UC Santa Barbara vs University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (UMich)

Envision yourself immersed in the vibrant college towns of Santa Barbara, California, and Ann Arbor, Michigan, home to two esteemed institutions of higher learning: University of California-Santa Barbara (UCSB) and University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (UMich). While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence, they offer distinct experiences shaped by their unique locations, student demographics, and academic strengths. UCSB boasts a higher acceptance rate, a more diverse student body, and a focus on undergraduate teaching, while UMich stands out with its world-renowned research programs, a larger graduate student population, and a wider range of academic offerings. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into the details and discover which university aligns best with your aspirations and goals.

	University of California-Santa Barbara	University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Overview
Location	Santa Barbara, California	Ann Arbor, Michigan
Campus setting	Suburb: Midsize	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Quarter	Trimester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	91.0%	97.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	29.2%	20.2%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $120	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $75
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	105,641	79,743
Total number of admissions given out	30,824	16,071
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,900	7,290
Yield rate	15.9%	45.4%
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: $32,272 Out of state: $69,326
Average net price	$17,333	$19,205
Tuition	In state: $11,442 Out of state: $41,196	In state: $15,850 Out of state: $52,904
Room & board	$16,699	$12,592
Available payment plans		Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	53.0% Average amount $18,107	59.0% Average amount $16,326
Students receiving federal student loan	11.0% Average amount $4,576	24.0% Average amount $5,311
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $10,788	3.0% Average amount $21,796

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	23,091 Men 43.8% Women 56.2%	32,282 Men 48.8% Women 51.2%
Graduate students	3,033 Men 53.2% Women 46.8%	17,996 Men 49.4% Women 50.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	13.2%	N/A
International students	13.4%	15.7%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Midsize	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	11,031	11,629
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	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Biological and Biomedical Sciences Social Sciences Mathematics and Statistics Physical Science	Engineering Health Professions Business Public Administration and Social Service Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	85.4%	93.7%
Dropout rate	14.0%	5.7%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
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	Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $185,139 Year 2: $178,741 Year 3: $197,723 Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $209,842 Year 2: $168,125 Year 3: $177,935 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $146,285 Year 2: $139,927 Year 3: $151,208 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $139,794 Year 2: $140,166 Year 3: $148,785 Dentistry (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $118,208 Year 2: $112,215 Year 3: $137,273 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $78,398 Year 2: $97,071 Year 3: $123,926 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $100,643 Year 2: $94,281 Year 3: $117,745 Systems Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $102,847 Year 2: $116,354 Year 3: $116,465 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $96,171 Year 2: $99,772 Year 3: $107,831 Engineering, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $91,194 Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $101,999

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