UC Santa Barbara Summer Sessions Pre-College Summer Research Academies (SRA)

UC Santa Barbara doesn't publish daily class hours, but it expects 25 to 40 hours of research a week, including time in the library and the occasional late night. The program opens with a Welcome Event on 25 June 2027 and an Academic Intensive on 26 and 27 June, which gets you ready for university-level research.

In the first half you form a research group, settle on a research question and work through hands-on labs tied to the lectures. After that the labs stop and the time goes into investigation and analysis, building toward a formal capstone seminar at the end. GRIT talks, a lecture series where UC Santa Barbara researchers present their work, run through every week.

Outside class there are development workshops where researchers give advice on undergraduate and graduate study, drop-in hours with program staff, Friday mixers and social events such as game nights and watch parties.

You need to be in 9th, 10th or 11th grade with at least a 3.60 weighted GPA, calculated under the UC a–g requirements, and free for the whole program, since SRA doesn't allow other courses, activities or programs alongside it. International applicants don't need a TOEFL or any other English test score.

The 2026 application asked for the three pieces below. Students who enroll also have to take part in an SRA Preparation Webinar, and UC Santa Barbara hasn't yet set the 2027 dates.

• Transcript

  An unofficial transcript covering all of high school, including first-trimester or first-semester grades from the current school year. Quarter grades alone aren't enough. UC Santa Barbara verifies the transcript before reviewing the rest of the application.

• Personal statement

  Up to 500 words on why your chosen track interests you, the questions you want to explore and how SRA would help you grow as a researcher.

• Four short responses

  Up to 150 words each, on a researcher who inspires you, your role in group academic work, something that makes you unique and a setback you've faced.

In 2026 a commuting student paid $3,475 in total and a residential student paid $9,874. UC Santa Barbara says 2027 prices will be out in early December 2026, so treat these as a guide until then.

Both totals included the $75 application fee, paid when you submitted the application, and $3,400 in tuition and program fees. A $900 enrollment deposit, due when you confirmed your place, counted toward that tuition, and the rest was due by 8 May 2026. Living on campus added $6,399 for housing and meals, which Summer Discovery, the program's residential partner, collected directly. Paying tuition by credit card carried a 2.75% processing fee, while paying by eCheck had none.

The application fee and deposit weren't refundable. If you withdrew by email before the program, the rest of the tuition came back in full through 15 May 2026 and at 50% through 22 May 2026, with nothing refunded after that.

UC Santa Barbara offers a limited number of need-based scholarships, with priority for California residents. You flag your interest in the application, and if you're admitted, a parent or guardian completes the scholarship form with the family's federal tax returns and W-2 forms, if they apply.

Residential students live on campus under the supervision of Summer Discovery, the program's residential partner, which keeps a staff office open 24/7. You'd share a double or triple room in Santa Cruz Residence Hall, close to the academic and recreation buildings, and eat on a meal plan at the De La Guerra dining commons, where plant-forward dishes are always available. Move-in is 25 June 2027 and move-out is 24 July 2027.

Summer Discovery uses daily sign-ins and room checks, and students may walk around campus, Isla Vista and downtown Santa Barbara in small groups. Its staff make medical appointments, go with students to them and let parents know afterward.

Commuting is for students within a 60-minute drive who can get to campus every day, weekends included. Commuters take part in all the on-campus programming, including the social activities.

You leave with 4 UC Santa Barbara units and a grade on a permanent university record, which you can later order as an official UC Santa Barbara transcript. You also finish with a technical research paper and the experience of presenting at a formal capstone seminar, and you can ask your instructor or teaching assistants for recommendation letters. UC Santa Barbara doesn't say how your high school or other colleges will treat the units, so check with them if the credit matters to you.

The research itself comes with strings attached. To use it in a competition, a college application, a journal, a video or even on social media, you need approval from your track's instructor and the Director of Academic Programs, and UC Santa Barbara warns that using it without permission can lead to legal action. Requests go in at least three weeks before the due date, one for each use, with your project title and exactly how you plan to use it. In some cases students can continue their research remotely during the school year, but only with the instructor's guidance and the director's consent.