UCSD and UCSB Research Summary

ucsd_ucsb.md

UCSD and UCSB Research Summary

University of California San Diego (UCSD)

Admissions (Fall 2025 / Class of 2029)

• Total applicants: 136,740 freshman applications
• Acceptance rate: 28.4% overall
• No early rounds: UC system has no ED/EA
• Testing policy: Test-blind (entire UC system since 2021; SAT/ACT not considered even if submitted)
• Yield rate: ~20%
• Enrolled freshman class: ~7,330

Academics

• Weighted GPA middle 50%: 4.11-4.28
• Unweighted GPA average: ~3.90 (admitted students)
• Historical SAT middle 50% (pre-test-blind): 1280-1460
• Historical ACT middle 50% (pre-test-blind): 26-33
• Top 10% of class: 100% of enrolled freshmen

Demographics (2024-2025)

• Asian: 30% (largest group)
• White: 21%
• Hispanic/Latino: 19%
• International: 21%
• Multiracial: 5%
• Black: 2%
• Women: 49%

Net Cost by Income (in-state freshmen with Title IV aid)

Athletics

• NCAA Division I (Big West Conference) -- recent transition from Division II
• 23 varsity sports (most in Big West)
• 589 total student-athletes (~1.7% of undergrad enrollment)

Notable

• Located in La Jolla, CA (coastal San Diego)
• Among top-ranked public universities nationally
• Particularly strong in biological sciences, engineering, CS, oceanography
• 136K+ applications make it one of the most-applied-to universities in the US

University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB)

Admissions (Fall 2025 / Class of 2029)

• Total applicants: 110,178 freshman applications
• Acceptance rate: ~28% overall (some sources report 38% for Class of 2029; using more conservative recent figures)
• No early rounds: UC system has no ED/EA
• Testing policy: Test-blind (entire UC system)
• Yield rate: ~14%
• Enrolled freshman class: ~5,008

Academics

• Weighted GPA middle 50%: 4.10-4.29
• Unweighted GPA average: ~3.87 (admitted students)
• Historical SAT middle 50% (pre-test-blind): 1230-1440
• Historical ACT middle 50% (pre-test-blind): 26-33
• Top 10% of class: ~100% (90% had 4.0+ GPA in Class of 2028)

Demographics (2024-2025)

• White: 32%
• Hispanic/Latino: 25% (Hispanic-Serving Institution)
• Asian: 18%
• International: 12%
• Multiracial: 9%
• Black: 2%
• Women: 57%

Net Cost by Income (in-state freshmen with Title IV aid)

Athletics

• NCAA Division I (Big West Conference)
• 19 varsity sports
• 561 total student-athletes (~2.4% of undergrad enrollment)

Notable

• Located directly on the coast in Santa Barbara, CA
• Designated Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) with 25%+ Hispanic enrollment
• Strong in physics, materials science, engineering, and marine biology
• 6 Nobel laureates on faculty (notably in physics/chemistry)
• Lower yield rate (14%) compared to other top UCs

Key Simulation Notes

1. Test-blind: Both schools (and all UCs) are test-blind through at least 2026. SAT/ACT scores in JSON are historical reference values for simulation calibration purposes only.
2. No early rounds: UC system uses a single November application deadline with decisions in March. No ED/EA rounds.
3. Category: Both classified as public_elite -- highly selective public universities with massive applicant pools.
4. UCSB acceptance rate discrepancy: Sources vary between 28-38% depending on methodology. The 28% figure is from more recent/selective counts; 38% includes broader admit categories. Using 28% for simulation consistency.
5. Net costs: Both are very affordable for low-income students (~$9-10K) due to UC's strong financial aid, with costs scaling significantly for higher incomes.

Sources

• UC admissions office websites (admissions.ucsd.edu, admissions.ucsb.edu)
• College Factual demographic and net price data
• College Transitions admissions analysis
• UCSD Institutional Research (ir.ucsd.edu)
• UCSB Office of Budget & Planning (bap.ucsb.edu)
• NCAA athletics databases