Here's which California college made a national party school list

Only one California school ranked in the Wall Street Journal’s list of the top 20 U.S. colleges for partying.

The University of California, Santa Barbara ranked No. 11, making it the highest-ranked party school in the state, according to the WSJ and College Pulse, which surveyed over 60,000 students and recent graduates from January to May this year and asked them to rank their college party scene from one to five. 

One of UC Santa Barbara’s biggest party weekends is dubbed “Deltopia,” a large-scale annual event that prompted officials to issue noise ordinances and close Isla Vista beaches as a precautionary measure for a weekend this April. In previous years, the party — which attracts hundreds of students — resulted in numerous injuries and large amounts of trash on the beaches. 

Though the university has maintained a reputation as a “party school,” UC Santa Barbara’s admission rates have become more rigorous, and the university has placed high in many academic rankings. 

Maya Kobashigawa, an admissions specialist at UC Berkeley who separately works as a UC College consultant, believes UCSB is an “incredible school,” she told SFGATE.

“I would say that UCSB has become more competitive in recent years,” Kobashigawa said. The school has a “holistic review process” in which it analyzes extracurricular activities, awards and entrance essays in addition to coursework.

In fall 2023, the campus admitted 27.9% of its applicants, or a total of 30,914 students. The admitted students had an average high school GPA of between 4.13 and 4.29, according to UC data (students can achieve a GPA over 4 by taking advanced-level classes). In comparison, the university admitted 29.7% of students in fall 2019, and students had an average high school GPA of 4.04 to 4.28.

The university was also ranked No. 24 in the country on the Forbes Top Colleges list and No. 35 on the U.S. News & World Report top colleges list. Both lists include public and private universities.

Nathan Lee, a senior economics and history major who also serves as a student advocate general with Associated Students, told SFGATE that he believes UCSB has a prominent social scene. During the weekends, students often gather at the beaches, party houses, Greek houses and local bars. “I can see where that reputation comes from,” Lee said. “We are very social, but I would say it’s in a very positive sense. I don’t really see our social scene as a toxic one.”

While the party scene isn’t for everyone, he added, those who partake generally maintain academic discipline: “You work hard, but you play hard,” he said. 

In Lee’s experience, students don’t feel like the university’s social “label” undermines their academic achievements, either. 

“Our academics have been really on the rise recently, and becoming academically very rigorous, very competitive,” he said. “So, I don’t really think you know, though, that’s really a problem.”