Kiplinger Personal Finance has rated UC Santa Barbara the 16th best bang for the buck among 100 U.S. public institutions of higher learning. The rating includes academic quality among the criteria, as well as admission and retention rates, student-faculty ratio, four-year graduation rate, tuition, financial aid, and student debt upon graduation. Seven UCs made the cut, with Berkeley and UCLA placing fourth and fifth, respectively, ahead of UCSB.
