US News and World Report has released its annual national college rankings, which came with a lot of surprises, to say the least. Many people have been working on their college applications for a while now, whether that be with the Common App or other online applications, and many students will use these rankings as a factor in determining their future school.

But what do these current rankings mean for some of the most applied-to public universities in the nation? Looking at the University of California (UC) system, the schools in Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz have suddenly become worse off than schools like UC Merced, and there are a few surprising reasons for this.

UC Santa Barbara, which is consistently one of the most desired schools in the nation, has fallen to 14th among all public universities. This caps off a fifth straight year of decline in rankings, after placing 6th not too long ago in 2021. Meanwhile, their neighbor in the forest, UC Santa Cruz, is also experiencing a similar issue, dropping from 35th among public schools in 2022 to 43rd this year.

So what are the reasons for these declines?

For starters, UC Santa Cruz students often complain about how expensive it is to live there. In fact, when comparing Santa Cruz to Los Angeles, rental prices are nearly 19% higher! What doesn’t help their case is that UCSC alumni usually have one of the lowest post-graduation incomes out of all UCs, while also living on one of the most expensive campuses in the UC system. If you’re someone looking into UCSC as I am, note that (allegedly) alumni often recommend transferring from a community college (and sometimes to a potentially better school) because of the overall cost-of-living prices.

Although Santa Cruz has some issues, UC Santa Barbara has a lot more on its plate, as this school is pretty world-renowned for its housing crisis and class shortages. General education classes are packed and fill up before you know it. 

Adding fuel to the fire is how expensive it is to live in Santa Barbara, with rental prices being almost 10% higher than they are in LA. UCSB is one of the most applied-to campuses in all of California, but if you’re someone who’s applying there, some students, although questionably, give very harsh critiques of the school.

Yes, UCSB and UCSC are still top-notch schools, but oftentimes, people will be captivated by their campuses’ beauty and party-like culture and fail to recognize the many issues surrounding attendance. Depending on what major you choose to pursue, you will receive an education like no other. But it’s important to see where your education will matter more.

Surely the cost of living and housing issues aren’t the only reasons for these schools’ recent decline, right? Comparing these schools to competitors and rising UCs like Merced can reveal an underlying issue.

UC Merced was founded in 2005, making it the youngest of the UC campuses. Over the course of the last five years, many highly-regarded ranking lists have shifted more attention to “social mobility.” Schools like Merced and UC Riverside dominate in this category, because they take in students from lower-income backgrounds and offer them a chance at a college degree. This is important because with their low cost of living and a higher willingness to accept applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds, UC Merced and Riverside excel in exactly what public universities are meant to do—provide lower-income families with a way to move up in class.

These schools have a negative stigma around them, being seen as “lower level”, and they are often the butt of all the jokes around other campuses. This unfortunate reputation overshadows their undeniably great qualities. The fact of the matter is, people are too focused on the reputation of a certain school rather than what it can offer them. UC Merced, although young, has an excellent up-and-coming engineering program, and UC Riverside, besides being nicknamed “UC Rejects,” is an all-around terrific school.

As someone who will be applying to both UCSB and UCSC, this is something I would definitely consider when working on my college applications. With Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz experiencing issues with overpopulation and a high cost of living, maybe the best option isn’t the school with more notoriety, but the college that will set me up best for the future. 

Keep hitting those books, Nitros, and don’t forget to submit those college applications on time!