Similar Coastal Location & Campus Size:
* UC San Diego (UCSD): While larger overall, UCSD has a beautiful coastal location with a sprawling campus. It's more urban than UCSB's isolated feel, though.
* University of Oregon (UO): Situated near the coast with a large campus, though the immediate surroundings are more of a city than a town.
* University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC): Another UC, with a stunning coastal setting, but a very different campus layout – more spread out and integrated into the forested environment.
Similar Small-Town Feel (but less coastal):
* University of Vermont (UVM): Located in Burlington, a smaller city with a strong college town vibe. Lacks the coastal element.
* University of Delaware (UD): Newark, Delaware, is a smaller city with a significant college presence. Again, lacking the coastal aspect.
* Colorado College (CC): Located in Colorado Springs, offering a small-town feel with mountain views instead of ocean views.
Similar Academic Focus (but different location):
While location is your primary concern, UCSB's strong science and engineering programs might lead you to consider other institutions with similar strengths, regardless of location. These would be widely varied geographically.
Important Note: No school will perfectly replicate UCSB's location. The combination of a large, beautiful coastal campus in a relatively small town is quite rare. When comparing schools, you'll need to prioritize which aspects of UCSB's location are most important to you (ocean proximity, town size, campus size, etc.) to find the best fit.