Santa Barbara, California Colleges: Costs & Earnings (2026 stats)
TL;DR
EDsmart Data analysis of 2024 College Scorecard data for Santa Barbara, California shows: median public in-state tuition $16,414 (+197.8% vs national median) median 10-year earnings $69,846 (+28.6% vs U.S.) employment-outcome proxy 92.5% working & not enrolled at 8 years median graduate debt $18,622 (+38.6% vs U.S.) 34,359 students enrolled statewide.
Key Facts
- Institutions in this profile: 6 campuses
- Total college enrollment: 34,359 students
- Median public in-state tuition: $16,414 (+197.8% vs U.S.)
- Median earnings 10 years after entry: $69,846 (+28.6% vs U.S.)
- Working & not enrolled (8-yr cohort proxy): 92.5% (+4.6 pp vs U.S.)
- Median net price: $16,109 (+61.6% vs U.S.)
- Median student debt at graduation: $18,622 (+38.6% vs U.S. $13,432); regional median $11,750
- Average completion rate (institutions in state): 76.7%
- Median first-year retention (full-time, 4-yr): 89.0%
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Overview
EDsmart Data summarizes higher-education outcomes for campuses in Santa Barbara, California—costs, debt, enrollment, completion, earnings, and standout institutions—against California and U.S. medians from the College Scorecard.
Santa Barbara vs California & national benchmarks
Medians aggregate institution-level College Scorecard fields unless noted. Enrollment is total undergraduate headcount summed across reporting campuses.
| Geography | In-state tuition | Net price | Median debt | Completion rate | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Barbara, California | $16,414 | $16,109 | $18,622 | 76.7% | 34,359 |
| California (state median) | $1,350 | $8,343 | $11,400 | 58.5% | 2,158,168 |
| United States | $5,512 | $9,967 | $13,432 | 50.3% | 14,484,370 |
Earnings & employment outcomes: Santa Barbara, California vs benchmarks
Scorecard does not publish formal job-placement rates. We use the share of the 8-year cohort reported as working and not enrolled (working ÷ working + not working) as a federal employment-outcome proxy. 2-yr and 3-yr default rates are federal cohort default shares (0–1 scale). We show 2-yr default as the primary benchmark; 3-yr default appears only when enough campuses report non-suppressed values (otherwise —). 3-yr repayment progress is the share of completers making progress on loans after 3 years. Sample: bachelor's-predominant institutions with enrollment ≥ 200. Medians pool campus-level values.
| Geography | Median earnings (10 yr) | Working & not enrolled (8 yr) | Retention (FT yr 1) | 2-yr default | 3-yr default | 3-yr repayment progress | Debt ÷ earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Barbara, California | $69,846 | 92.5% | 89.0% | 3.4% | — | 82.8% | 0.27 |
| California (state median) | $65,986 | 90.1% | 84.0% | 3.9% | — | 74.5% | 0.28 |
| United States | $54,323 | 87.9% | 76.3% | 5.0% | — | 73.7% | 0.41 |
Other cities in California (3+ campuses)
Other cities in the same state with at least three reporting campuses.
| City | In-state tuition | Net price | Median debt | Completion | Enrollment | Earnings (10 yr) | Working (8 yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Barbara, California | $16,414 | $16,109 | $18,622 | 76.7% | 34,359 | $69,846 | 92.5% |
| Los Angeles | $19,040 | $21,911 | $17,436 | 71.4% | 121,181 | $74,165 | 87.7% |
| San Diego | $12,442 | $24,300 | $15,000 | 61.9% | 115,966 | $64,909 | 87.8% |
| Sacramento | $1,288 | $20,520 | $10,600 | 50.8% | 94,048 | $64,876 | 91.3% |
| Long Beach | $4,453 | $14,158 | $11,812 | 68.9% | 60,761 | $64,403 | 91.1% |
| Fullerton | $5,420 | $6,555 | $13,750 | 70.2% | 56,299 | $56,324 | 89.2% |
| Fresno | $7,350 | $20,190 | $10,674 | 53.5% | 54,532 | $60,070 | 91.2% |
| Riverside | $15,606 | $21,765 | $11,884 | 60.8% | 53,903 | $61,824 | 90.9% |
| Pasadena | $31,530 | $25,065 | $13,194 | 37.4% | 49,021 | $62,222 | 84.6% |
| United States | $5,512 | $9,967 | $13,432 | 50.3% | 14,484,370 | $54,323 | 87.9% |
Top 10 colleges in Santa Barbara, California by graduation rate (150% time)
Ranked by 150% time completion rate (4-year bachelor's-predominant institutions, enrollment ≥ 500). Higher rate = more students finishing within 150% of normal time.
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Rank 1, Graduation Rate, 83.0%, University of California-Santa Barbara
University of California-Santa Barbara
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Rank 2, Graduation Rate, 70.3%, Westmont College
Westmont College
Top 10 colleges in Santa Barbara, California by employment outcome (8 yrs after entry, working & not enrolled)
Ranked by share of the 8-year cohort reported as working and not enrolled — a federal outcome proxy, not a verified job-placement rate. Enrollment ≥ 500.
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Rank 1, Employment Outcome, 94.2%, Westmont College
Westmont College
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Rank 2, Employment Outcome, 90.9%, University of California-Santa Barbara
University of California-Santa Barbara
Top 10 most selective colleges in Santa Barbara, California (lowest admission rate)
Ranked by lowest admission rate (most selective first). Bachelor's-predominant four-year institutions with enrollment ≥ 500 and a reported admission rate.
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Rank 1, Admission Rate, 33.0%, University of California-Santa Barbara
University of California-Santa Barbara
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Rank 2, Admission Rate, 77.0%, Westmont College
Westmont College
Top 10 colleges in Santa Barbara, California by entry-level earnings (1 yr post-completion, program)
Ranked by median program-level earnings one year after completion (highest first). Enrollment ≥ 300; reflects completers in reported CIP programs, not all entrants.
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Rank 1, Entry-Level Earnings, $107,776, University of California-Santa Barbara
University of California-Santa Barbara
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Rank 2, Entry-Level Earnings, $83,026, Westmont College
Westmont College
Top 10 colleges in Santa Barbara, California by early-career earnings (4 yr post-completion, program)
Ranked by median program-level earnings four years after completion (highest first). Enrollment ≥ 300; program cohort, not institution-wide median.
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Rank 1, Early-Career Earnings, $149,190, University of California-Santa Barbara
University of California-Santa Barbara
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Rank 2, Early-Career Earnings, $84,815, Westmont College
Westmont College
Top 10 colleges in Santa Barbara, California by mid-career earnings (6 yrs after entry)
Ranked by median earnings six years after entry (highest first). Bachelor's-predominant institutions with enrollment ≥ 500.
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Rank 1, Mid-Career Earnings, $56,852, University of California-Santa Barbara
University of California-Santa Barbara
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Rank 2, Mid-Career Earnings, $53,737, Westmont College
Westmont College
Top 10 colleges in Santa Barbara, California by 8-year earnings (8 yrs after entry)
Ranked by median earnings eight years after entry (highest first). Bachelor's-predominant institutions with enrollment ≥ 500.
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Rank 1, 8-Yr Earnings, $68,092, University of California-Santa Barbara
University of California-Santa Barbara
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Rank 2, 8-Yr Earnings, $58,802, Westmont College
Westmont College
Top 10 colleges in Santa Barbara, California by long-term earnings (10 yrs after entry)
Ranked by median earnings ten years after entry (highest first). Bachelor's-predominant institutions with enrollment ≥ 500.
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Rank 1, 10-Yr Earnings, $74,915, University of California-Santa Barbara
University of California-Santa Barbara
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Rank 2, 10-Yr Earnings, $64,778, Westmont College
Westmont College
Top 10 colleges in Santa Barbara, California by 10-year ROI
Ranked by 10-year return on investment (highest first). Bachelor's-predominant institutions with enrollment ≥ 200 and a computed ROI in the EDsmart dataset.
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Rank 1, 10-Yr ROI, $264,710, University of California-Santa Barbara
University of California-Santa Barbara
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Rank 2, 10-Yr ROI, $130,746, Westmont College
Westmont College
Top 10 most affordable colleges in Santa Barbara, California (net price)
Ranked by lowest average net price (most affordable first). Uses overall net price, or mid-income bracket net price for public schools when available. Enrollment ≥ 300.
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Rank 1, Net Price, $16,109, University of California-Santa Barbara
University of California-Santa Barbara
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Rank 2, Net Price, $29,053, Westmont College
Westmont College
Top 10 colleges in Santa Barbara, California by first-year retention (full-time)
Ranked by first-year, full-time retention rate (highest first). Bachelor's-predominant four-year institutions with enrollment ≥ 500.
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Rank 1, First-Year Retention, 93.0%, University of California-Santa Barbara
University of California-Santa Barbara
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Rank 2, First-Year Retention, 85.0%, Westmont College
Westmont College
In-state tuition: Santa Barbara, California vs benchmarks
Sticker price
Santa Barbara, California median in-state tuition is $16,414, +197.8% vs the U.S. median.
Student debt: Santa Barbara, California vs benchmarks
Borrowing
Median debt at graduation in Santa Barbara, California is $18,622 (+38.6% vs U.S. median $13,432). Regional median: $11,750.
Median earnings (10 years out): Santa Barbara, California vs benchmarks
Payoff
Median earnings 10 years after entry for bachelor's-predominant campuses in Santa Barbara, California center around $69,846 (+28.6% vs U.S.).
Median institution-level 10-year earnings. Source: College Scorecard.
Employment outcome proxy: Santa Barbara, California vs benchmarks
Working & not enrolled
The share of the 8-year cohort reported as working and not enrolled—our Scorecard employment proxy—is 92.5% at the median Santa Barbara, California campus (+4.6 pp vs U.S.).
Percent of 8-year cohort working and not enrolled (not a formal placement rate).
Analysis & insights
EDsmart Data aggregates institution-level College Scorecard data for this profile. Highlights below compare local medians to U.S. and regional benchmarks.
Costs & borrowing
Santa Barbara, California median public in-state tuition is $16,414, about +197.8% vs the national median. Versus the Far West region, tuition is +399.8%.
Median graduate debt is $18,622 (+38.6% above the U.S. median of $13,432). Low sticker prices do not always mean low borrowing—living costs, time-to-degree, and aid mix matter.
Earnings, employment & retention
Among bachelor's-predominant campuses with ≥200 students, median 10-year earnings in Santa Barbara, California are $69,846, about +28.6% vs the U.S. campus median ($54,323).
The median campus reports 92.5% of its 8-year cohort as working and not enrolled—our closest federal proxy to a placement rate. The U.S. campus median is 87.9% (+4.6 pp). Formal job-placement statistics are not published in Scorecard; treat this as a comparative outcome indicator, not a hire guarantee.
First-year, full-time retention at the median campus is 89.0% vs a U.S. median of 76.3%—a leading indicator for completion and time-to-degree.
Loan repayment indicators at the median campus: 2-yr default 3.4% (U.S. 5.0%); 3-yr repayment progress 82.8% (U.S. 73.7%). 3-yr default is omitted when most campuses report suppressed zeros.
Top employment-outcome campuses in this extract include Westmont College (94.2%), University of California-Santa Barbara (90.9%)—useful anchors for local reporting on where graduates are most often working rather than still enrolled.
Completion & workforce context
Average institution-level completion rate across all sectors in Santa Barbara, California is 76.7% (national institution average about 50.3%).
FAQ
How many colleges are in Santa Barbara?
EDsmart Data analysis: this city profile covers 6 campuses in Santa Barbara, California with College Scorecard cost or outcomes data.
How much does college cost in Santa Barbara?
EDsmart Data analysis: median in-state tuition in Santa Barbara is $16,414 and median net price is $16,109. For California overall, medians are $1,350 and $8,343; U.S. medians are $5,512 and $9,967.
What do graduates earn in Santa Barbara?
EDsmart Data analysis: median 10-year earnings for campuses in Santa Barbara is $69,846 vs $65,986 for California and $54,323 nationally.
What is student debt like for Santa Barbara colleges?
EDsmart Data analysis: median completer debt in Santa Barbara is $18,622 vs $11,400 for California and $13,432 nationally.
What are the best colleges in Santa Barbara?
EDsmart Data analysis: top campuses on this page include University of California-Santa Barbara (graduation) and University of California-Santa Barbara (10-yr earnings). See Top 10 lists for admission, affordability, and employment metrics.
Are there HBCUs, Hispanic-serving, tribal, or religious colleges in Santa Barbara?
EDsmart Data analysis: among 6 campuses in Santa Barbara, California, 3 campuses with at least 25% Hispanic enrollment in College Scorecard demographics—a common Hispanic-serving institution (HSI) eligibility proxy; examples include University of California-Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara City College, and Antioch University-Santa Barbara; 1 religiously affiliated private nonprofit campus (IPEDS RELAFFIL); most common affiliations: Non-Denominational (1).
Sources & related
- California college profile
- All college profiles
- National benchmarks
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard
- Download: JSON