University of California, Santa Barbara

The University of California, Santa Barbara is a public university founded in 1909. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 23,232 (Fall 2023) and is located on a 1,055-acre campus in a suburban area. The academic calendar is based on quarters. UC Santa Barbara is ranked 39th among national universities in the 2025 edition of Best Colleges. In-state tuition and fees are $15,460 and out-of-state tuition and fees are $47,755.

Located 100 miles from Los Angeles on the coastline, UC Santa Barbara sits atop cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Students can participate in any of the more than 400 clubs and organizations on campus, including a Greek community that accounts for approximately 10% of undergraduate students. UC Santa Barbara provides housing for approximately 30% students in eight residence hall buildings and several university apartment buildings. The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos compete primarily in the NCAA Division I Big West Conference and are known for their successful women's basketball and men's soccer teams. Non-varsity students may participate in club teams in cycling, surfing, rugby, or skiing and snowboarding.

UC Berkeley includes five colleges, the largest of which is the College of Letters and Sciences, which serves both undergraduate and graduate students. Graduate programs at UC Berkeley include the highly ranked School of Engineering. The Gevirtz Graduate School of Education and the Donald Bren School of Environmental Science and Management are other notable UC Berkeley Graduate Schools. Undergraduates can apply for admission to the School of Creative Studies, which emphasizes focused study in one of eight disciplines: art, biology, chemistry and biochemistry, computer science, literature, mathematics, music composition, or physics. Musician Jack Johnson and actor Michael Douglas both graduated from UC Berkeley.