UC Santa Barbara vs CU-Boulder

Nestled along the sun-kissed shores of California and amidst the majestic Rocky Mountains of Colorado lie two prestigious universities, each offering a distinct educational experience. The University of California-Santa Barbara (UCSB) and the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) stand out for their academic excellence, vibrant student life, and stunning natural surroundings. While both universities share a commitment to providing a top-notch education, they differ in several key aspects, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations, personal preferences, and future goals.

	University of California-Santa Barbara	University of Colorado Boulder
Overview
Location	Santa Barbara, California	Boulder, Colorado
Campus setting	Suburb: Midsize	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Quarter	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	91.0%	87.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	29.2%	79.6%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $120	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $60
SAT range	N/A	1170 - 1390
ACT range	N/A	25 - 31
Students submitting SAT score		32.0%
Students submitting ACT score		16.0%
Total number of applicants	105,641	54,756
Total number of admissions given out	30,824	43,576
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,900	6,785
Yield rate	15.9%	15.6%
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)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $35,374 Out of state: $65,128	In state: $29,725 Out of state: $55,543
Average net price	$17,333	$22,532
Tuition	In state: $11,442 Out of state: $41,196	In state: $10,728 Out of state: $36,546
Room & board	$16,699	$15,220
Available payment plans		Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	53.0% Average amount $18,107	53.0% Average amount $9,214
Students receiving federal student loan	11.0% Average amount $4,576	27.0% Average amount $4,986
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $10,788	6.0% Average amount $24,094

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	23,091 Men 43.8% Women 56.2%	30,886 Men 54.8% Women 45.2%
Graduate students	3,033 Men 53.2% Women 46.8%	8,114 Men 57.8% Women 42.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	13.2%	48.8%
International students	13.4%	7.1%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Midsize	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	11,031	7,500
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Washington Colorado Texas New York	Colorado California Texas Illinois New York

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Biological and Biomedical Sciences Social Sciences Mathematics and Statistics Physical Science	Business Engineering Communication and Journalism Visual & Performing Arts Legal Profession
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	85.4%	74.0%
Dropout rate	14.0%	8.6%
Transferred out	N/A	15.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Engineering, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $105,752 Year 2: $116,679 Year 3: $121,033 Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $97,071 Year 3: $118,373 Computer Science (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $93,907 Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $108,458 Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $85,254 Year 2: $89,641 Year 3: $97,860 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $76,200 Year 2: $75,706 Year 3: $92,272 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $87,191 Year 2: $80,503 Year 3: $87,258 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,023 Year 2: $75,204 Year 3: $86,676 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,804 Year 2: $75,921 Year 3: $85,563 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $75,633 Year 2: $83,177 Year 3: $85,039 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,440 Year 2: $71,957 Year 3: $83,132

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