University of California, Santa Barbara GPA requirements & acceptance rate
Average GPA, acceptance rate and SAT/ACT ranges for University of California, Santa Barbara, all from its own Common Data Set 2025-26, plus a quick estimate of your chances.
What are my chances at University of California, Santa Barbara?
Enter your unweighted GPA to see an estimate.
What GPA do you need to get into University of California, Santa Barbara?
University of California, Santa Barbara’s own Common Data Set (2025-26, item C12) reports an average high school GPA of 4.29 for its enrolled first-year students (97.07% of them submitted one). A figure above 4.0 cannot be an unweighted 4.0-scale average, so compare it with your weighted GPA, not your unweighted one. Source: University of California, Santa Barbara Common Data Set 2025-26, item C12.
University of California, Santa Barbara acceptance rate
University of California, Santa Barbara’s Common Data Set 2025-26 (item C1) reports 110,187 first-time, first-year applicants for fall 2025 and 42,093 admitted, an acceptance rate of 38%. That makes University of California, Santa Barbara selective — competitive. GPA is only one piece: University of California, Santa Barbara also weighs the rigor of your courses, essays, recommendations and activities, and test scores where it considers them.
University of California, Santa Barbara SAT and ACT scores
University of California, Santa Barbara’s Common Data Set 2025-26 does not report SAT or ACT composite percentiles (item C9 is blank), so no score range is shown here. Check University of California, Santa Barbara’s admissions website for its current testing policy.
University of California, Santa Barbara admissions at a glance
| First-year applicants (fall 2025) | 110,187 |
| Admitted | 42,093 |
| Acceptance rate | 38% |
| Average high school GPA | 4.29 |
| Submitted a GPA | 97.07% |
| SAT composite, 25th–75th | Not reported |
| ACT composite, 25th–75th | Not reported |
| Common Data Set year | 2025-26 |
Source: University of California, Santa Barbara Common Data Set 2025-26 · University of California, Santa Barbara’s Common Data Set page, items C1 (applicants and admits), C9 (SAT/ACT) and C12 (GPA), read October 2026. Every figure on this page comes from the college’s own Common Data Set; none is from a third-party website.
Estimate your odds
The estimator above starts from University of California, Santa Barbara’s acceptance rate and moves it up or down with your GPA. It is a rough guide, not a prediction: it does not see your essays, course rigor or major. To plan the grades you need, try the college GPA calculator and the target GPA planner.
How to strengthen your application
Beyond the GPA range, focus on what you can still move: take the most challenging courses your school offers, keep your grades trending upward, prepare for the SAT or ACT if University of California, Santa Barbara considers them, and write essays that show genuine fit.