At UC Santa Barbara, we span disciplines and transcend labels. Our ambitions aim far, and our impact reaches wide. Spin through these select highlights and see just what makes UCSB such a compelling place to live, work, and learn.
A Top-Ranked
U.S. Public University
UC Santa Barbara has been ranked as a top U.S. public university by multiple notable outlets: No. 11 by Times Higher Education in its 2027 World University Rankings; No. 12 by Forbes Magazine in its American’s Top Colleges list; and No. 14 by U.S. News & World Report in its 2027 Best Colleges listing.
#1
for Scientific Impact
in Engineering and the Physical Sciences
UC Santa Barbara ranks first among U.S. public universities, third among all U.S. institutions, and seventh worldwide for scientific impact in engineering and the physical sciences, according to the 2025 Leiden Rankings (Open Edition) released by the Centre for Science and Technology Studies at Leiden University in the Netherlands. These results mark the fifteenth consecutive year that UCSB has placed among the top two public universities nationally for scientific impact.
8
Nobel Laureates
Eight UC Santa Barbara faculty members have won Nobel Prizes for landmark research in physics, chemistry and economics. An alumna of our College of Creative Studies won the 2009 Nobel in Physiology or Medicine.
10
National Centers
and Institutes
Among them are the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics and the AI Institute for Agent-based Cyber Threat Intelligence and Operation, both funded by the National Science Foundation, and the U.S. Army-funded Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies.
Member of the Prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU)
UC Santa Barbara is one of only 71 research-intensive institutions in the U.S. and Canada elected to membership in the Association of American Universities, cementing its status as a higher-education leader.
Recipient of the All-Sports Trophy
UC Santa Barbara Athletics received the 2024-25 Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association All-Sports award for best all-around Division-I athletics program that does not sponsor football.
Committed to Diversity and Providing Opportunities for All Students
UC Santa Barbara was the first university among the prestigious Association of American Universities to be designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) — a recognition by the Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities for colleges with at least 25% Latiné undergraduate enrollment. Our campus is also designated as an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI) from the U.S. Department of Education.
59
American Academy of Arts and Sciences Members
59 UC Santa Barbara faculty members have been named fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation’s top honorary societies that includes winners of Nobel and Pulitzer Prizes, Oscars, Emmys and more.
#20
for Best Career Placement Among Public Schools
In Princeton Review's 2027 Best Value Colleges rankings, UC Santa Barbara placed No. 120 among public schools for best career placement. The rankings are based on student ratings of career services at their school, as well as on PayScale.com’s salary information for alumni.
A Top University for Alumni Entrepreneurs
Our university was ranked in Pitchbook’s 2026 top 100 universities for having the most alumni startup founders who have raised venture capital in the last decade.
Located in One of the Most Beautiful College Towns in the U.S.
Santa Barbara is consistently referenced as one of the nation’s most beautiful college towns, more recently as No. 4 in House Beautiful’s Beautiful College Towns Across the U.S. listing.
34
National Academy of Engineering Members
Election to the National Academy of Engineering is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. The honor has been so accorded to 34 UCSB faculty members.
100+
Researchers Advancing Energy Efficiency
The interdisciplinary Institute for Energy Efficiency brings together more than 80 top campus faculty, scientists, engineers and researchers with related expertise to develop cutting-edge energy-saving technologies.
At the Forefront of Scholarship in the Humanities and Fine Arts
From the Center for Digital Games Research to the English Broadside Ballad Archive, UC Santa Barbara boasts more than 20 dedicated research centers and academic initiatives in the humanities and fine arts, four celebrated performance programs in theater and dance and 25 accomplished musical groups, ensembles and choirs.
Voted Best Place to Work for 9 Years Running
UC Santa Barbara has been named the county's Best Place to Work in the Santa Barbara Independent’s annual readers poll for 9 consecutive years.
200+
Majors, Degrees & Credentials
From hard sciences to studio art and all points in between, your educational opportunities abound at UCSB. We offer more than 200 majors, degrees and credentials, a number that includes 90+ undergraduate majors and more than 50 graduate programs.
80+
AAAS Fellows
Our faculty members are routinely elected as members of the globe’s most prestigious academic organizations. Case in point: More than 80 current or former UCSB faculty are elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for their advancement of science or its applications.
90+
Companies Started With UCSB Technologies
The largest employer in the county, UC Santa Barbara is a primary engine of economic activity on the South Coast. Some 60 local companies, and 90+ in total, have been established based on technology developed or discovered at UCSB. On average, four to six new companies based on our research are formed every year. Companies on four continents are currently using UCSB-developed technologies.
21st
Century Technological Leader
UC Santa Barbara is home to the nation's first ever National Science Foundation Quantum Foundry, a center for development of materials and devices for quantum information-based technologies, established in 2019 with an initial grant of $25 million. The campus is also home to the California NanoSystems Institute, one of the first California Institutes for Science and Innovation. A research partnership with UCLA, the institute is creating revolutionary new materials, devices and systems that will enhance virtually every aspect of our lives.
Driving Breakthroughs in Solid State Lighting
Led by Nobel Prize winner Shuji Nakamura, UC Santa Barbara researchers achieved a major breakthrough in laser diode development and demonstrated the world’s first nonpolar blue-violet laser diodes, which have numerous commercial and medical applications.
24,673
On-Campus Enrollment
For the 2023-2024 academic year, UC Santa Barbara had an average of 24,673 students on campus during the Fall, Winter, and Spring Quarters.
65+
Guggenheim Fellows
More than 65 UCSB scholars have snared Guggenheim Fellowships, an elusive honor intended for individuals who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts.