Santa Barbara, California Colleges: Costs & Earnings (2026 stats)
Executive Summary (TL;DR)
Colleges in Santa Barbara, California: median public in-state tuition $16,989 (+198.1% vs national median) median 10-year earnings $76,448 (+28.7% vs U.S.) employment-outcome proxy 94.0% working & not enrolled at 8 years median graduate debt $16,804 (+24.5% vs U.S.) 34,359 students enrolled statewide.
Overview
Colleges and universities in Santa Barbara serve students across California with associate, bachelor's, and graduate pathways. 6 reporting campuses in this city profile, with about 34,359 students enrolled in federal data, and median in-state tuition near $16,989. Tables below compare costs, completion, earnings, and standout institutions against Santa Barbara, 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 | $16,989 | $16,807 | $16,804 | 75.7% | 34,359 |
| California (state median) | $1,334 | $7,373 | $11,888 | 57.0% | 2,131,219 |
| United States | $5,700 | $9,912 | $13,500 | 49.3% | 14,465,291 |
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 | $76,448 | 94.0% | 89.0% | 3.4% | — | 82.8% | 0.22 |
| California (state median) | $72,184 | 92.4% | 83.9% | 3.8% | — | 74.5% | 0.26 |
| United States | $59,401 | 93.0% | 76.4% | 5.0% | — | 73.8% | 0.36 |
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 | $16,989 | $16,807 | $16,804 | 75.7% | 34,359 | $76,448 | 94.0% |
| Los Angeles | $19,196 | $26,276 | $19,151 | 70.2% | 120,534 | $78,572 | 92.3% |
| San Diego | $14,032 | $26,450 | $13,677 | 53.1% | 95,661 | $73,741 | 93.6% |
| Sacramento | $1,288 | $20,089 | $11,462 | 46.9% | 94,048 | $69,014 | 92.6% |
| Long Beach | $4,949 | $26,539 | $12,000 | 70.3% | 60,761 | $69,554 | 92.8% |
| Fullerton | $5,831 | $4,132 | $13,594 | 53.2% | 56,299 | $60,134 | 92.1% |
| Fresno | $8,224 | $21,108 | $11,411 | 53.1% | 54,532 | $64,448 | 92.7% |
| Riverside | $16,103 | $24,129 | $12,125 | 55.9% | 53,903 | $67,633 | 91.9% |
| Pasadena | $27,670 | $27,036 | $9,500 | 41.4% | 49,021 | $64,912 | 91.1% |
| United States | $5,700 | $9,912 | $13,500 | 49.3% | 14,465,291 | $59,401 | 93.0% |
Top 2 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, 83.6%, University of California-Santa Barbara
University of California-Santa Barbara
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Rank 2, Graduation Rate, 67.9%, Westmont College
Westmont College
Top 2 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, 95.0%, Westmont College
Westmont College
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Rank 2, Employment Outcome, 93.1%, University of California-Santa Barbara
University of California-Santa Barbara
Top 2 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 2 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, $121,223, University of California-Santa Barbara
University of California-Santa Barbara
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Rank 2, Entry-Level Earnings, $55,091, Westmont College
Westmont College
Top 2 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 2 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, $61,127, University of California-Santa Barbara
University of California-Santa Barbara
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Rank 2, Mid-Career Earnings, $53,690, Westmont College
Westmont College
Top 2 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, $72,394, University of California-Santa Barbara
University of California-Santa Barbara
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Rank 2, 8-Yr Earnings, $64,218, Westmont College
Westmont College
Top 2 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, $82,568, University of California-Santa Barbara
University of California-Santa Barbara
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Rank 2, 10-Yr Earnings, $70,327, Westmont College
Westmont College
Top 2 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, $276,296, University of California-Santa Barbara
University of California-Santa Barbara
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Rank 2, 10-Yr ROI, $167,746, Westmont College
Westmont College
Top 2 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, $16,807, University of California-Santa Barbara
University of California-Santa Barbara
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Rank 2, Net Price, $29,343, Westmont College
Westmont College
Top 2 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 $16,989, +198.1% vs the U.S. median.
Student debt: Santa Barbara, California vs benchmarks
Borrowing
Median debt at graduation in Santa Barbara, California is $16,804 (+24.5% vs U.S. median $13,500). Regional median: $11,888.
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 $76,448 (+28.7% 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 94.0% at the median Santa Barbara, California campus (+1.0 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 $16,989, about +198.1% vs the national median. Versus the Far West region, tuition is +417.3%.
Median graduate debt is $16,804 (+24.5% above the U.S. median of $13,500). 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 $76,448, about +28.7% vs the U.S. campus median ($59,401).
The median campus reports 94.0% of its 8-year cohort as working and not enrolled—our closest federal proxy to a placement rate. The U.S. campus median is 93.0% (+1.0 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 76.4%—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. 73.8%). 3-yr default is omitted when most campuses report suppressed zeros.
Top employment-outcome campuses in this extract include Westmont College (95.0%), University of California-Santa Barbara (93.1%)—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 75.7% (national institution average about 49.3%).
Frequently Asked Questions
How many colleges are in Santa Barbara?
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?
Median in-state tuition in Santa Barbara is $16,989 and median net price is $16,807. For California overall, medians are $1,334 and $7,373; U.S. medians are $5,700 and $9,912.
What do graduates earn in Santa Barbara?
Median 10-year earnings for campuses in Santa Barbara is $76,448 vs $72,184 for California and $59,401 nationally.
What is student debt like for Santa Barbara colleges?
Median completer debt in Santa Barbara is $16,804 vs $11,888 for California and $13,500 nationally.
What are the best colleges in Santa Barbara?
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?
Among 6 campuses in Santa Barbara, California, 3 campuses report at least 25% Hispanic undergraduate enrollment in U.S. Department of Education data; 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