Bren Life
Student Activities
Bren School students are engaged in a number of activities, both within and outside of Bren Hall. Students participate on UCSB intramural sports teams, play in the all-student band Brengrass, or take part in a number of professional organizations like Net Impact or the Environmental Justice club.
Bren students also take part in the governance of the school through participation on program committees that make changes to the master’s programs or advise the Dean on student issues. At the University level, Bren is represented by its students in the Graduate Students Association, which addresses graduate student concerns campus-wide.
Students have many opportunities to network through events such as quarterly faculty, staff and student cocktail events, student-selected speaker seminars and community colloquia. Have a look at the Bren Events Schedule to get a good idea of the happenings at Bren.
Transportation & Parking
No matter where you choose to live, getting around Santa Barbara is simple! Many students choose to take advantage of Santa Barbara's extensive bike lanes and UCSB's bike-friendly campus. The Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District (MTD) offers free bus rides for full-time UCSB students, with direct lines running regularly between campus and Downtown, the Mesa, and Goleta.
Student parking permits are available for campus parking and UCSB provides free parking on-campus for scooters and motorcycles. UCSB offers campus community members the opportunity to participate in its Transportation Alternatives Program as well.
For information about Santa Barbara’s local attractions, please explore the "Visit Santa Barbara" website.
Health Insurance
Health insurance is mandatory for all registered UCSB students and is a condition of enrollment. All full- and part-time undergraduate and graduate students are automatically enrolled in, and charged for, the University of California Student Health Insurance Plan (UC SHIP). Students may opt out of UC SHIP by submitting an online insurance waiver confirming they have acceptable health insurance coverage.
Housing
When considering housing options, we encourage you to research both on- and off-campus housing. We recommend that students who are new to the area live on-campus in graduate student housing if possible. However, you must get your application in as soon as possible to be added to the waitlist (see the link below). Incoming Bren students may also find off-campus housing through Craigslist or by connecting with the Bren community.
UCSB Graduate Student Housing
For single graduate students, UCSB offers the San Clemente Village Apartments, located right next to campus and the Isla Vista “IV” community. These apartments are fully furnished and are ideal for international students or students moving from out of the area. Many students choose to live here for their first year and then move to Santa Barbara or into Goleta once they have established friendships and had time to scope out other living options. The 2024-25 Graduate Student Housing Application will be available on March 1, 2024 at 10am and the deadline to complete the application with priority consideration is May 15. We strongly encourage students seeking University housing to complete and submit their applications as soon as possible. Click here for current rates and application information.
UCSB Family Student Housing
UCSB also provides Family Student Housing, which offers a limited number of one- and two-bedroom single-family units for full-time UCSB students. The apartments are rented on a month-to-month basis and are located in two separate complexes about one mile from the main campus. Non-traditional and extended families are welcome. Families with children are given priority. In Family Student Housing, pets are not permitted, with the exception of small caged animals (hamsters, turtles, small birds) and fish in tanks smaller than 10-gallons. Exceptions are reviewed for animals required for disabilities. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
For housing-specific questions or concerns, please contact the Housing Services office at housinginfo@housing.ucsb.edu. For more information on housing options, please visit their Campus Housing page.
Additional details on housing and health insurance will be communicated to incoming MESM students over the summer.