Comparison tool
Rankings across 8 publishers plus admissions, cost, debt and outcome data for University of California, Santa Barbara, University of California, Irvine, University of Georgia. Every figure is sourced and dated.
| Metric | UC Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, CA | UC IrvineIrvine, CA | GeorgiaAthens, GA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 33.0% | 28.6% | 37.7% |
| SAT middle 50% | Not reportedUniversity of California-Santa Barbara reports that it neither requires nor recommends admissions test scores, and does not report a score range to the Department of Education. | Not reportedUniversity of California-Irvine reports that it neither requires nor recommends admissions test scores, and does not report a score range to the Department of Education. | 1270–1480 |
| Average net price | $16,10927.9% on Pell grants | $14,25136.1% on Pell grants | $13,93616.8% on Pell grants |
| Published tuition & fees | $16,414 in-state · $50,614 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $15,722 in-state · $49,922 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $11,450 in-state · $31,688 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release |
| 6-year graduation rate | 83.0% | 86.9% | 89.7% |
| First-year retention | 93.0% | 94.0% | 94.0% |
| Undergraduates on Pell grants | 27.9% | 36.1% | 16.8% |
| Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $74,915 | $80,735 | $68,726 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $13,993 | $15,000 | $18,500 |
| Student-faculty ratio | 17:1 | 18:1 | 17:1 |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 23,113 | 30,197 | 32,137 |
| Consensus percentile | 14Lower is better | 9Lower is better | 17Lower is better |
| Methodology sensitivity | 33 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 17 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 33 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points |
Highlighted cells mark the most favourable value in that row where a direction is meaningful. No highlight appears for metrics like enrollment or SAT range, where “better” depends entirely on what you want.
“Not ranked by this source” means that publisher’s list does not include the school — not missing data and not a poor rank.
| Source | UC Santa Barbara | UC Irvine | Georgia |
|---|---|---|---|
| US News | #40 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #32 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #46 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 |
| Forbes | #42 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #31 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #57 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 |
| Washington Monthly | #188 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #139 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #203 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 |
| WSJ | #179 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #31 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #151 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 |
| Niche | #85 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #69 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #48 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 |
| Money | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| Princeton Review | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| QS | #179 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 | #293 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 | #526 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 |
Students comparing University of California, Santa Barbara on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing University of California, Irvine on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing University of Georgia on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
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