Quad

Head-to-head

U. California-Santa Barbara
UCLA

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    UCLA's yield is 34 pts higher than U. California-Santa Barbara's

    Yield rate
  2. 2

    UCLA is 3.7× more selective than U. California-Santa Barbara

    Acceptance rate
  3. 3

    UCLA grads earn $7.6K more ten years out than U. California-Santa Barbara's ($82,511 vs. $74,915)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  4. 4

    UCLA graduates 6 pts more of its students than U. California-Santa Barbara (93% vs. 87%)

    Graduation rate
  5. 5

    UCLA is a bit larger (33,475 vs. 23,113)

    Undergrads
  6. 6

    U. California-Santa Barbara has 4 pts more first-gen students than UCLA (42% vs. 38%)

    First-generation students

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Hollow dots at the center mean that measure isn't reported.

Who's hardest to get into

UCLA admits 9.0%, U. California-Santa Barbara 33%; UCLA's yield is higher, at 48%.

Acceptance rate
U. California-Santa Barbara33%
UCLA9.0%
Quad's selectivity
  • U. California-Santa BarbaraVery selective
  • UCLAUltra selective
SAT middle 50%
U. California-Santa BarbaraTest-blind
UCLATest-blind
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • U. California-Santa BarbaraGPA, school record, and prep program required
  • UCLAGPA, school record, and prep program required

Who's on each campus

UCLA is a bit larger than U. California-Santa Barbara (33,475 vs. 23,113 undergrads); both have the same Pell share, 28%.

Undergrads
U. California-Santa Barbara23.1K
UCLA33.5K
Pell Grant share
U. California-Santa Barbara28%
UCLA28%

Majors and faculty

Econometrics and Quantitative Economics leads at both; U. California-Santa Barbara has 17 students per faculty member to UCLA's 20.

Students per faculty member
U. California-Santa Barbara17 to 1
UCLA20 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • U. California-Santa BarbaraEconometrics and Quantitative Economics11%
  • UCLAEconometrics and Quantitative Economics8%

What each costs

UCLA costs about $1.8K less a year than U. California-Santa Barbara on average; grants cover the same share of the price at both, 28%.

Average cost, all students
U. California-Santa Barbara$34K
UCLA$32.2K
Aid generosity
U. California-Santa Barbara28%
UCLA28%

What each pays off

UCLA's former students earn more, a median $82.5K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 80% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
U. California-Santa Barbara$74.9K
UCLA$82.5K
Graduation rate
U. California-Santa Barbara87%
UCLA93%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got more selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • U. California-Santa BarbaraGrowing+65%
  • UCLAGrowing+69%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;University of California-Los Angeles (Fall 2026), Fall 2026About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why