A public R1 research university in Berkeley, CA, admitting 10.98% of applicants with test-free admissions and a $13,481 average net price.
Berkeley, California
The University of California, Berkeley is a public R1 research university in Berkeley, California, founded in 1868 as the founding campus of the University of California system. It enrolls 33,068 undergraduates and 12,812 graduate students across colleges and schools including Letters and Science, Engineering, the Haas School of Business, Natural Resources, Environmental Design, Chemistry, Social Welfare, and Education.
Social sciences, computer science, engineering, and the biological sciences account for the largest shares of bachelor's degrees. Berkeley holds a Doctoral University: Very High Research Activity (R1) Carnegie classification and is accredited through the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). The University of California system permanently eliminated SAT and ACT score consideration in 2021; scores are not reviewed or used in Berkeley's admissions process.
Official website: berkeley.edu
UCD scores every college on four pillars: Outcomes, Value, Affordability, and Selectivity. Within peer group A (four-year selective institutions), Berkeley scores 92.75 overall, rated Excellent. Outcomes (97.14) reflects a 92.84% six-year graduation rate and strong long-term earnings relative to peer public universities. Value scores 96.99, driven by an average net price of $13,481 and high earnings relative to cost. Affordability scores 59.51. All scores use verified federal data only.
Berkeley is the most selective public university in the country by admission rate, admitting 10.98% of applicants. The University of California system is test-free: SAT and ACT scores are not reviewed, required, or considered in admissions at any UC campus. There are no SAT or ACT score averages to report for Berkeley admitted students.
UC applications use a personal insight question format rather than a Common App essay; applicants answer four of eight prompts about their experiences and academic context. The application deadline for UC campuses is November 30. Berkeley's review weights academic record, course rigor, and personal insight questions. The most selective programs at Berkeley include Computer Science, Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences (EECS), and Haas undergraduate business, each of which has a significantly lower admit rate than the overall campus rate.
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether University of California-Berkeley is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
For California residents, Berkeley charges $16,347 in tuition and fees plus $23,750 in room and board, bringing the estimated total cost of attendance to approximately $44,000 before aid. For out-of-state and international students, tuition is $50,547, bringing total estimated cost of attendance to approximately $78,000 before aid.
The UC Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan covers tuition and fees for California residents with household incomes under $80,000; room, board, and personal expenses are not covered by that program. The average net price across all enrolled students is $13,481. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $5,311. For families earning between $75,001 and $110,000, the net price averages $15,074. For families earning above $110,000, it averages $34,529.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Application fee: $80 (one-time, due at submission)
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
Berkeley completes the large majority of the students it enrolls. The six-year graduation rate is 92.84% for full-time, first-time bachelor's-seeking students. The four-year rate is 75.13%, lower than at most selective private universities, reflecting factors common to large public universities: course access constraints in high-demand programs, students working while enrolled, and major changes that extend degree timelines. First-year retention stands at 96.77%.
Berkeley graduates earn above the national median for public research universities. Median earnings are $74,919 six years after first enrolling and $92,446 at ten years. At the ten-year mark, 87.54% of former students earn more than a typical high school graduate. Berkeley's federal loan rate of 16.83% and median debt of $13,000 are consistent with peer public flagship universities. Computer science, engineering, and economics graduates at Berkeley typically earn well above the institutional median, and proximity to the Bay Area technology industry accelerates placement into high-paying roles.
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Berkeley enrolls 33,068 undergraduates in the city of Berkeley, across the Bay from San Francisco in the East Bay. Asian students account for 35.45% of undergraduates, the highest proportion at any major research university in the country; Hispanic 22.10%, white 19.79%, and Black 2.05%.
Twenty-nine percent of undergraduates receive Pell grants, and 34.58% are first-generation college students, both figures significantly higher than at private selective universities. The Bay Area location gives undergraduates direct access to the largest technology industry cluster in the world, with internships, networking, and full-time roles concentrated in San Francisco, San Jose, and the Peninsula.
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
Where students live, learn, and connect at University of California-Berkeley. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
University of California-Berkeley offers an extensive catalog of programs: 207 distinct programs across 23 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
Berkeley operates at an 18:1 student-to-faculty ratio, reflecting its large enrollment relative to faculty size. 69.57% of instruction is delivered by full-time faculty; the remaining share is provided by lecturers, graduate student instructors, and adjunct faculty, particularly in large introductory courses. Instructional spending per full-time equivalent student is $23,741 per year, lower than at private research universities.
The endowment stands at $3.18 billion; Berkeley's budget relies substantially on state appropriations, federal research grants, and tuition revenue. Berkeley faculty have won more Nobel Prizes than most universities, and the research output of the institution across physics, chemistry, computer science, and the social sciences is among the highest in the world.
1,954 instructional faculty across 6 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
| Rank | Faculty Count | Share | Avg Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Professors | 852 | 44% | $242,489 |
| Associate Professors | 388 | 20% | $164,341 |
| Assistant Professors | 348 | 18% | $133,612 |
| Instructors | 2 | 0% | $56,100 |
| Lecturers | 342 | 18% | $114,253 |
| No Rank | 22 | 1% | $101,598 |
Berkeley's strongest data points are its UCD score (92.75 Excellent, placing it near Stanford at 91.71), its exceptional access profile (28.6% Pell, 34.58% first-generation), and an average net price of $13,481 that represents strong value at a research institution of this caliber. For California residents, the Blue and Gold plan makes tuition effectively free for families under $80,000. The trade-offs are real: an 18:1 student-faculty ratio means large classes are common, especially in the first two years; the four-year graduation rate of 75.13% is substantially lower than at peer private universities; and 69.57% of instruction comes from full-time faculty, with a meaningful share delivered by graduate instructors.
Out-of-state and international students pay approximately $78,000 before aid, which approaches private university sticker prices without the private university aid programs. Best fit for California residents who qualify for Blue and Gold aid, students targeting engineering or computer science in Silicon Valley, and students who want a large research environment with strong access to Bay Area industry.
The questions below address what students and families most commonly search about UC Berkeley: how selective admissions are, what the test-free policy means, how cost compares for California vs. out-of-state students, what the Blue and Gold plan covers, and what graduates earn.
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