UC Santa Barbara Offers Admissions to More Than 29,000 for Fall 2015

UC Santa Barbara has offered a place in its fall 2015 entering class to a total of 23,074 high school seniors. The prospective UCSB freshmen were selected from a total of 70,474 freshman applicants — the largest applicant pool in UCSB history. The campus expects its fall 2015 entering freshman class to number about 4,380.

The unprecedented academic qualifications and diversity of applicants made fall 2015 admissions the most selective in campus history. With a top 10 ranking, 11 national centers and institutes, and more than 100 research units, UCSB offers unparalleled learning opportunities for undergraduate students. The world-class faculty includes six Nobel laureates, two Academy and Emmy Award winners, and a Millennium Technology Prize recipient.

Of the applicants admitted to UCSB, the average high school GPA is an all-time high of 4.19, and the average total score achieved on the required SAT is 1975 out of a possible 2400. In addition, of all applicants admitted, 24 percent identify themselves as members of a racial or ethnic minority group. (Individual applicants are not identified to the campuses by race or ethnicity until after admission decisions are made.)

Admission to UCSB continues to be competitive. This year, just over 32 percent were offered a place in next fall’s entering class, down from 36 percent last year.

Based on preliminary admissions data, of the 14,801 students seeking to transfer to UC Santa Barbara, 6,571 California community college students have been offered a spot. The number of transfer applications increased this year by 615, or 4.3 percent. All UC undergraduate campuses except Merced saw an increase in transfer applications.

UCSB 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, UCSB 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 Los Angeles and San Jose for high-achieving applicants. At these events, volunteers from the UCSB campus — faculty and staff members, as well as alumni and students — met with applicants and their family members to answer questions about UCSB academic programs, student life, financial aid and other topics. Receptions were also hosted at several locations outside of California.

“The admissions office staff reviewed more than 85,000 applications from highly qualified students so selection was extremely competitive,” said Lisa Przekop, director of admissions at UCSB. “In terms of grade-point-average and test scores, the admitted students are the highest-achieving in UCSB’s history. We look forward to welcoming our new freshman and transfer students to campus in the fall and are confident they will make significant contributions to our community of student scholars.”

The UC system received a record 193,873 applications for fall 2015 — 158,146 from freshman applicants and 35,727 from transfer applicants. All nine undergraduate campuses experienced increases in freshman applicants.

The 2015 freshman enrollment target of 4,380 is slightly lower than last year’s target of 4,550. The smaller target is related to an increased undergraduate retention rate. For the same reason, the 2015 enrollment target for new transfer students remains steady at 1,550.

Of all applicants admitted, 81 percent, or 24,406, are California residents. Among those California students, members of underrepresented minority groups (African-American, American Indian and Chicano and Latino students) totaled 6,737 or 29 percent