How to Apply to Computer Science at UC Santa Barbara: A Selective Engineering Major That Is Very Competitive to Change Into, with Requirements and Timeline for Chinese and Canadian High School Students and Transfer Students

At the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), undergraduate computer science is the BS in Computer Science in the Robert Mehrabian College of Engineering, offered by the Department of Computer Science, with a five-year BS/MS option. UCSB uses the UC Application and admits for fall only. Here is what you need to know for fall 2027 entry, based on UCSB and University of California websites, for students at high schools in China, students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver students), and transfer students.

1. Apply to Computer Science from the start

• Selective: admissions says majors in the College of Engineering are selective with limited spaces; Letters and Science majors are not.
• Apply directly: the department advises interested students to apply to the BS in Computer Science when they first apply to UCSB.
• No major changes after applying: the admissions FAQ says it cannot currently fulfil first-year requests to change the major on an application.
• First-year applicants do not need specific major preparation courses before admission. First-year admit numbers or rates for Computer Science are not published.
• College of Creative Studies: CCS also has a computing major with its own supplemental application; it is not covered here.

2. Changing into Computer Science: very competitive

• The department’s view: because of limited resources, changing into or double-majoring in Computer Science is very competitive. Meeting the minimums only makes you eligible for review, space is limited, nothing is guaranteed and denials cannot be appealed. Stay on track in your current major while you apply.
• Minimum requirements:
  • CMPSC 16, CMPSC 24 and CMPSC 40 (or Math 8) on the first attempt with letter grades, with a GPA of at least 3.2 across them; students without programming background take CMPSC 8 first, which AP Computer Science A 4 or 5 can waive;
  • Math 3A (or 2A), 3B (or 2B), 4A and 4B with a GPA of at least 3.0;
  • an overall UCSB GPA of at least 3.0 and no academic probation;
  • at least 30 units at UCSB, and no more than six regular quarters (fall, winter, spring) completed at UCSB.
• First attempt: any letter grade A to F or a P/NP counts; P/NP on the first attempt makes you ineligible, and so does repeating a course to raise a grade.
• Outside courses: equivalents of all courses except CMPSC 24 (which must be taken at UCSB) can be taken elsewhere with a B or better, but outside grades are not counted; application GPAs use UC courses only.
• How: meet a CS staff advisor, then email your application by the last day of the quarter in which you finish CMPSC 24 and CMPSC 40; decisions come 2 to 3 weeks after final grades.
• Alternatives: apart from other engineering majors that need CS lower-division courses, no campus major has a significant advantage in getting into CS courses. The department points to UCSB’s Data Science Initiative courses for Letters and Science majors.

3. Curriculum

• Lower-division preparation: Math 3A and 3B (calculus), 4A and 4B (linear algebra and differential equations), 6A (vector calculus); CMPSC 16 and 24 (Problem Solving with Computers I and II), 32 (Object Oriented Design), 40 (Foundations of Computer Science), 64 (Computer Organization and Logic Design); PSTAT 120A. A C or better in CMPSC 16, 24, 32 and 40 is needed to take courses that require them.
• Science electives (from catalog year 2023-24): 8 units from List A and 12 more from List B, including a lab; physics moved from preparation to List B. AP Biology 3+ gives the 8 List A units.
• Upper division: the required upper-division courses are listed in the College of Engineering’s GEAR handbook, not on the department pages, and were not checked for this guide. Upper-division major electives are 28 or 32 units depending on entry year, at least 8 of them in computer science.
• Elective tracks (advisory only, not on transcripts or diplomas): AI and ML, Algorithms, Data Engineering, Computer Networks, Computer Security, Software Engineering, Systems, and Visual and Interactive Computing.
• Other rules: all major courses need letter grades; students must attend a department faculty advising event before graduating; engineering students cannot double-major in two engineering majors but may petition to add a Letters and Science or CCS major; the department has no minor.
• BS/MS: strong Computer Science, Computer Engineering or CCS Computing students can earn both degrees in as little as five years, usually applying in spring of the third year, with a 1 May deadline.

4. First-year dates and review

• The UC Application opens on 1 August; submit for fall 2027 from 1 October to 30 November 2026; decisions in mid-March; Statement of Intent to Register by 1 May; official transcripts by 1 July and official AP, IB, TOEFL, IELTS and Duolingo scores by 15 July.
• No ED or EA; fall entry only.
• Minimums: A-G courses at C or better; a 3.4 A-G GPA for non-residents, based on grades 10 and 11. Meeting the minimums does not guarantee admission.
• SAT/ACT: not used for admission or scholarships; may be used for placement after enrolling.

5. International academic and English requirements

• Academic: a secondary school certificate giving access to university in your country, with excellent grades and exam results to be competitive; a minimum A-G GPA of 3.4 for non-residents. Report grades as they appear, without converting them.
• English: required if English is not your first language and you studied in a non-English-speaking country or had under 3 years of English-medium instruction. Minimums: TOEFL iBT 4.5 from January 2026 (80 before); IELTS 6.5; Duolingo 115. Test by December of the year before entry; IELTS One Skill Retake and TOEFL MyBest are not accepted.

6. Students at high schools in China

• Standard curriculum: junior and senior secondary graduation certificates with a B average or better (UCSB’s international minimum); list all grade 9 to 12 courses. The Gaokao is not mentioned.
• A-levels: at least 5 IGCSE/GCSE (GPA 3.4+) and 3 A-levels (unweighted GPA 3.0+, nothing below C). IB: at least 6 exams with 3 at HL, an average of 5 with no score below 4, and a diploma total of 30+.
• Programming: students without programming background take CMPSC 8 first; AP Computer Science A 4 or 5 lets you start with CMPSC 16.

7. Students at Canadian high schools

• BC: a graduation diploma with an average of at least 73; Ontario OSSD at least 70; Alberta 65. Quebec requires the DES and two years of CEGEP.
• These are minimums, not guarantees. Three or more years at an English-medium high school usually means no English test.

8. Transfer

• Direct admission only: the department says transfer students can only major in an engineering major if directly admitted to it, and cannot petition to change into or add one, so they cannot use the CS change-of-major process. Junior transfers admitted to Letters and Science or CCS cannot switch to Computer Science either.
• Required before transfer (by the end of the spring term before entry):
  • all engineering majors: two semesters of calculus for science and math majors, linear algebra and differential equations;
  • Computer Science also: programming in C or C++, data structures in C++, and discrete mathematics for computer science majors.
• GPA guidance: admissions recommends a transferable GPA of 3.2+ for most majors and 3.6+ for engineering; 3.5+ for out-of-state or non-California community college students. Baselines are 60 semester or 90 quarter units and a 2.8 GPA for non-residents.
• Dates: 1 October to 30 November; Transfer Academic Update from 15 December to 31 January (updates until 15 March); decisions in mid-April; SIR by 1 June. Transfer applicants can email a major change request between 1 December and 31 January.
• Double majors: junior transfers in Computer Science must finish both majors within 9 regular quarters.

9. Costs (USD)

• 2026-27 budget for a new student living on campus: 50,946 for California residents; non-residents add 39,270 in supplemental tuition, about 90,216 in total (fees, housing, food, books, transport, health and more). Whether Computer Science carries an extra major fee is not published. Fall 2027 costs are not published.
• Aid: UCSB says aid and scholarships for international students are very limited; plan to cover all costs yourself.

Checklist

Students at high schools in China:

• Submit the UC Application between 1 October and 30 November 2026, applying directly to the BS in Computer Science; the major cannot be changed after you apply
• A-G GPA of 3.4 or higher (competitive applicants are usually higher); TOEFL 4.5 (new scale), IELTS 6.5 or Duolingo 115 by December
• Budget about USD 90,000 a year

Students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver):

• A BC diploma average of 73 is only the minimum; submit by 30 November; no SAT/ACT needed

Transfer students:

• By the end of spring before transfer, complete calculus, linear algebra, differential equations, C/C++ programming, C++ data structures and discrete mathematics
• Aim for a GPA of 3.6+ for engineering; if you are not admitted to Computer Science on entry, you cannot switch later

Sources: UC Santa Barbara and the University of California, Computer Science undergraduate overview; Computer Science: prospective students and change of major; Computer Science BS requirements; Upper-division elective tracks; Double majors and BS/MS; International applicants; First-year eligibility and selection; Admissions FAQ; English language proficiency; Dates and deadlines; Transfer eligibility and selection; Selective majors for transfer; 2026-27 undergraduate cost of attendance. Information is for fall 2027 entry (costs are 2026-27 figures). Check UCSB and UC for the latest details.