UC Santa Barbara vs Iowa State

Envision yourself immersed in the vibrant college towns of Isla Vista and Ames, home to the University of California-Santa Barbara (UCSB) and Iowa State University (ISU), respectively. While both institutions offer a wealth of opportunities, they possess distinct characteristics that shape the student experience. UCSB boasts a lower acceptance rate, indicating a more selective admissions process, while ISU welcomes a larger proportion of its applicants. Explore the nuances of their academic offerings, with UCSB excelling in fields like biological sciences and engineering, and ISU gaining recognition for its programs in agriculture and engineering. Discover the diverse student bodies that contribute to the unique campus cultures, and delve into the factors that influence their respective graduation rates. Our comprehensive comparison table provides a side-by-side analysis of these universities, empowering you to make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Iowa State University	University of California-Santa Barbara
Overview
Location	Ames, Iowa	Santa Barbara, California
Campus setting	City: Small	Suburb: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	88.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.1%	29.2%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $120
SAT range	1083 - 1330	N/A
ACT range	21 - 28	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	13.0%
Students submitting ACT score	63.0%
Total number of applicants	20,357	105,641
Total number of admissions given out	18,550	30,824
Admitted students who chose to enroll	5,387	4,900
Yield rate	29.0%	15.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $22,152 Out of state: $37,964	In state: $35,374 Out of state: $65,128
Average net price	$15,422	$17,333
Tuition	In state: $8,324 Out of state: $24,136	In state: $11,442 Out of state: $41,196
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,590 Meal plan: $4,498	$16,699
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	87.0% Average amount $8,833	53.0% Average amount $18,107
Students receiving federal student loan	47.0% Average amount $5,202	11.0% Average amount $4,576
Students taking out private loans	11.0% Average amount $11,630	3.0% Average amount $10,788

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	25,808 Men 56.1% Women 43.9%	23,091 Men 43.8% Women 56.2%
Graduate students	4,900 Men 50.6% Women 49.4%	3,033 Men 53.2% Women 46.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	13.2%
International students	8.2%	13.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	9,400	11,031
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	California Washington Colorado Texas New York

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Agriculture Education Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Engineering Biological and Biomedical Sciences Social Sciences Mathematics and Statistics Physical Science
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	76.0%	85.4%
Dropout rate	6.1%	14.0%
Transferred out	16.7%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $85,739 Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $101,292 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,956 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $95,081 Industrial Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $99,120 Year 2: $89,059 Year 3: $92,521 Veterinary Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $77,573 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $85,108 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,299 Year 2: $73,321 Year 3: $83,452 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,598 Year 2: $73,839 Year 3: $83,292 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,184 Year 2: $71,734 Year 3: $81,196 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $83,223 Year 2: $70,680 Year 3: $79,916 Construction Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,580 Year 2: $70,083 Year 3: $77,479 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,534 Year 2: $67,156 Year 3: $76,113	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $86,276 Year 2: $81,554 Year 3: $96,623 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $83,726 Year 2: $76,773 Year 3: $94,355 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,445 Year 2: $72,134 Year 3: $88,523 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,540 Year 2: $59,485 Year 3: $73,916 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,678 Year 2: $60,452 Year 3: $73,907 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,465 Year 2: $60,790 Year 3: $73,844 Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,765 Year 2: $59,536 Year 3: $71,984 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,194 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $71,014 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,972 Year 2: $57,860 Year 3: $70,694 Statistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,652 Year 2: $47,650 Year 3: $66,826

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