Address: Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
Physics, Materials, Engineering, Environmental Science, Marine Science, Letters and Science
The University of California, Santa Barbara traces its roots to the Anna Blake School, founded in 1891 to teach home economics and industrial arts. The state took it over in 1909 as the Santa Barbara State Normal School, and it became Santa Barbara State College in 1921. It joined the University of California system in 1944, became a general campus of the University of California in 1958, and was elected to the Association of American Universities in 1995. It is the third-oldest campus of the system, after Berkeley and Los Angeles.
The campus covers 1,127 acres on oceanfront cliffs in Santa Barbara County, on the site of a former Marine Corps air station of the Second World War. It has four parts, the Main or East campus of 708 acres, Storke, West and North campuses. It lies outside the city of Santa Barbara and has a Santa Barbara mailing address.
In the autumn of 2024 the university enrolled 26,133 students, of whom 23,181 were undergraduates and 2,952 postgraduates, and it counted 4,378 academic staff. Undergraduates join the College of Letters and Science, the College of Engineering or the College of Creative Studies, while graduate education includes the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education and the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management.
Research is organised partly in twelve national research centres, among them the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, the NSF Quantum Foundry, the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, the Southern California Earthquake Center and the California NanoSystems Institute. The Institute for Energy Efficiency dates from 2008, and Microsoft Station Q works on topological quantum computing under the Fields medallist Michael Freedman.
The faculty includes the Nobel laureates Shuji Nakamura in Physics in 2014, David Gross in Physics and Finn Kydland in Economics in 2004, Alan Heeger in Chemistry and Herbert Kroemer in Physics in 2000, Walter Kohn in Chemistry in 1998, and Michel Devoret and John Martinis in Physics in 2025. Carol Greider, an alumna, received the 2009 prize in Physiology or Medicine. Tuition differs for residents of California and others. Check the current tariff. Teaching is in English.
Domains taught:
Chemistry, Ecology and Sustainability, Electrical and Electronics, Engineering, Life Sciences, Marine Science, Materials, Mathematics, Physics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
University of California system, Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, NSF Quantum Foundry, National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, Southern California Earthquake Center, California NanoSystems Institute, Microsoft Station Q.
Research:
Physics and quantum science, materials, engineering, ecology and environmental science, earth sciences and the social sciences, with twelve national research centres.
Famous Alumnis:
Carol Greider, Robert Ballard, Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow, Logan Green
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
4400
Current students***:
26100
Foreign students***:
N/A%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Oceanfront campus, strong physics, materials and engineering, several Nobel laureates on the faculty, member of the Association of American Universities.
Cons
Very expensive local housing, competitive admission, modest graduate school size compared with other UC campuses.
Best For
Students seeking a research university with a strong physics, materials and engineering profile on the California coast.
Among national alternatives, Yale University stands out for its focus on chemistry, ecology and sustainability and physics, and it is smaller, enrolling about 15,500 students against roughly 26,100 here, and is private, whereas this university is public.
Also strong in marine science, ecology and sustainability and life sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz makes a sensible second look at home; it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
Indiana University Indianapolis shares the core fields of this institution, namely life sciences and engineering; it covers finance and bioinformatics as well, and is slightly larger, at about 29,390 students against roughly 26,100 here.
George Mason University overlaps with this university on ecology and sustainability, life sciences and engineering, so the two are easy to compare, and it is also a public institution and also offers mba programmes.
Stony Brook University offers a comparable education in marine science, physics and life sciences: it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Looking internationally, Dresden University of Technology in Germany is where chemistry, physics and mathematics get a comparable treatment; it has almost the same size, at about 29,000 students, and is also a public institution.
Looking internationally, Stockholm University in Sweden is where marine science, chemistry and ecology and sustainability get a comparable treatment; it covers astroscience and statistics as well, and is slightly larger, at about 33,000 students against roughly 26,100 here.
University of Western Australia, based in Australia, is built around marine science, chemistry and ecology and sustainability much like this university, and it is also a public institution and also offers graduate certificate and mba programmes.
University of the Basque Country in Spain is the nearest foreign match on chemistry, physics and mathematics; it covers fluid dynamics and software engineering as well, and is larger, enrolling about 44,921 students against roughly 26,100 here.
On content, Qingdao University in China and this institution are close, as both teach marine science, chemistry and materials; it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is UCSB?
On oceanfront cliffs in Santa Barbara County, California.
When was it founded?
It traces its roots to the Anna Blake School of 1891 and joined the University of California in 1944.
When did it become a general campus?
In 1958.
How large is the campus?
1,127 acres, with the Main campus covering 708 acres.
How many students does it have?
In the autumn of 2024 it enrolled 26,133 students, 23,181 undergraduates and 2,952 postgraduates.
Which colleges does it have?
The College of Letters and Science, the College of Engineering and the College of Creative Studies, with graduate schools in education and environmental science.
What is the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics?
One of twelve national research centres hosted at UCSB.
Which Nobel laureates are linked to the faculty?
Among others Shuji Nakamura, David Gross, Finn Kydland, Alan Heeger, Herbert Kroemer, Walter Kohn, Michel Devoret and John Martinis.
Is UCSB a member of the Association of American Universities?
Yes, since 1995.
What does it cost?
Tuition differs for residents of California and others. Check the current tariff.
Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Innovation, Physics, Research and Development
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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