Frequently Asked Questions

Tropicana Gardens is a private residence hall that is owned and operated by a company instead of a college or university. To most students, life in their first-year dorm or residence hall is at the heart of the college experience. It’s where friends are made, learning habits are tested and lifelong memories are created. That’s why your first-year housing choice is so important. Tropicana Gardens is committed to providing SBCC students with the ultimate first year experience and we work closely with SBCC faculty and staff to make that happen.

Tropicana Gardens is 100% dedicated to Santa Barbara City College students, primarily SBCC freshman. Our UCSB student community, Tropicana Del Norte, is located 1 block away on the edge of the UCSB campus. If you are a UCSB student, please visit www.tropicanadelnorte.com.  If you are a continuing college student with at least 12 completed units or 20 years old, you may prefer our nearby upperclassmen apartment community, Villas at Tropicana.

Yes, (RA) live on every floor in each quad to ensure an environment suitable to academic excellence for our residents at Tropicana Gardens. In addition, our RAs help promote a convivial atmosphere by putting on a large assortment of events and programs for our residents. Some of these programs include: trips to Disney land or Big Bear, Easter egg hunts, Quad Wars (pool jousting, tug-of-war, etc.), yoga lessons, soccer games and much more – you’ll essentially never have to look beyond the walls at Tropicana Gardens to have a fun time!

A suite includes bedrooms, bathrooms and a living room --but no kitchen. It’s a combination of dorm and apartment living, giving you the best of both worlds. You will enjoy apartment-style living, while Cafe´ Trop provides all of your meals for you!

At Tropicana Gardens, you sign an individual contract for a bed space in a shared residence hall suite. The pricing is per person, so you are responsible for you and only you, not your roommates.

Tropicana Gardens is is located on the edge of the community of Isla Vista and UCSB. Our street address is 6585 El Colegio Road Goleta, California 93117.

Isla Vista is a lively student community located adjacent to the University of California Santa Barbara. At Tropicana Gardens, you are located far enough away from the noisiest areas of Isla Vista in a quiet environment; yet you are still close enough to join the fun anytime you wish. We’re a short bike ride to nearby shops, restaurants, ATMs and a leisurely 10-minute walk to the beach.

No!  Many residents take the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District (MTD) to and from school. With your SBCC student ID card, it is free to ride any MTD bus. The 15X direct bus route to Santa Barbara City College stops right outside our building every 30 minutes during the school week, and takes approximately 25 minutes to get to City College. Students may also carpool with other City College students, which is another affordable way to get to and from school. For more information regarding the bus, please visit www.sbmtd.gov.

Resident Assistants are chosen in February-March for the following school year. We also hire students to work at our front desks. Check our website for other job postings. Bon Appétit, our food service provider, occasionally hires students as well.

Front Desk Hours:
Monday-Thursday 8 am-11 pm
Friday 8 am - 1 am
Saturday 10 am - 1 am
Sunday 10 am - 11 pm

Business Office Hours:
9 am - 5 pm

Please call our front desk at (805) 968-4319, e-mail us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 
or click on the live chat icon on our webpage. Our Executive Director, Associate Director of Residence Life and Leasing Director can all be contacted through the front desk.

Contact:
Phone: (805) 968-4319
Fax: (805) 968-5703
Email:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Web: www.tropicanagardens.com

From the South

1. Take the Ventura Freeway (101) north. Exit at Los Carneros (it is past the UCSB exit), turn left towards the ocean.
2. Follow Los Carneros until it dead-ends at a stoplight on the corner of Los Carneros and El Colegio Road. Turn left on El Colegio Road. Turn right on Embarcadero Del Mar (the first stoplight.)
3. Make a right into the Tropicana Gardens parking lot.

From the North

1. Take the Freeway (101)  south. Exit at Los Carneros (it is past the UCSB exit), turn left towards the ocean.
2. Follow Los Carneros until it dead-ends at a stoplight on the corner of Los Carneros and El Colegio Road. Turn left on El Colegio Road. Turn right on Embarcadero Del Mar (the first stoplight.)
3. Make a right into the Tropicana Gardens parking lot.

• Bank of America ATM is located off of Embarcadero Del Norte, across the street from Woodstock's.
• Chase Bank & ATM is on the corner of Embarcadero Del Norte & Pardall.
• Montecito Bank & Trust branch is located at Hollister and Storke with drive-thru ATM and with ATMs on the UCSB campus inside the Coral Tree Café next to Cheadle Hall and inside the Courtyard Café.
• Santa Barbara Bank & Trust branch is located at the Camino Real Marketplace.
• Wells Fargo ATM is located off of Pardall near the Starbucks and Subway shopping center. Another one is located near the UCEN on the UCSB campus.

Located on Storke Road, Camino Real Marketplace is your best bet for all basic shopping needs.  The shopping center includes Home Depot, Staples, Costco, Best Buy, Sports Authority and Ross.  You can find this marketplace by going west on El Colegio and turning right onto Storke Road; it will be located a few blocks down on your left-hand side.  In addition, K-Mart is located across the street from Camino Real Marketplace. Bed Bath and Beyond is located off of the Fairview exit.

You can find a couple of restaurants in Isla Vista like Freebirds (Mexican), The Habit (burgers), Woodstock's Pizza, Subway, Silvergreen's, Sam's to Go (sandwiches), Southcoast Deli, Dominos, and Sushiya (sushi).

In Camino Real Marketplace you can find an array of nice restaurants.  They include: Mika Sushi, Gina's Pizza, Sweet Alley, Anna's Bakery, Chili's, Kahuna Grill, Baja Grill, Blenders in the Grass, Starbucks, Hollister Brewing Company, Pasteria, Holdren’s, and McDonald's.

At Tropicana Gardens, you sign an individual contract for a bed space in a shared residence hall suite. The pricing is per person, so you are responsible for you and only you, not your roommates. Your all-inclusive payments include:

• Rent for your bed space in a shared residence hall suite
• Unlimited Meal Plan at our onsite cafe
• All Utilities (electricity, water, gas, trash, basic cable, high-speed wired and wireless internet)
• Light Housekeeping twice monthly
• Use of Tropicana Gardens’ community amenities including heated pool, recreation room, cardio room, study room, and community kitchenette
• Tropicana Gardens residents are also welcome to use all amenities at nearby Tropicana Del Norte including a fitness center, free tanning booth, massage room and 27-seat private movie theater.
• Telephone, laundry and parking are not included.

Changes can be made. However, they are only accepted in writing or through e-mail by the resident or guarantor. Changes cannot be made over the phone. Please contact Director of Leasing, Laura Versola, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Yes. Tropicana Gardens offers 9-month academic year contracts as well as one semester contracts. If you are interested in any contract period other than the standard Academic Year or Semester, contact Laura Versola at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information. You may apply for the Spring semester during the academic year, as there may be vacancies available.

Tropicana Student Organization (TSO) is an elected group of residents that contributes ideas and votes on how to spend the activities budget. Some of the $150 activity fee that is paid at the beginning of the year goes towards this budget. All residents are invited to participate in TSO and run for positions such as President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Quad Representatives at the beginning of the year.

By definition, a security deposit is money paid in advance of a transaction to protect the landlord against damage or non-payment. The $350 payment at the beginning of the year is refunded, less a $50 cleaning fee, if the room and its contents are in the exact condition as when the resident moved in. A Room Condition Report (RCR) is completed at the beginning of the year by our staff. Each resident, upon move-in, may document any damages in the room prior to moving in on the RCR. The amount refunded from the security deposit depends on the extent of damages caused throughout the year. Damage in any location of the suite is divided by the amount of residents that live in the suite. This is referred to in university environments as “community damage billing.” For example, in a 6-person suite, damage in the living room (a common area for all 6 residents) is divided by six, while any damage in the double bedroom is divided by 2 (amongst the people that live in that bedroom). Unless a resident takes responsibility for any damages, each person in the suite is charged from their security deposit for damages.

BEFORE THINKING OF CANCELLING - HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT THE FOLLOWING:

1. Have you tried resolving any issues you may have with roommates that may be potentially
2. causing conflict?
3. Have you tried including a Resident Assistant or another Tropicana Staff member to help resolve any potential conflicts?
4. Have you considered requesting a room change? (Note: there is a $200 room move
5. fee.)
6. Have you considered placing an ad on Craigslist, SBCC’s Housing Site, to find someone willing to take over your contract?

Tropicana Student Housing has a cancellation policy as follows:

A. Cancel by June 30, 2013 - $500.00 cancellation fee
B. Cancel between July 1, 2013 - July 31, 2013 = $1,500.00 cancellation fee (plus pro-rated daily rate, if any)
C. Cancellation between August 1, 2013 - first day of the contract = $2,500.00 cancellation fee (plus pro-rated daily rate, if any)
D. Cancel after the first day of the contract - The greater of $2,000.00 or 50% of the remaining contract (based on the pro-rated daily rate) fee

Notes about the Cancellation Policy:

1. Student/Guarantor has the right to find an acceptable replacement student that Tropicana Student Housing agrees is a suitable replacement to avoid paying cancellation fee. A $500.00 Administrative Fee will be assessed for lease takeovers.
2. If you cancel your contract, to finalize your bill, we will take the following steps: (a.) We will calculate the total contract amount for the year and prorate the number of nights responsible during the contract.  (b.) We will  then add the cancellation fee according to the date of the cancellation. (c.) We add the cancellation fee, plus the nightly rate and number of days in contract and add any other fees or outstanding balances remaining on your account to determine your final account balance.
3. If you cancel your contract, you lose the right to park at our facility or to resell your space, and you will not be refunded any money for parking.
4. Your Tropicana Student Organization Fee will be forfeited.
5. Your security deposit will be returned less the $50.00 cleaning fee and any other damage charges and outstanding balances. (The $50.00 cleaning fee includes steam cleaning of the carpet and normal cleaning, but does not include removal of items, etc.)
6. Once you have checked out, signed a cancellation form and your account is paid in full, you will be relieved of your contractual duties.

Note:
If you are a member of the United States Armed Forces on active duty and receive change-of-station orders to permanently leave the local area; are returned to active military duty; or are a national guard or reservist called to active duty, then you may terminate the Contract by giving written notice to us from the US Government.

Move in for SBCC Fall Semester 2013 is Sunday, August 25. See important dates.

We offer two types of early move-ins for Tropicana Gardens. The first early move-in option is $200 to move in the Saturday before the scheduled move in day, or $400 to move in the Friday before the scheduled move in day. If you are interested in this early move in option, please download an Early Move-In Application.

THE TEMPO EARLY MOVE IN REGISTRATION DEADLINE HAS PASSED. PLEASE CONTACT LAURA VERSOLA AT This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it FOR FURTHER TEMPO INQUIRIES.
The second option is TEMPO: Tropicana Early Move-in Program and Orientation. For $500, you are able to move in on the Tuesday before the scheduled move in day, and you can participate in fun-filled week of activities like movies, downtown dinners, tours of Santa Barbara City College, and many helpful workshops. If you are interested in this early move in option, please download a TEMPO application.

For questions regarding TEMPO, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Residence Halls traditionally close for the Thanksgiving holiday, Winter Break (includes Christmas and New Year's) and Spring Break. If you are unable to go home during Santa Barbara City College academic breaks because of school, athletic or work obligations, you may make arrangements to stay at Tropicana Gardens. Requests must be made in advance at the front desk and are approved on a case by case basis.  Please note that there is a fee of $50 per day and there is no food service during academic breaks. We are open Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President's Day, Memorial Day and Veteran's Day. Please see our Academic Year Calendar. Please note that Academic Calendars are different for SBCC and UCSB.

We provide numerous different room options.  We offer single, double, triple, and quad occupancy bedrooms in the three different bedroom sizes. A single means one person in the bedroom, while a double means two people sharing, a triple means three people sharing, and a quad means four people sharing the one bedroom.  

With our suite styles, we specifically offer:

• Single in the A Bedroom
• Small Double in the A Bedroom
• Double in the B Bedroom
• Triple in the C Bedroom
• Quad in the C Bedroom

Our $uper $aver $uite is our 2 Bedroom/1Bath Suite with a Double in the A and a Quad in the B of our (shown above).

Please refer to our suite layouts for a better understanding of the room options.

2 Bedroom/1 Bathroom Suite

3 Bedroom/2 Bathroom Suite

$uper $aver $uite

Both men and women live in the same building together. The individual suites house only men or only women, with the opposite gender potentially living in an adjacent suite or quad.

Residents will be able choose their suite or room though our online Roommate Matching and Room Selection service. Room choices will become available in late summer.

Once your contract has been accepted, we will use your Profile to match you with compatible roommates, or you can find your own roommates by comparing profiles with other Trop residents. To use this feature, log in to My Trop Account. Choose your Term under the Application Tab, then click on Roommate Profile in the left column. Click the box to be included in the roommate searching process. Set up your own Profile Screen Name (for privacy reasons, we recommend using a nickname). Enter a short description of yourself that will be viewable by potential roommates.

You may search for roommates in three ways under the Roommate Request section:

Know who you want to room with? Search by first and last name, email and birth date.

Search by Profile Questions, selecting those questions that are most important to you.

Browse through other student profiles and see your compatibility score with them.

Find someone interesting as a potential roommate? Send a message, using this feature as a sort of interview for each other.  Only your screen name is used during this interaction, so if you decide not to room with that person, your privacy is still protected. Once you find a good match, you can choose to room together by sending a Request, which they can Accept or Decline. Please remember that roommate requests must be mutual and accepted by both people for us to place two people together.

Download roommate matching instructions.

You may request to live on the Honors Floor if you have a 3.5 GPA or higher. You’ll be asked to submit your transcripts to live on the Honors Floor with other academically-focused students.

You may choose to reside on the Quiet Floor, where other like-minded individuals choose to live a quiet lifestyle.

In a 2 bedroom/1 bath suite, depending on the room type selected by all residents, there may be 3-4 people sharing a bathroom (Super Savers will have 6 people sharing one bathroom). In a 3 bedroom/2 bath suite, there may be 2-4 people sharing a bathroom. Bathrooms are within each suite, so they are not co-ed.

All bedrooms come with privacy locks installed.

Your suite comes furnished as follows:

LIVING ROOM
2 Bedroom suites come furnished with a sofa, 1 chair, coffee table, side table and bookcase. 3 Bedroom suites come furnished with a sofa, 2 chairs, coffee table, side table and bookcase.

SINGLE IN A BEDROOM
Twin XL bedframe and mattress
1 large dresser
1 desk and desk chair

SMALL DOUBLE IN A BEDROOM & SUPER SAVER
2 Twin XL bedframes and mattresses
(bunked due to space)
2 small dressers
1 shared desk and desk chair*

DOUBLE IN B BEDROOM
2 Twin XL bedframes and mattresses
2 large dressers
2 desks and desk chairs

TRIPLE IN C BEDROOM
3 Twin XL bedframes and mattresses
3 large dressers
2 desks and desk chairs to share*

QUAD IN C BEDROOM & SUPER SAVER
4 Twin XL bedframes and mattresses
(must be bunked due to space)
3 small dressers
2 desks and desk chairs to share*

BATHROOMS
All showers come with doors (no shower curtain necessary)

* Shared desks are at the request of the majority of students that have lived with us in the past, to allow as much space in the room as possible. We will honor requests to add a desk/chair. We HIGHLY recommend waiting for 2 weeks until after move in to determine if the desk/chair is really needed.

If you bring your own furniture, note that the furniture provided by Trop must stay in your suite.

Things that you should bring are sheets (extra long twin), blankets, pillows, pillowcases, bedspread, towels, washcloths, toilet paper, alarm clock, computer, radio, beach towel, bicycle, lock, iron, non-halogen study lamp, and toiletries. You may also want to bring a TV, personal items, laundry soap, desk lamp, and a personal refrigerator not exceeding 3.8 cubic feet.  All rooms have blinds on the windows and all bedrooms are carpeted.

Pianos, organs, drums, electric guitars, hookahs, guns, weapons, dart boards, pets, candles, incense, water beds and fire arms/explosives are not allowed at Tropicana Gardens.

We have provided a kitchenette for residents’ use, which is located off our study lounge. (Note: there are no kitchens in resident suites.)  The kitchenette has an oven, stovetop, sink, microwave and limited cookware which residents can borrow from the front desk. Please know that cooking is not permitted in the suites. Coffee pots are allowed. Rice cookers, hot oil popcorn poppers, open coil heating devices and blenders are not allowed.

Yes, there is an Ethernet connection in each suite. Each resident may have several devices (laptop, smartphone) registered on our wireless connection.

Tropicana has an outside provider named Pavlov Media that hosts all of our Internet-related questions. Tropicana has both wireless and hard-wired Internet for your convenience. The Pavlov Media staff is available 24 hours a day/7 days a week. Their number is 1-888-472-8568 and their website is www.pavlovmedia.com.

With our 500 Mb of bandwidth, Tropicana should have high-speed service with excellent coverage. However, if you do experience slowdowns or other issues, be sure to email our Director of Technology at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if and when you experience any Internet issues, giving as much detail as possible (date/time, computer & browser used, wired vs. wireless, etc.).

There is a 24-quiet hour study lounge located onsite. In addition, there are other study buildings on the SBCC and UCSB campus.

Yes, if you choose to have a landline, wiring is available. The telephone line is an additional cost. You must provide your phone number to us as soon as you register.

We have vehicle parking above ground and underground available for sale and plenty of bike parking. Parking applications will be available in early August with move-in information.

Tropicana Gardens has two on-site laundry facilities which are located in the St. Croix and Barbados Quads.  To wash one load of laundry costs $2.00; to dry one load of laundry is $1.50. Our laundry machines are card operated only. You will receive a laundry card upon move-in and can add money to it throughout the year using cash or a credit/debit card. The laundry card machine is located in rec room. You can go online to see how many machines are available or how much longer your laundry has. Go to www.laundryalert.com and use the password: Trop.

Yes, our housekeeping staff will provide light housekeeping services twice a month. Light housekeeping includes: vacuuming, dusting, bathroom cleaning, and emptying the trash can. If a suite is too dirty, housekeeping reserves the right not to clean it.

We have staff that takes care of any maintenance problems residents may have, from a broken window to a faulty toilet. Just come down to the front desk or log into My Trop Account and fill out a Maintenance Request.  If the issue is an after-hours emergency, please contact the RA Duty cell phone at (805) 637-5046.

Residents under 21 years of age may not consume alcohol at Tropicana Gardens. Residents over 21 years of age may consume alcohol in their room but not in the presence of minors or in public areas. If alcohol use is seen, smelled or heard, it is considered public, visible, and in violation of this policy. By contract, any staff members who witness this (by sight, smell, or noise) may enter and search the suite and/or room for policy violations.

Guests are welcome up to three days in a 14-day period if all suite-mates are in agreement, with the exception of the Halloween period, when no guests are allowed on the property. You will find out more about this from your RA during a suite meeting during your first month here at Trop.

Tropicana Gardens is a 100% smoke-free building.  However, we do have a designated smoking areas located on the east and west sides of our building and in our outside parking lot.

The best place to start is with your Resident Assistant (RA), who is a student staff member living on your floor.  The Director of Residence Life and the Executive Director are professional staff members who focus on the students' concerns while living at Trop.  There are also counseling services available on the SBCC campus.

The Community Standards can be found in the Tropicana Student Housing Student Handbook, located on our website.  Each resident will also receive an orientation to our community standards during the Town Hall meeting on move-in day and during a suite meeting with their RA during the first month of school.

The tunnel doors from Tropicana’s parking lot are closed each evening at 8 pm. Students must use their suite key to enter the building, or go through the front office when open. RAs perform community walks of the facility in the evenings on a regular basis. Many staff members live on site and are available 24-hours a day.

The Front Desk can assist if you are locked out, by providing a one-shot key that is active for 15 minutes. There is no charge for the first three lockouts per semester.  Starting with the fourth lockout there is a $5.00 one-shot key charge.  If the suite key is permanently lost, or if the one-shot key is not returned, there is a $25.00 key replacement fee.

If you are inside a building during an earthquake, stay inside.
Sit or crouch against an interior hallway or take cover under a desk or table.
Stay away from all glass areas such as windows and mirrors.
Leave the building when the shaking stops and remain outside.
Do not stand under overhangs on the outside of buildings.  Move into the open and stay away from power lines.
Follow safety instructions given by staff.

Fire in the Building
Upon discovery of a fire, make sure that everyone is out of the room.  Leave the room and close the door behind you.  Break the nearest fire alarm box, pull the fire alarm, and dial 911 to report the fire. Contact the nearest staff member and evacuate the building.  All fires must be reported, even those which were self-contained and were put out.  According to state and federal law, the fire department needs to investigate every fire.

Fire Alarm Evacuation Procedure

• Test your door for heat or smoke before exiting.
• Should the door be warm or the hallway impassable:
• Place towels or a blanket at the base of the door.
• Telephone the fire dispatcher at 911, giving name, address and room number.
• Go to the window and make your presence known.
• If the door is cool, exit the building immediately by the route which is posted on the back of your front door.
• Grab your shoes, jacket, and keys before evacuating.
• If you are in your room, lock your door and take your key when leaving.
• Once outside in the designated area, maintain 100 feet of clearance from the building.  Please wait for instruction from staff or a trained professional.
• Re-enter the building only after receiving instructions to do so.

Every alarm must be treated as a genuine emergency.  It is each resident’s responsibility to leave the building whenever a fire alarm sounds.

 

Tropicana Gardens offers an unlimited, all day meal plan, which is already included in the total contract rate.  Through Bon Appétit Management Company, we offer one of the finest university dining service programs available.  Each meal is prepared daily with a strong emphasis on nutrition using fresh, grade-A ingredients. A variety of menu items are offered at each meal, including low-fat, vegetarian, and vegan options.  A salad bar and fresh-baked desserts are offered daily. Our menu is listed and updated weekly in the café and on our website or for daily menu updates, follow us on Twitter (@tropcafe).

We utilize a Biometrics system that registers your finger image to allow you access to the cafeteria. All you need to bring is your fingerprint!  When you enter the café at Tropicana Gardens, which is located on the ground floor across from the swimming pool, stop by the check stand by the entrance and place your finger on the scanner. This registers you and will allow you into the cafe.

We work hard to accommodate a wide variety of tastes and needs.  Each meal is properly labeled and offers at least one vegetarian meal option. It is best to alert Jeremy Glennon, Bon Appétit General Manager, to your needs.  A copy of the weekly menu is available on our website. Jeremy Glennon can be reached at (805) 968-2501.

Don’t worry, we have accounted for that with a variety of options! Our café is open from 6:45am-8:00pm Monday through Thursday, from 6:45am-7:00pm Fridays, and 8:00am-7:00pm on the weekends. Monday through Friday, we serve three hot meals a day, and always have snack options between hot meal times. On weekends, we offer hot brunch and dinner, with a continental breakfast for early-risers, and snacks between brunch and dinner. If you are going to be on campus for lunch, Café Trop can provide you with a sack lunch to pick up at breakfast if you fill out the form the evening prior. Won’t be home until  later? Just show your class schedule to sign up for the late dinner option and we’ll keep a plate warm for you.

If you will miss a meal, be sure to schedule a late meal or sack lunch in advance with the café.

The Trop meal plan is only valid at our onsite café at Tropicana Gardens and at Tropicana Del Norte (1 block away.) If you will miss a meal, be sure to schedule a late meal or sack lunch in advance with the café.

Non-residents are welcome to purchase meal cards. Meal Card are:

10 meals for $100.00
20 meals for $190.00

Or you can purchase an Academic Year Unlimited Meal Plan for $5,000.00. Residents of our Villas at Tropicana apartments receive a 20% discount on the Academic Year Unlimited Meal Plan.

No, pricing is the same for all students.

No, international students are welcome to stay at Tropicana  Gardens during all academic breaks as we realize it is much harder for international students to travel home or to arrange alternate housing. Note that the Café will be closed during all academic breaks.

All early arrival scheduling can be arranged through Laura Adams, the Director of Leasing, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Tropicana has summer camps moving in immediately upon closing of the academic year, but we may be able to accommodate you.  If you will be departing later than the closing date of Tropicana  Gardens please contact Laura Adams, the Director of Leasing, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Every year we house more than 50 international students at Tropicana.  We have welcomed residents from all over the world including Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Kuwait, Mexico, New Zealand, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand and many more.

Most international residents choose to live with other Americans, but depending on how late or early you apply for a contract, your housing situation may differ.  In our three Tropicana communities, we house around 1,000 students, so you will be surrounded by people from all around California, the United States, and other countries. With our Roommate Matching service, you can find other international or American students with whom you would be a good match.

When you arrive at Tropicana, you will meet your Resident Assistant (RA) for the year. Your Resident Assistant can assist you with any issues related to your suite or roommates, or may even be able to direct you to on-campus resources.

Activities and events are held at Tropicana Gardens every week.  When you arrive, speak to your Resident Assistant for details about upcoming trips. Past programs include trips to Disneyland, Six Flags and Big Bear ski area.

Yes.  Many residents take the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District (MTD) bus to and from SBCC and to downtown Santa Barbara and the nearby Camino Real Marketplace.  With your SBCC student ID card, it is free to ride any MTD bus.  The 15X bus is the express route to Santa Barbara City College; there is a bus stop right next to our building. The 24x bus line south takes you downtown and 24X heading north takes you to Camino Real Marketplace.

Tropicana also has a bike loan program just for international students. Loaner bikes are issued upon check-in on a first-come, first-served basis.