Berkeley, CA · Public · 33,068 undergraduates · urban
University of California-Berkeley
Highly selective
UC Berkeley is the public university associated with Nobel-level research, political activism, and a view of San Francisco Bay from the Campanile. Its scale is both the bargain and the burden: students gain access to extraordinary departments and a vast course catalog, but they must compete for attention, plan requirements carefully, and act early when a class, lab, or club matters.
Institutional profile
Top tier Exceptional in academic standing, and exceptional in affordability.- Admission
- 11.7% admitted
- Price by income
- Resident and nonresident prices differ
- Completion
- 94.3%
125,910 applicants in the reported year
Compare recent average annual costs by household income
$92,446 median earnings 10 years after enrollment
What sets Berkeley apart
Research strength at public-university scale
Berkeley places major laboratories and highly ranked departments inside an institution serving a large undergraduate population.
The UC application changes the evidence
Personal Insight Questions and the academic record do more work because routine recommendation letters are not part of the standard review.
Residency changes affordability
California residents and nonresidents face materially different published charges, so one national sticker price is misleading.
The Berkeley bargain
Research-university resources, without the small-college wrapper
Berkeley rewards students who can turn institutional scale into a deliberate personal path.
Plan requirements early
Major rules, prerequisites, and course demand make sequencing part of academic strategy.
Ask for the opportunity
Research, clubs, advising, and internships often reward students who approach first and follow up.
Create a smaller community
Departments, co-ops, teams, organizations, and friendships make a vast university manageable.
Can I get in?
11.7% admitted
Berkeley reads the University of California application without recommendations in the ordinary process. Grades, course rigor, activities, context, and the Personal Insight Questions must therefore carry the case directly.
Recent applicant pool
125,910About 12 in every 100 applicants were admitted.
Record over scores
No score range is published for the entering class, so the transcript, the course rigor, and the required materials carry the file.
Admission by residency
Harder from out of state
Undergraduate first-year applicants and admits · Fall 2025
University of California-Berkeley admitted 13.6% of California applicants and 10.3% of applicants from other states. Residents were admitted at 1.3 times the out-of-state rate.
9,874 admitted from 72,646 applicants
3,114 admitted from 30,130 applicants
1,463 admitted from 24,020 applicants
In the season card
Where your GPA sits in the entering class
The full entering-class GPA distribution for Berkeley, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.
See where I landIn the season card
What Berkeley weighs when it reads a file
See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.
- Course rigor
- GPA
- Test scores
- Essay
- Recommendations
- Extracurriculars
- Demonstrated interest
What moves the application
The evidence that separates a strong file
UC course preparation
The academic record must satisfy required subject preparation and show strength relative to the opportunities available.
Direct evidence in four responses
Each Personal Insight Question should add a different fact pattern because ordinary recommendation letters are absent.
Initiative at scale
Show the student can find resources, organize work, and persist without close institutional hand-holding.
Context and contribution
Work, family duties, school limits, community action, and obstacles belong where they explain achievement.
How to apply
Rounds, route, and required materials
Berkeley uses the UC application and does not offer Early Decision or Early Action. The four Personal Insight Questions should provide distinct evidence across achievement, character, context, and contribution.
$80 application fee
Major and program admission
Some fields have their own entry path.
The college admit rate above covers the university as a whole. These requirements apply only to the named program.
ArchitectureAdmits separately
What this program asks for, and when it closes.
Performing and visual artsAdmits separately
What this program asks for, and when it closes.
BusinessAdmits separately
What this program asks for, and when it closes.
Computer scienceAdmits separately
What this program asks for, and when it closes.
EngineeringAdmits separately
What this program asks for, and when it closes.
Can I afford it?
Compare annual cost by household income.
California residency changes the price sharply. Compare resident or nonresident cost as applicable, then account for Bay Area housing and personal expenses.
College funding
Scholarships and financial aid
Review available aid, application requirements, and renewal terms.
University of California-Berkeley publishes one merit award. All of them renew past the first year.
Open across the university · Merit and financial need · Competitive · Renews each year
In the season card
This award, by name
What each one is called, what it pays, the grades and scores it asks for, and what to send.
- The name of each award
- What it pays
- The grades and scores it asks for
- How to be considered
- What to send, and where
In the season card
Average annual cost by household income at Berkeley
Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.
- $0–30k
- $30–48k
- $48–75k
- $75–110k
- $110k+
Is it worth it?
Completion, debt, and earnings
Technology, engineering, research, public service, finance, education, arts, and graduate study draw from Berkeley. Bay Area access is valuable, though students still have to pursue crowded opportunities.
Degree completion across the reported entering cohort
First-year students who return for year two
And what that comes to against what they earn.
Reported 10 years after enrollment
Academic portfolio
Largest bachelor’s fields
How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.
Computer Science
Admits separately
Economics
Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences
Computer and Information Sciences, General
Admits separately
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering
Admits separately
What is campus life like?
Berkeley beyond the classroom
Berkeley is urban, politically active, and less managed than a small residential college. Residence halls provide an opening network; departments, co-ops, clubs, Greek organizations, and the city take over quickly.
Housing requires early planning
Residence halls support the first-year transition, while later options include university apartments, co-ops, Greek housing, and a difficult private market.
The city surrounds the meal plan
Campus dining covers residence life, while Telegraph Avenue and nearby neighborhoods add inexpensive and international options.
Organizations operate at enormous scale
Research, engineering teams, publications, politics, arts, service, entrepreneurship, cultural groups, and athletics can each become a campus within the campus.
The scene is distributed
Co-ops, Greek organizations, clubs, teams, apartments, protests, performances, and Bay Area outings create many separate social maps.
Opportunity rewards initiative
Advising and faculty access exist, but students who ask early and persist generally capture more of what Berkeley offers.