University of California, Santa Barbara

UC Santa Barbara is on a 989-acre campus in the suburban setting of Santa Barbara, California.

UC Santa Barbara Student Activities

There are many activities and organizations for UC Santa Barbara students to join – including chorus, theater groups, a campus newspaper, a radio station and more.

Interested in Greek life? UC Santa Barbara has fraternities and sororities.

UC Santa Barbara students' favorite campus events are Extravaganza (spring concert with national acts).

UC Santa Barbara Housing

This table offers information on housing at UC Santa Barbara.

UC Santa Barbara offers housing for students. Students are not required to live on campus. First year students are given priority for on-campus housing.

Most UC Santa Barbara students live off campus. In 2022, 39% of undergrads at UC Santa Barbara lived in some kind of on-campus housing and 61% of students lived off-campus or commuted to UC Santa Barbara. First year students are allowed to park a car on campus.

UC Santa Barbara offers coed housing.

UC Santa Barbara Athletics

At UC Santa Barbara there are a variety of athletic options for students interested in joining a sports program.

Intercollegiate sports are the highest tier of college sports and can be very competitive. Intercollegiate teams are regulated by the NCAA, funded by the university, and compete against teams from other universities. The division of a sports team depends on the size of the university, funding, and competition level. An intercollegiate school team will be Division I, II or III, with Division I being the highest level.

Club sports are not regulated by the NCAA and are a great option for students not interested in trying out for an intercollegiate team. Club sports are usually student run but can also be funded by the university.

Intramural sports are the most casual and informal. Intramural sports are often free and require very little time commitment.

Let's take a look at the athletic options available at UC Santa Barbara:

Is UC Santa Barbara Safe?

College is like a home away from home. Whether you're walking to class or coming back from late-night studying (or partying!), it's important to feel safe on campus.

University of California, Santa Barbara is patroled 24 hours a day by trained security. The UC Santa Barbara campus has emergency telephones or alarms for students to use anytime of day or night. The school also has student security patrols.

UC Santa Barbara offers late-night transportation or safety escorts for students. Dorms can only be accessed with secure key cards so that students can feel confident that they are safe in on-campus housing.

Plan a Visit to UC Santa Barbara

Visiting colleges is one of the best ways to get a sense of the campus and student body. If you'd like to visit UC Santa Barbara, take U.S. Highway 101 to Santa Barbara, CA. If you need to fly, book your flight to Los Angeles International airport.

While you're planning, check out other schools in California you may want to visit too. Click the heart at the top of each school's page to save it to your college list.

Want to visit but can't make the trip? Explore UC Santa Barbara's campus without leaving home by taking a virtual campus tour

Keep Reading About UC Santa Barbara

Choose one of the options below to find out more about about UC Santa Barbara:

Overview

Admissions

Academics

Tuition & Aid

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