← All colleges

University of California-Berkeley

Berkeley, CA · Public · Midsize city · Carnegie R1/R2 · UC Berkeley · UCB

Public institution in Berkeley, CA · 33,073 undergraduates · 12% acceptance rate · $92,446 median earnings 10 years after entry.

Stats

College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.

Cost

Average net price
$14,979676th cheapest of 1,985 reporting
In-state tuition & fees
$14,850944th cheapest of 2,042 reporting
Out-of-state tuition & fees
$45,6271,755th cheapest of 2,042 reporting
Cost of attendance
$42,7081,282nd cheapest of 1,985 reporting
Median graduate debt
$13,000226th lowest of 1,880 reporting

Outcomes

Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$92,44656th highest of 1,969 reporting
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$74,91985th highest of 1,964 reporting
Graduation rate (4-year)
92.9%54th highest of 2,031 reporting
Full-time retention
96.8%95th highest of 1,853 reporting

Admissions

Acceptance rate
11.7%43rd most selective of 1,608 reporting
Average SAT
—
Median ACT
—

Campus

Undergraduates
33,07338th largest of 2,162 reporting
Student-faculty ratio
18.0:11,713th smallest of 2,159 reporting
Pell Grant share
27.3%1,353rd highest of 2,140 reporting

Nearest large-hub airport: 19 mi (SFO)

On 11 of our 111 lists

Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.

Applying

Common App member
No
Application fee
—
Personal essay
—
Writing supplement
—

Supplemental prompts (2025-26)

  • You will have 8 questions to choose from. You must respond to only 4 of the 8 questions. Each response is limited to a maximum of 350 words.
  • Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time.
  • Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side.
  • What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?
  • Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.
  • Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement?
  • Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom.
  • What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?
  • Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California?

Source: UC Personal Insight Questions (official)

Deadlines and essay flags come from the Common App Requirements Grid, joined by school name. Always confirm against the school’s own admissions page before applying.

Admitted class profile (Fall 2024 entering class)

Average GPA
3.9 (unweighted, 4.0 scale, enrolled first-years)
First-generation
26%

Sources: admissionsight.com, admissions.berkeley.edu, news.berkeley.edu

Best-paying fields of study

Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 80 reported programs.

FieldLevel1 yr2 yr
Electrical, Electronics and Communications EngineeringEngineeringbachelors$140,185$128,868
Computer Sciencebachelors$128,909$125,388
Applied MathematicsMathematics & Statisticsbachelors$79,284$65,387
Mechanical EngineeringEngineeringbachelors$76,146$75,518
StatisticsMathematics & Statisticsbachelors$74,576$69,338
Chemical EngineeringEngineeringbachelors$73,635$80,718
Business Administration, Management and OperationsBusinessbachelors$73,549$81,456
EconomicsSocial Sciencesbachelors$73,321$70,379
Civil EngineeringEngineeringbachelors$66,573$71,351
Urban Studies/AffairsSocial Sciencesbachelors$61,516$48,432
Cognitive ScienceMultidisciplinary Studiesbachelors$60,623$48,667
Social Sciences, OtherSocial Sciencesbachelors$60,256$61,380

Campus facts

Athletics — 17 sports

NCAA Division I-FBS · NCAA Division I

Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $23,138,879 (M $12,306,273 · W $10,832,606)

Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport.

Notable alumni

Illustrative alumni only — not exhaustive and not a quality ranking. Affiliation claims cite Wikipedia/Wikidata; confirm on primary bios before relying on them.

Campus news

Heard this week

Public forum titles that mention this school. Not official, not advice, and not a ranking input.

From the weekly discussion digest · Public forum titles from the last 7 days. Not official campus news, not admissions advice, and not a ranking input. Threads are linked outbound; we do not quote bodies or verify claims.