UCSB Student Specific Resources

Where can I find resources related to Disability Student Life and University Living?

UCSB Student Resources and Living in Isla Vista and Santa Barbara County

if you’re looking for disability student and community resources, please visit the Isla Vista Community Service District’s website. The IVCSD is the local government of Isla Vista and has awesome resources and contact information for you and your family. Everything from housing, transportation, emergency preparedness, COVID safety, accessible recreation/fitness, career-building, and independent living services. Check it out here! I Disability Community Resource Page PDF

Transitioning into Higher Education with a Disability

In the summer of 2020 and 2021, Sophia Lee-Park gave a presentation entitled Transitioning into Higher Education with a Disability and/or Varying Access Needs. (link embedded) This presentation contains information on the types of DSP accommodations available at UCSB, personal tips for disabled students, and information about CODE or how you can be involved!

UCSB Associated Students Official Website

UCSB Associated Students is the largest collective of student-run and funded organizations on our campus. Its mission is to help students uphold high academic standards and give them leadership, employment, cultural, and growth opportunities to serve the campus community. A.S is a non-profit organization and a department of the UCSB campus, funded by undergraduate student fees. Through elected student positions and appointments we voice student concerns and express student opinion to the UCSB administration, UC system, our community, and state and local governments. We have dozens of boards, committees, and commissions that are organized and funded through A.S. to enrich student life and give students services and opportunities not offered by the administration. Our mission is to help students uphold high academic standards and give them leadership, employment, cultural, and growth opportunities to serve the campus community. To learn more, or to get involved in any of the current organizations, commissions, and advocacy groups, including CODE, click here.

Our Diversity is Our Strength

Educational Opportunity Program (EOP)

The Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) is committed to providing support and information that validates each student’s experience and nurtures a sense of participation, belonging, and empowerment. Through mentorship, academic programs, one-to-one counseling/advising, campus student support service referrals, and social/cultural programming, we strive to maximize a student’s involvement and success in the campus academic community. In addition to assisting students through to graduation, EOP helps motivate and inform students to utilize services to enhance their preparation for the job market and/or graduate/professional school admission. EOP focuses on serving those who are income-eligible/receive need-based financial aid and first-generation undergraduates. Check out if you’re eligible for the AS/EOP Grant.

UCSB Promise Scholars

The Promise Scholar program at UC Santa Barbara empowers high-achieving, first-generation students from low-income households. The Promise Scholar program offers $120,000 in grants and scholarships to first-year students over four years and $60,000 to transfer students over two years. To qualify for full Promise Scholar funding, students must adhere to all Federal, State, and Institutional deadlines for financial aid AND remain Pell Grant and Cal Grant eligible as determined by each academic year’s income and asset ceilings

Office of Black Student Development (OBSD)

Mission Statement:

In response to a strong culture of Black student activism, the Office of Black Student Development (OBSD) advances the experiences of all Black students, advocates for their needs, and fosters their personal and academic achievement through graduation and beyond. Through the development of innovative and sustainable programs and services aimed to increase the recruitment, retention, academic achievement, holistic support, and self-advocacy of our Black community, OBSD addresses the needs of the Black student community and holds ourselves and the university responsible to meet those needs. We strive to engage, develop, and activate these experiences to promote an inclusive campus experience that fosters a sense of belonging and leaders of social change. View their website’s Resources tab here.

TRANSFER, First Generation, and Undocumented/DREAMER Student Resources:

  • Undocumented Students Services (USS): Undocumented Student Services (USS) is committed to fostering a safe, nurturing, and supportive environment for prospective and current undocumented students, students with mixed-immigration status families, and students from refugee backgrounds. USS, along with our campus partners, work to provide programs and services to help undocumented students thrive in the UCSB community while achieving academic, professional, and personal goals. We are honored to support your educational journey! 
  • Basic Need Resources for Undocumented Students Thrive UCSB PDF
  • DREAM Scholars Resource Team: (DSRT) mission is to develop an awareness and understanding of the experiences of undocumented and AB 540 eligible students (while maintaining the confidentiality of individual students) and to develop campus responses and processes to address their related needs to persistence, retention, and graduation. At UCSB, our Dream Scholars are served by staff, faculty, and students from across the campus. Committee members represent different entities across campus that work directly with students, including faculty conducting research relevant to Dream Scholars and those working in policy areas that impact Dream Scholars. Our program design and philosophy is to have as many departments as possible responsible for Dream Scholars’ needs, resources, policies, advocacy, education, and support.
  • UndocuQueer & UndocuTrans Resources

ONDAS Student Center at UCSB promotes the success and retention of first-generation college students with an emphasis on the first-year transition and underrepresented student experience. We provide mentoring and academic support in a learning-centered space for students to connect with faculty, staff, and peers in order to grow personally and excel academically. We are located in Kerr Hall room 1150. Our doors are open 9:00 AM-5:00 PM and closed 12:00-1:00 PM daily. Our door is located next to the elevators.

Transfer Student Center:

Founded in 2016, the Transfer Student Center is a space for students who have transferred to UCSB to make connections: with each other, with the resources of the campus, and with pathways to academic and career success.

COMMUNITY FOR TRANSFER STUDENTS

The Center provides a place for transfer students to study, meet other students, talk with peer mentors, and build a shared community of support and learning.

ACADEMIC ADVISING

The Center’s experienced academic advisors are able to help transfer students transition successfully to the four-year research university setting.  In addition to assisting students with academic planning, these advisors help connect students to campus resources and programs that add value to their undergraduate education.

PEER EDUCATORS AND MENTORS

The Peer Educators and Mentors are a group of experienced transfer and graduate students who are available to discuss academic expectations, effective strategies for academic success, undergraduate research opportunities, study tips, and much more.

WORKSHOPS ON ALL ASPECTS OF ACADEMIC, SOCIAL, AND FINANCIAL LIFE

Drawing on experienced faculty and professional staff, the Center organizes workshops focusing Academic workshops focus on developing writing, reading, and research skills and adapting the existing writing abilities of transfer students to the university environment.

Research workshops help students take advantage of the enormous resources in the UCSB library, and to get involved with faculty to conduct undergraduate research, a signature of the UCSB experience.

Transfer Student Center Mission

UCSB’s Transfer Student Center supports the academic success, and well-being of UCSB’s transfer students by fostering diversity, providing peer support networks, connections to the campus community, access to resources, relevant programs, and academic advising.

About Us

Transfer Student Center
Office of Undergraduate Education
UCSB Library
University of California Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara CA 93106-2085

For questions about the Center
transferstudentcenter@ltsc.ucsb.edu For questions about College of Letters & Science Academic Advising transferadvising@ltsc.ucsb.edu

The Resource Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity (RCSGD) serves as UCSB’s LGBTQIA+ center and is located on the 3rd floor of the Student Resource Building. The center has a lounge where students can study and spend time between classes, a computer lab with free printing, free snacks, free safer sex and menstruation supplies, and a whole lot of resources!

You can get involved with the center by attending an event, joining the Volunteer Program and Mentorship Program, attending a student organization meeting, or taking advantage of the many resources that the RCSGD provides. The RCSGD exists to ensure that LGBTQIA+ students have the support they need to succeed at UC Santa Barbara. Want to stay up-to-date with our upcoming events? Sign up for our newsletter here.

Secure Housing Accommodations

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Fair Housing Act, and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, you may qualify to receive housing accommodations from UCSB University & Community Housing Services. For more information, contact their office by emailing housinginfo@housing.ucsb.edu, or call 805-893-4371, and ask about how to file a “Request for Special Housing Accommodations.”

Upon submitting the application, the committee comprised of UCSB staff from University & Community Housing Services and the Disabled Students Program will review your submission and determine reasonable accommodation(s) for approved medical/ disability need(s). For more information on housing accommodation regulations and protections, see this guidebook produced by the Fair Housing Center of West Michigan.

Where can I find more resources that can meet my access needs?

See below, and visit our Accessibility Resources page for more! Our webpage CODE’s DSP Guide provides a student-written overview of the services that UCSB’s Disabled Students Program offers. We also have an Accessibility Tools for Education spreadsheet where you can both find accessibility tools and provide links to others you know of. Feel free to add as many as you like!

Administrative Resources

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)

UCSB Student Mental Health Coordination Services: Social Work and Support for “Distressed” Students

A variety of factors, including medical, academic, financial, emotional, family, and social issues, can affect a student’s performance and adjustment at UCSB. The social worker’s role is to help students identify those factors that are obstacles to their success. Together the social worker and student develop a plan to access the resources needed to overcome these obstacles. The ultimate goal is for students to maximize their college experience while at UCSB. This is accomplished through the development of a plan with clearly defined goals that address the student’s needs.

A Social Worker Can Provide
the Following Services:

  • A psychosocial assessment — meeting with the student and consultation with other involved people (with the student’s permission); identification of the student’s obstacles, needs, strengths, and goals to develop a plan
  • Linking the student with appropriate UCSB and community resources and services
  • Provision of ongoing support and advocacy
  • Monitoring the student’s progress towards achieving identified goals
  • Assistance for students who are leaving UCSB in locating and obtaining continued services

Who can I go to if I have a complaint?

Office of the Ombuds

The Office of the Ombuds helps students, staff, and faculty who are dealing with various kinds of issues, including but not limited to interpersonal conflict or violence, academic troubles, workplace issues, and other problems. Their services are “off the record”, meaning that students, staff, and faculty can resolve their issues informally without notifying the university. This is another option for students with accessibility concerns who do not wish to formally file a grievance through the Office of the Student Advocate. For students, services available include consultation and mediation. Consultations are meetings with the ombuds in which they listen to concerns, work with the student to establish goals, and help develop plans for addressing their issues. Mediation is when two individuals who are having a conflict voluntarily go to the Office of the Ombuds in order to receive help in resolving their conflict. More information can be found on the Ombuds website by visiting the following link: https://ombuds.ucsb.edu/

Office OF the Student Advocate

The Office of the Student Advocate is where students can go to seek free and confidential representation, consultation, and other help when charged with violating the Student Code of Conduct. The Student Advocate General is also there to help with addressing accessibility-related concerns on a university affairs level and can represent students in communication with the university. The OSA has four divisions: Academic, Conduct, Grievances, and Financial, for disputes in each of those areas. The OSA works to challenge unfair university policies and advocate for students’ rights during their hearings. The Grievances department also exists for students who are not charged with violating the Student Code of Conduct, and instead wish to file formal grievances in regards to, for example, violations of the ADA or other instances of inaccessibility. Caseworkers work with students to ensure they can represent themselves effectively, while the OSA Community Organizers revise policies based on case trends. The OSA website can be found by visiting the following link: https://advocate.as.ucsb.edu/

Undergraduate Research Support Services

The Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities facilitate equitable access, opportunities, and support for students producing knowledge.

Developed as a resource to help guide students towards experiential education opportunities, the Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (URCA) office seeks to enhance undergraduates’ time at UCSB through participation in research and creative activities. Together, these programs work to foster individuals who are prepared to apply their learned skills toward their future personal, academic, and professional goals.

Grant Program, Undergraduate Research, and Creative Activities (URCA) Grant, Transfer Student Research Award, Faculty Research Assistance Program (FRAP)