A record 26,421 students are enrolled at UC Santa Barbara for Fall Quarter 2022, surpassing its previous 2018 record high by over 100 students.
The enrollment data for international and out-of-state students was drawn from the university’s third-week registration report obtained by the Nexus, with breakdowns of overall student enrollment totals and gender and race breakdowns taken from data listed on UCSB’s enrollment dashboard.
The university has been accused of over-enrollment by Santa Barbara County and the City of Goleta, who are both pursuing independent lawsuits against UCSB for violating the 2010 Long Range Development Plan (LRDP). The plan stipulates the university limits enrollment to 25,000 on-campus students through 2025 calculated through a three-quarter average.
The enrollment data obtained by the Nexus “includes both off-campus and on-campus students,” according to a disclaimer on the data set, which stated that as a result, “these enrollment totals cannot be used for determining UCSB’s LRDP enrollment.”
Graduate and undergraduate students
UCSB’s total enrollment rose from 22,225 in Fall Quarter 2013 to 26,421 in Fall Quarter 2022. Mark Alfred / Daily Nexus.
Of the total students enrolled, 23,460 are undergraduates, reflecting the highest levels of undergraduate enrollment at UCSB to date. According to the enrollment dashboard, 32% of undergraduates are first-generation college students.
The remaining 2,961 are graduate students — the lowest fall quarter graduate student enrollment since the 2018-19 academic year.
Approximately 76% of UCSB students are California residents, with the rest being a mix of out-of-state students and international students. Based on the data, 28% of the student population are underrepresented minorities.
For every TA, there are 34.5 undergraduate students.
Out of state students
2,536 out-of-state students attend UCSB from every U.S. state except North Dakota. Mark Alfred / Daily Nexus.
Around 10% of UCSB students — 2,536 in total — are residents of other U.S. states.
There are 11 states that are home to more than 100 UCSB students each. Washington and New York top the list, with 222 and 199 students, respectively, attending UCSB from each state.
Women make up 61% of out-of-state students, and white students make up 68%.
Out-of-state students attend UCSB from every U.S. state except North Dakota, according to the report.
International Students
The vast majority of international students at UCSB are from China. Mark Alfred / Daily Nexus.
International students make up 13% of students enrolled this quarter.
Over two-thirds of international students — 2,531 out of 3,825 — are from China. A greater number of international students from China attend UCSB than out-of-state students.
The country with the second-highest number of international students is India, with 228 UCSB students.
Around 39% of graduate students — 1,160 in total — are international students, outnumbering the 34% of graduate students that are California residents.
Excluding China and India, the data reveals a more even distribution of international students’ home countries. Mark Alfred / Daily Nexus.
A version of this article appeared on p. 5 of the Nov. 17, 2022, print edition of the Daily Nexus.
