Academic Services

Housing Information

UCSB offers unique access to a setting of great natural beauty and the amenities of urban living. These qualities along with a temperate climate make Santa Barbara a very popular destination, for students and non-students alike.

UCSB offers a variety of housing options to its students. University-owned or operated housing includes campus residence halls and family-student/single student apartment complexes located near campus. Community housing (private rentals) is a popular option with graduate students, who sometimes prefer an off-campus location where they can enjoy the local culture and temporarily escape campus life. Free and plentiful bus service for registered UCSB students opens up housing possibilities in neighboring towns of Goleta and Santa Barbara, as does a good network of bike trails.

Contributing to Santa Barbara's unique quality of life is a "small-town" atmosphere that stems, in part, from local controls on development, environmental sensitivity, and the natural convergence of mountains and sea. Along with these advantages, students assume a certain responsibility to exercise care and forethought in their housing arrangements. The following are a few housing-related tips for incoming graduate students.

• Try to make housing arrangements early. The most highly prized student dwellings go fast!
• Make inquiries with local contacts and acquaintances, especially fellow graduate students.
• Ask your departmental Graduate Program Assistant if housing advice and placement are among the departmental services offered to incoming grads.
• General housing information and an on-line residence hall application are available at the UCSB Housing Office website.
• Check Santa Barbara's Craigslist page for free listings for apartments, shared rooms and sublets: http://santabarbara.craigslist.org/
• Consult local newspaper listings. (such as the Santa Barbara NewsPress)
• Consider an advance visit to Santa Barbara in order to scout out housing possibilities.
• Last but not least, develop an open-mind to alternative housing arrangements. Rent a room in a private residence while you wait for that ideal beach house you and your friends have your eyes on. The Community Housing Office provides information on available units.

The campus student handbook Kiosk also contains information on housing and a wide variety of other topics related to student life. They include academic services, international student services, transfer, re-entry & non-traditional student services, a faculty forum, health & wellness services, and many others.