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Cost & financial aid brief

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# University of California-Santa Barbara Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

[Overview](/school/university-of-california-santa-barbara/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/university-of-california-santa-barbara/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/university-of-california-santa-barbara/admissions/)[Majors](/school/university-of-california-santa-barbara/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/university-of-california-santa-barbara/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does UCSB cost after financial aid?

University of California-Santa Barbara lists a published cost of attendance of $41,573. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported in-state tuition of $14,202 and required fees of $3,441 for the 2026-27 academic year, with on-campus food and housing at $23,974.

Nonresidents face a published tuition of $53,472. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients is $16,109, with financial aid reducing the published cost by $25,464 on average.

That figure sits $475 above the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth ranks the university #211 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

For aid recipients at University of California-Santa Barbara, average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s stretch from $9,231 for the lowest-income families to $31,863 for the highest-income families. The overall average is $16,109, $475 above the median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

The median federal debt for completers who borrowed, $13,993, is $6,083 below the median of $20,076 for comparable institutions (same type and size). For affordability, Azimuth places the university in the 85th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s by family-income band show a progressive structure. For families earning under $30,000 the average net price is $9,231; for $30,001–$48,000 it is $9,992; for $48,001–$75,000 it is $12,588; for $75,001–$110,000 it is $17,136; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $31,863.

Pell Grant recipients make up 27.9% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $22,632.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$9,231

**$30–48K**
$9,992

**$48–75K**
$12,588

**$75–110K**
$17,136

**$110K+**
$31,863

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$16,109**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) at University of California-Santa Barbara is $16,109, which is above the median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $475. Aid covers about 61% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $25,464 against the sticker price.

The pricing structure is sharply progressive across income bands. Families earning under $30,000 face an average net price of $9,231, while the $30,001–$48,000 band averages $9,992.

The figure moves to $12,588 for the $48,001–$75,000 band and $17,136 for the $75,001–$110,000 band, then reaches $31,863 for families earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $22,632, a difference of averages that shows the largest discounts are concentrated on families with lower incomes.

The published cost of attendance at University of California-Santa Barbara is $41,573. For families earning under $30,000, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $9,231, and for those in the $48,001–$75,000 band it is $12,588.

Families earning over $110,000 see an average net price of $31,863, creating a spread of $22,632 between the lowest and highest bands. Azimuth ranks the university #211 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid covers about 61% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $25,464. The average net price for first-time, full-time Title IV aid recipients is $16,109, which is above the median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $475.

The median federal student loan debt at completion is $13,993. About 74.7% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.

That median is below the peer median of $20,076 by $6,083. Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing stands at $26,465.

If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment on the median federal debt is $159.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Federal borrowing at the University of California-Santa Barbara is concentrated: 74.7% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Yet the median federal debt at completion is $13,993.

That median sits below the $20,076 median at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $6,083. Parent borrowers, a separate population, carry a median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) loan of $26,465.

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 29% of 4,410 bachelor's graduates who started as first-time students borrowed from any source. The average cumulative amount per borrower was $20,043.

Of those graduates, 27% held federal loans averaging $14,056, and 3% held private loans averaging $57,326.

Graduates of the University of California-Santa Barbara earn about $14,559 more than the model expects for similar students, an outcome in the 91st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Four years after completion, the median earnings reach $70,323, which falls in the 77th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings scenarios derived from the university's program mix show a typical earnings level of $70,323, with a downside scenario of $55,948 and an upside scenario of $106,493. Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median federal debt of $13,993, which is below the $20,076 median at comparable institutions (same type and size).

If repaid over ten years, that debt yields an estimated monthly payment of $159.

Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $26,465. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $159.

[Repayment figures](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$26,465

**Estimated parent payment**
$336/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Household income | Share of income above basic expenses | Risk level |
| --- | --- | --- |
| $35,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $50,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $75,000 | 19.8% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 8.9% | Caution |
| $150,000 | 4.2% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 2.8% | Safe |

The 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS balance, as a share of household income above basic expenses ($54,640 a year: 200% of the 2026 federal poverty guideline for a household of three). No room is High pressure. [Open the parent tool for your own numbers](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=university-of-california-santa-barbara#parent-tool). [Read the assumptions and limits](#cost-data-notes).

## Student and parent loans: the monthly payments

Financial GPS

### What does repayment look like?

**Institution median student debt**
$13,993

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$26,465

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$159/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$336/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$495/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

#### Student payment as a share of available income

At median graduate earnings of $70,323, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**4.1%** of income above the allowance · Excellent

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  High risk Over 20%

How this estimate works

These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $23,940, uses the published framework’s 2026 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

[Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=university-of-california-santa-barbara#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. [About College Azimuth](/about/).

**Net price and borrowing.** The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. [College Scorecard data and documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.