UC Santa Barbara vs University of Massachusetts-Amherst (UMass)

Nestled in the vibrant coastal town of Santa Barbara, California, and the historic Pioneer Valley of Amherst, Massachusetts, the University of California-Santa Barbara (UCSB) and the University of Massachusetts-Amherst (UMass-Amherst) stand as two distinct beacons of higher education. While both institutions share a commitment to academic excellence and student success, they offer unique experiences shaped by their diverse locations, academic strengths, and student demographics. With UCSB boasting a lower acceptance rate, a higher proportion of international students, and a focus on marine science and engineering, and UMass-Amherst offering a wider range of undergraduate majors, a larger student body, and strengths in agriculture and natural resources, prospective students are presented with a compelling choice. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	University of California-Santa Barbara	University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Overview
Location	Santa Barbara, California	Amherst, Massachusetts
Campus setting	Suburb: Midsize	Suburb: Large
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%	91.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	29.2%	65.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $120	Undergraduate: $85 Graduate: $85
SAT range	N/A	1250 - 1460
ACT range	N/A	28 - 33
Students submitting SAT score		26.0%
Students submitting ACT score		5.0%
Total number of applicants	105,641	42,540
Total number of admissions given out	30,824	27,877
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,900	4,872
Yield rate	15.9%	17.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	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: $32,434 Out of state: $52,959
Average net price	$17,333	$17,291
Tuition	In state: $11,442 Out of state: $41,196	In state: $15,791 Out of state: $36,316
Room & board	$16,699	Room/dormitory: $7,611 Meal plan: $5,984
Available payment plans		Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	53.0% Average amount $18,107	86.0% Average amount $10,662
Students receiving federal student loan	11.0% Average amount $4,576	39.0% Average amount $5,123
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $10,788	7.0% Average amount $15,924

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	23,091 Men 43.8% Women 56.2%	24,231 Men 48.8% Women 51.2%
Graduate students	3,033 Men 53.2% Women 46.8%	7,814 Men 47.9% Women 52.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	13.2%	N/A
International students	13.4%	11.1%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	11,031	13,582
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	New York New Jersey Connecticut California New Hampshire

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Biological and Biomedical Sciences Social Sciences Mathematics and Statistics Physical Science	Business Engineering Health Professions Multidisciplinary Studies Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	85.4%	83.7%
Dropout rate	14.0%	5.1%
Transferred out	N/A	10.5%
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	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $112,236 Year 2: $99,741 Year 3: $118,959 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $97,497 Year 2: $97,071 Year 3: $105,578 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $79,216 Year 2: $78,232 Year 3: $95,030 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,683 Year 2: $75,518 Year 3: $94,055 Education, General (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $71,391 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $79,970 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $65,906 Year 2: $67,202 Year 3: $79,007 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,222 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $76,636 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,607 Year 2: $68,647 Year 3: $74,913 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,719 Year 2: $65,594 Year 3: $74,578 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,571 Year 2: $63,646 Year 3: $73,746

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