Major selection is not considered for admissions in the College of Letters and Sciences so although if admitted you have a listed major, you are not locked into any major within the college.
Alternate majors come into play for applicants in the College of Engineering and CCS where if not admitted to their choice major, an alternate major is considered.
Feel free to check the stats for UCSB acceptance:
Best of luck to everyone who is applying this year. I’m a current 3rd year Computer Engineering student, class of 2026. I check these threads every year around admissions release time. Congratulations to all the Regents scholars, looks like UCSB went back to early notification this year.
UCSB has been a truly transformative experience for me; if you guys have any questions about the school I would be happy to answer them. I have experience with undergraduate research, engineering curriculum, clubs, internships, etc.
A picture of campus I took a few weeks ago. I highly recommend visiting campus if you get a chance, it’s hands down the most beautiful place I have ever been to.
Thanks gauchoengineering. Computer Engineering is also my S25’s primary major. I think the fact you came back to reach out to perspective students speaks a lot about the school. S25 got few good options but we are still waiting for rest of the decisions in March. UCSB is definitely on the top of his list though. So he very likely will message you with some questions in time. Thanks in advance.
By the way when I was a Freshman I actually requested a review of my admissions file from the University, this is what I found. They may have changed the process slightly but the core of what UCSB is looking for is probably still the same.
Thanks for good info, would love to know what your stats were like. Thank you
Congrats, @ferrofluid! My son, from the Bay Area, is currently a first year ChemE and is also a Regents Scholar. He’s been very happy with his choice and his experience so far.
Hi! I just got an email that I was a Regent’s Scholar (Received Chancellor’s in the mail and will be going to the LA reception tomorrow) but I just wanted to put it out there that I never received the Regent’s packet in the mail. I encourage emails to be checked in case anyone else is in my situation!
Congratulations! Are you choosing ucsb? 
Congratulations!
Please come back and share what happened at the reception.
Some of my stats are in that post, my ECs were pretty decent as well. My weakness was my GPA, got 2 Bs with like 10-12 APs.
Of course! Please reach out if you have any questions. Good luck to your son on the rest of his decisions.
Not sure yet, but it is in my top 3 choices as of right now!
Decision: Accepted
Major (and division if applicable) applied to: Chemistry
UC Unweighted GPA: 4.00
UC Fully Weighted GPA: 4.397
ELC: yes
8 AP courses/exams (3 in progress):
Calculus AB/BC - 5 Chemistry - 5 Psych - 5 US History - 5 Euro History - 5 Comp Sci - TBD Stats - TBD English Lit - TBD
State/location of HS (if domestic applicant): Fremont, CA
UCB: TBD , UCLA: TBD : UCI: Accepted Regent’s Scholar / Honors , UC Davis: Accepted, UCSB: Accepted (Chancellor’s Reception)
My EC’s were pretty underwhelming, but I think my PIQs were well written and probably got me over the line.
that (probably got you over the line), and likely your honest self-assessment that came through. Kind of refreshing to hear someone minimize their ECs and be just a tad self-deprecating.
An update on today’s Chancellor’s reception for those interested. Large reception with about 1000 people. After first joking that kids would need to wait 48 hours to find out, they announced that all attendees had been accepted. Current students threw confetti. Students with regents had red ribbons below their nametags and were acknowledged. Students were also told they were admitted to their first choice major. At the College of Creative Studies table, they were also able to tell us that my daughter was accepted to CCS, which was very nice. There was also a student and faculty panel where they answered previously-submitted questions. It was a nice event for students and their families.
Thank you for the update and congratulations to your daughter.
I can concur!!
The host was pretty cool with a good sense of humor. Chancellor Yang gave a speech and the panel did Q&A. They did give out some UCSB facts that we weren’t aware of. Gave out some small goodies at the tables afterwards. Overall, it went well and glad we went. The parking fee was steep though.
