UC Berkeley
加州大学伯克利- Tier 2
- Berkeley, CA
- UC system
- Data last checked 2026-10
UC Berkeley admits about 11% of first-year applicants. It does not consider SAT / ACT, and the GPA reference is 3.85 (UC capped weighted). International admission ignores financial need, but UC gives no need-based aid to international students. A year costs about $54,674 in-state and $93,944 out-of-state (2026-27).
Admit rate by applicant pool
At the same school, admit rates can differ a lot depending on who is applying.
Source: Fall 2025 · CDS
Flagship Majors and Admit Data
| Major | Admit rate | vs overall | One-liner |
|---|---|---|---|
| EECS (Engineering College)★ Flagship | Not published | Much harder | |
| CDSS - Computer Science★ Flagship | Not published | Much harder | |
| Haas School - Business★ Flagship | Not published | Much harder | |
| College of Engineering★ Flagship | Not published | Harder |
Where no official major admit rate is published, difficulty is estimated from the school's public information.
Two years CC + transfer to UC Berkeley
UCB 不参加 TAG。Fall 2026 转学录取率 20.0%（26,210 申 / 5,248 录，93% 来自 CCC；新生 10.5%）。L&S / 工院最低 UC-transferable GPA 3.5、CDSS 3.0；Haas 转学极难需 3.9+，L&S CS 也竞争激烈。De Anza / Diablo Valley / SMC 是最强 feeder（UC 官方 2026-09 核）
US applicants
- Overall admit rate
- 11%. The actual number for the domestic pool (which holds most seats) is roughly aligned with the official figure.
- Financial aid / FAFSA
- Need-blind for domestic; FAFSA aid applications don't affect admission (international admission doesn't consider financial need either, but UC offers no need-based aid to international students).
- Privates have no in-state preference
- Domestic applications don't differentiate by state, but schools care about state representation (over-concentrated areas face competitive squeeze).
- Test policy
- UC system-wide Test-Blind, SAT/ACT not considered (since 2021). Official policy ›
- Application timing
- ED/EA deadlines early November, RD January. Domestic families typically begin college visits at the end of 11th grade.
International (F-1) applicants
- International friendliness 2 / 3
- Normal international pool (most schools), admit rate 30-60% lower than domestic
- Need-blind for international
- Admission doesn't consider financial need, but no need-based aid is offered to international students
- UC international
- System-wide international admit rate 5-8% (much lower than CA in-state) with almost no aid.
Cost per year
Published cost of attendance for 2026-27 (tuition, housing, food, books and fees): about $54,674 in-state and $93,944 out-of-state.
This is the published sticker price; what a family actually pays depends on financial aid and scholarships.
Waitlist
| Cycle | Accepted a waitlist spot | Admitted from waitlist | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2025 | 6,479 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Fall 2024 | 7,853 | 26 | 0.3% |
| Fall 2023 | 4,820 | 1,191 | 25% |
- Extra materials
- The school states it does not consider extra materials
- Confirming your spot
- Choose to join the waitlist on MAP@Berkeley by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on April 15 (you have to choose this yourself; you won't be added automatically)
- When you'll hear
- Openings aren't known until early May; most students hear in May or June, and the waitlist stays open all summer
- By college / major
- Students admitted from the waitlist may be offered only limited ways to enroll; for example, applicants to the College of Letters and Science may be offered only the Fall Program, where the first semester is taken off campus
- Other rules
- Letters of continued interest and extra recommendation letters are not accepted
- Other rules
- You can stay on the waitlist at several UC campuses at once, but you can accept only one admission offer
Numbers are from the school's Common Data Set (section C2), checked 2026-10. They can change a lot from year to year; the school's latest release is authoritative. Official waitlist policy ›
Already on a waitlist? The Application Rescue Kit lays out the timeline and real cost of four paths: waitlist, gap year, transfer and spring admission ›Transfer
Fall transfer, Fall 2025: 23,401 applied and 5,658 were admitted (about 24%).
Requirements:The UC system gives California community college students priority over other transfer applicants, but it also accepts students from other schools. The College of Engineering gives top priority to California community college students who have finished all prerequisites, with other UC campuses, four-year schools, international schools and out-of-state community colleges after them. Berkeley does not take part in TAG (Transfer Admission Guarantee).
Are popular majors open to external transfers?
- Computer scienceLimitedYou can apply directly to the computer science major in your application and must finish all prerequisites, with California community college students given priority; UC Information Center: in fall 2025, the computer science category had 2,622 transfer applicants and 155 admits (about 5.9%).
- EngineeringLimitedThe College of Engineering only admits junior transfers, who need 60 units and all of the major's lower-division prerequisites; IGETC is not accepted; students coming from a four-year school with 89 or more units (or who went from a community college to a four-year school) are ruled ineligible; UC Information Center: in fall 2025, the engineering category had 2,799 transfer applicants and 421 admits (about 15%).
- BusinessLimitedYou can apply to the Haas School of Business directly in the UC transfer application (not open to students already admitted to Berkeley in another major); UC Information Center: in fall 2025, the business category had 2,413 transfer applicants and 118 admits (about 4.9%).
UC Berkeley · US College Application Deep Read · Chinese-American Lens
In the Chinese-American US college application pool, UC Berkeley sits in the Elite-select private (high-pressure layer for Chinese-American families) layer. Overall admit rate is 11%, with traditional strength in Computer Science / Engineering / Business, and EECS (Engineering College) as the entry that Chinese-American families track most.
UC Berkeley is part of the University of California (UC) system — test-blind (SAT/ACT ignored), evaluating UC-capped weighted GPA against a 3.85 25th-percentile floor. For international applicants, UC Berkeley doesn't consider financial need in admission, but offers no need-based aid to international students, which means F1 applicants should plan for the full cost. CC transfer admit rate ~20%, no TAG but still a mainstream channel.
If you or a parent is evaluating whether UC Berkeley is a reach, match, or safety in this US college application cycle, the "I have 4.0 / 1500, can I get in?" question is not answerable from public forums alone — real judgment requires layering this season's admissions policy, your high-school competitive density, within-major selectivity, and ED/EA timing into one model. At the elite-select tier, EA vs ED choice can shift admit probability by 1-2 tiers; lock the call before September. The Kaiso engine assigns UC Berkeley to a tier based on your real profile, and every judgment is auditable.
What parents ask about UC Berkeley
What is UC Berkeley's undergraduate admit rate?
UC Berkeley (加州大学伯克利) overall undergraduate admit rate is about 11% (UC system). SAT mid-range (25-75 percentile) Test-Blind policy, no test scores considered. GPA threshold reference 3.85 (UC capped weighted). Data last verified 2026-10.
Does UC Berkeley require the SAT or ACT?
UC system-wide Test-Blind, SAT/ACT not considered (since 2021).
What early rounds does UC Berkeley offer?
2026-27 cycle: no early round, regular decision only.
What are UC Berkeley's admit rates for in-state, out-of-state and international applicants?
In-state applicants 14%, Out-of-state applicants 10%, International applicants 5.8%. Source: Fall 2025 · CDS.
How much does a year at UC Berkeley cost?
Published cost of attendance for 2026-27 (tuition, housing, food, books and fees): about $54,674 in-state and $93,944 out-of-state. This is the published sticker price; what a family actually pays depends on financial aid and scholarships.
How hard is it to transfer into UC Berkeley?
Fall transfer, Fall 2025: 23,401 applied and 5,658 were admitted (about 24%). The UC system gives California community college students priority over other transfer applicants, but it also accepts students from other schools. The College of Engineering gives top priority to California community college students who have finished all prerequisites, with other UC campuses, four-year schools, international schools and out-of-state community colleges after them. Berkeley does not take part in TAG (Transfer Admission Guarantee).
How many students get in from UC Berkeley's waitlist?
Fall 2025: 6,479 accepted a waitlist spot and 0 were admitted (about 0.0%); Fall 2024: 7,853 accepted a waitlist spot and 26 were admitted (about 0.3%); Fall 2023: 4,820 accepted a waitlist spot and 1,191 were admitted (about 25%). These numbers can change a lot from year to year; the school's latest release is authoritative.
What are UC Berkeley's flagship majors?
UC Berkeley flagship majors: EECS (Engineering College), CDSS - Computer Science, Haas School - Business, College of Engineering. EECS 直录是 Berkeley 最难专业之一 ~4%，L&S CS 是另一条路径
Is UC Berkeley friendly to international (F1) applicants?
UC Berkeley doesn't consider financial need in admission, but offers no need-based aid to international students — F1 applicants should plan for the full cost. UC system international admit rate is about 5-8% (much lower than CA in-state 15-20%). International friendliness 2/3.
How is UC Berkeley's community college (CC) transfer path?
UC Berkeley's CC transfer admit rate is about 20%, does not join TAG, regular application. Suggested UC GPA during CC ≥ 3.8. UCB 不参加 TAG。Fall 2026 转学录取率 20.0%（26,210 申 / 5,248 录，93% 来自 CCC；新生 10.5%）。L&S / 工院最低 UC-transferable GPA 3.5、CDSS 3.0；Haas 转学极难需 3.9+，L&S CS 也竞争激烈。De Anza / Diablo Valley / SMC 是最强 feeder（UC 官方 2026-09 核）