UCSB student housing project now under construction
UC SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) - A large student housing project is under construction on the northern edge of campus near Harder and Caesar Uyesaka Stadiums.
Construction cranes are towering over a section of campus where Stadium Road meets Henry T. Yang Drive (formerly Mesa Road). The San Benito Student Housing project will consist of seven buildings and bring 2,224 new student beds to the campus, according to the university. The buildings will feature studio, 2-bedroom, and 4-bedroom apartments. The project is expected to be completed by fall of 2027.
The next phase of the university's housing plans will consist of an additional 1,400 beds on the eastern side of campus at the student dorms known as the Channel Islands Five. According to the university, that portion of the project will be finished in 2029.
The long-awaited student housing comes as student admissions increase at UC Santa Barbara and the county deals with a severe shortage of housing. The university admitted a record number of students for the 2025-26 school year, according to preliminary data released in August.
Enrollment numbers for this year are not yet available, but the most recent university data shows that 21,431 undergraduate students and 2,796 graduate students were enrolled for the 2024-25 school year, in line with previous years. That number could grow as admissions rise.
