Florida State University vs University of California, Santa Barbara: Acceptance Rate, SAT & Net Price

Florida State University is the more selective of the two, admitting 25.0% of applicants versus 33.0% at University of California, Santa Barbara. For a family earning $48,001–$75,000, the average net price is about $10,496 per year at Florida State University versus $12,588 at University of California, Santa Barbara.

Florida State University vs University of California, Santa Barbara: admissions and cost statistics from the most recent Common Data Set, IPEDS, and College Scorecard
MetricFlorida State UniversityUniversity of California, Santa Barbara
Overall acceptance rate25.0%33.0%
SAT middle 50%1290–14001250–1460
Avg unweighted GPA3.73.7
Yield rate31.0%14.0%
Class size5,8554,967
Net price, $48,001–$75,000 income$10,496$12,588
Net price, over $110,000 income$19,239$31,863

Admissions and cost data as of July 3, 2026 (CDS 2024–25 cycle), from the most recent Common Data Set, IPEDS, and College Scorecard. Rows appear only where both colleges report the statistic.

Frequently asked questions

Is Florida State University harder to get into than University of California, Santa Barbara?

Yes. Florida State University admits 25.0% of applicants, compared with 33.0% at University of California, Santa Barbara, making it the harder school to get into, based on the most recent Common Data Set.

Which is cheaper for a middle-income family, Florida State University or University of California, Santa Barbara?

For a family earning $48,001–$75,000, the average net price is about $10,496 per year at Florida State University and $12,588 at University of California, Santa Barbara, so Florida State University is the lower-cost option at that income level (source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard/IPEDS data).

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