Financial Aid

UC Santa Barbara Merit Scholarships and Financial Aid

UC Santa Barbara gave merit aid averaging $11,666 to 137 first-year students who had no financial need, about 5% of the freshmen without need.

Merit aid

Scholarships UC Santa Barbara gave to first-year students who had no financial need.

Average merit award

$11,666

Freshmen who got one

137

of 5,068 in the class

Share of those without need

who received merit aid

Need-based aid

For first-year students the college found to have financial need.

Average need-based grant

$32,900

Average percent of need met

82.4%

Freshmen with need

46%

2,340 students

The average total aid package, which can include loans and work-study, was $35,891.

How to read these numbers

Merit aid is awarded for grades, scores, or talent. Need-based aid is awarded for family finances. A student can receive both.
The merit figures count only students with no financial need, so they show what a family that will not qualify for need-based aid can expect.
A grant does not have to be repaid. A package can include loans, which do.

Email me UC Santa Barbara's aid numbers

A link to this page, plus the merit aid comparison for every college we track.

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Frequently asked questions

Does UC Santa Barbara give merit scholarships?

UC Santa Barbara gave merit aid averaging $11,666 to 137 first-year students who had no financial need, about 5% of the freshmen without need.

How much is the average merit scholarship at UC Santa Barbara?

$11,666 for first-year students without financial need, according to UC Santa Barbara's 2025-26 Common Data Set. That is an average across everyone who got an award, so individual offers run higher and lower.

Does UC Santa Barbara meet full financial need?

UC Santa Barbara reports meeting 82.4% of need on average for first-year students who were awarded need-based aid. A figure under 100% means the average student was left with a gap to cover.

What share of UC Santa Barbara freshmen have financial need?

2,340 of 5,068 first-time, full-time freshmen, or 46%, were found to have financial need.

Source: UC Santa Barbara’s own Common Data Set 2025-26, Section H, for first-time, full-time freshmen. Last checked 2026-10-08. These are averages for one entering class, and some colleges report the prior year’s class in this section. Your own offer depends on your family’s finances and your application.