The Class of 2022

UC Santa Barbara has offered a place in its fall 2018 entering class to a total of 29,782 high school seniors. The prospective UCSB freshmen were selected from a total of 92,017 freshman applicants –– the largest applicant pool in UCSB history.

In addition, based on preliminary data, of the 17,890 students seeking to transfer to UC Santa Barbara, 10,139 have been offered a spot.

The unprecedented academic qualifications and diversity of applicants made fall 2018 admissions the most selective in campus history. With a top 10 ranking, 11 national centers and institutes, and more than 100 research units, UC Santa Barbara offers unparalleled learning opportunities for undergraduate students. The world-class faculty includes six Nobel laureates, two Academy and Emmy Award winners, and recipients of a Millennium Technology Prize, a National Medal of Technology and Innovation and a Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics.

Of the freshman applicants admitted to UC Santa Barbara, the average high school GPA is an all-time high of 4.28, and the average total score achieved on the required SATR is 1395 out of a possible 1600, with the highest converted SAT and ACT combined. In addition, of all applicants admitted, 31 percent identify themselves as members of a racial or ethnic minority group. (Individual applicants to UC are not identified to the campuses by race or ethnicity until after admission decisions are made.)

Admission to UC Santa Barbara continues to be competitive. This year, 32 percent of applicants were offered a place in next fall’s entering class, down slightly from 32.8 percent last year.

“We are pleased to welcome this talented group of students to UCSB,” said Lisa Przekop, director of admissions. “I am confident they will bring their academic talents and diverse perspectives into the classroom. Based on what we’ve read in their applications, they will also be avid community volunteers, passionate about social issues, and active participants in local and global affairs.”

UC Santa Barbara acceptance letters were sent in mid-March, and applicants were able to check their admission status via a protected website. Freshman applicants accepted by any UC campus had until May 1 to submit a Statement of Intent to Register.

Led by Chancellor Henry T. Yang, UC Santa Barbara officials and faculty and staff members have been working diligently to ensure that the class enrolled this fall is the campus’s most talented and diverse ever. In March, Yang served as the host of well-attended California receptions in Costa Mesa, Los Angeles and San Jose for high-achieving applicants. At these events, volunteers from the UC Santa Barbara campus –– faculty and staff members, as well as alumni and students –– met with applicants and their family members to answer questions about academic programs, student life, financial aid and other topics. Receptions were also hosted at several locations outside of California.

The UC system in total offered admission to some 71,000 incoming California freshmen and more than 24,000 in-state transfer students. The preliminary admissions numbers also show increases in the proportion of Californians from historically underrepresented groups, as well as those from low-income families.

More California undergraduates are currently enrolled at UC than at any point in its history, and after last year’s enrollment jump of some 5,000 California students, the university anticipates it will have far surpassed its goal of adding an additional 10,000 Californians by the 2018-2019 academic year. Estimates are that the total three-year growth will be an additional 15,000 California resident undergraduates.