 3: $89,884 Mining and Mineral Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $76,657 Year 2: $73,035 Year 3: $87,557 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,627 Year 2: $79,199 Year 3: $86,387 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $77,284 Year 2: $74,953 Year 3: $83,742	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

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