UCSD and UCSB Research Summary

Source: 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)

Income Bracket	Net Price
$0-$30,000	$9,280
$30,001-$48,000	$9,974
$48,001-$75,000	$14,071
$75,001-$110,000	$20,205
Over $110,000	$28,058

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)

Income Bracket	Net Price
$0-$30,000	$10,316
$30,001-$48,000	$11,895
$48,001-$75,000	$15,343
$75,001-$110,000	$22,226
Over $110,000	$31,226

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

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.
No early rounds: UC system uses a single November application deadline with decisions in March. No ED/EA rounds.
Category: Both classified as public_elite -- highly selective public universities with massive applicant pools.
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.
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