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Overall Niche Grade
How are grades calculated?Data Sources
Academics
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Value
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Diversity
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Campus
gradeB
Athletics
gradeA
Party Scene
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Professors
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Location
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Dorms
gradeD minus
Campus Food
gradeC+
Student Life
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Safety
gradeC minus
editorial
UC Berkeley is a highly rated public university located in Berkeley, California in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a large institution with an enrollment of 30,824 undergraduate students. Admissions is extremely competitive as the UC Berkeley acceptance rate is 11%. Popular majors include Computer Science, Economics, and Cellular Biology. Graduating 94% of students, UC Berkeley alumni go on to earn a starting salary of $48,700.
About
About UC Berkeley...
- Public College
- SAT/ACT Optional
Athletic Division
NCAA Division I-FBS
Athletic Conference
Pacific-12 Conference
Compare to Other Colleges
- California
- Berkeley
University of California - Berkeley Rankings
Niche rankings are based on rigorous analysis of key statistics from the U.S. Department of Education and millions of reviews.
See All University of California - Berkeley Rankings
Cal Admissions
Acceptance Rate
11%
Application Deadline
Deadline for application submissions. Please contact the school for more details.
November 30
SAT Range
1310-1530
ACT Range
30-35
Application Fee
$70
SAT/ACT
Considered but not required
High School GPA
Required
Early Decision/Early Action
No
Application Website
Students also applied to ...
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University of California - Los Angeles
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University of California - San Diego
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University of California - Davis
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University of California - Irvine
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University of Southern California
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Stanford University
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University of California - Santa Barbara
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University of California - Santa Cruz
More
Read More About Admissions
Will You Get Into Cal?
Test Scores and High School GPA for University of California - Berkeley
See Other CollegesCost
Net Price
$19,257/ year
National
$15,523
Average cost after financial aid for students receiving grant or scholarship aid, as reported by the college.
Average Total Aid Awarded
$21,669/ year
National
$7,535
Students Receiving Financial Aid
60%
Find Private Student Loans
Find College Scholarships
Find college scholarships
Academics
Professors
gradeA
Based on faculty accomplishments, salary, student reviews, and additional factors.
Student Faculty Ratio
14:1
Evening Degree Programs
Yes
71%
of students agree that professors put a lot of effort into teaching their classes.249 responses
37%
of students agree that it is easy to get the classes they want.302 responses
33%
of students agree that the workload is easy to manage.302 responses
Read More About Academics
Majors
Most Popular Majors
Computer Science
848 Graduates
Economics
799 Graduates
Cellular Biology
767 Graduates
Computer and Information Sciences
669 Graduates
Electrical Engineering
528 Graduates
Political Science and Government
464 Graduates
Business
409 Graduates
Research and Experimental Psychology
344 Graduates
Environmental Science
303 Graduates
Sociology
283 Graduates
More
See All Majors
Online
Programs Offered Entirely Online
Total number of complete undergraduate programs offered online or through distance learning.
Offers Online Courses
College offers distance education courses.
Yes
Online Certificate Programs
Total number of certificate degree programs offered online or through distance education.
Online Associates Programs
Total number of associate degree programs offered online or through distance education.
Online Bachelor's Programs
Total number of bachelor's degree programs offered online or through distance education.
Explore All Online Majors
How Students Learn
Based on class setting of student enrollment.
Mix of Online and on Campus
21%
On Campus
79%
Online
0%
Students
Full-Time Enrollment
30,824Undergrads
Part-Time Undergrads
1,655
Undergrads Over 25
5%
Pell Grant
23%
Varsity Athletes
3%
Poll
What one word or phrase best describes the typical student at this school?
Based on
213 responses
Competitive and hardworking
28%
Motivated, hardworking, intelligent and amazing!!!
17%
Motivated, driven
16%
Dedicated and exceptionally intelligent
15%
Motivated but know how to have fun
9%
Motivated, Quirky, Intelligent
6%
Stressed
3%
More
Read More About the Students
Campus Life
Freshmen Live On-Campus
No data available —
Poll
61%
of students say that Greek life is average, and no one will treat you differently if you don't join.357 responses
Poll
55%
of students say varsity sports are a big part of campus life.415 responses
Poll
What one word or phrase best describes your school?
Based on
218 responses
Diverse, liberal, crazy, and intelligent
32%
Competitive, awe- inspiring, + challenging
13%
Diverse and liberal
11%
Inclusive and intelligent
10%
Competitive, liberal, and difficult
9%
AMAZING
8%
Competative and liberal
5%
More
Read More About Campus Life
After College
Median Earnings 6 Years After Graduation
$64,700/ year
National
$33,028
Graduation Rate
94%
National
49%
Employed 2 Years After Graduation
88%
National
83%
69%
of students feel confident they will find a job in their field after graduation.160 responses
Read More About Life After Graduation
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University of California - Berkeley Reviews
Rating 3.72 out of 5 4,518 reviews
Rating 4 out of 5
UC Berkeley is a prestigious institution that has a lot to offer in academics and extracurriculars. To me, the people are what make the experience so great, and fortunately, with such a large class, there is a myriad of people and groups to be affiliated with which illustrates the diversity at Berkeley. Some things can be frustrating sometimes such as applying for classes, finding resources, and having intrapersonal interactions with professors and classmates due to Berkeley being such a large institution. Additionally, there are other inconveniences such as the lack of housing for students which in my opinion, needs to start being a priority for the administration. Overall, UC Berkeley has a lot to offer and it is truly what you make of it. As someone who is heavily involved in varsity athletics, extracurriculars, leadership positions, and paraprofessional organizations, I am proud to call UC Berkeley home for me and I carry that with pride and class. Go Bears!
- Sophomore
- 2 months ago
Rating 4 out of 5
As a Physics/Math student, I think research opportunities at Berkeley are fantastic. There are a lot of opportunities in all fields/topics. For Physics, especially experimental physics/cosmology, LBL of great opportunities. For Math, SL-Math (MSRI) is one of the most renowned institutes.
For Math, there're many course options & great flexibility, and also nice special topic courses & seminars.
The course options of Physics are much limited, but as a big public university, there are still plenty. The flexibility of physics department is not great.
In terms of administration, Math is nice & efficient, while physics is much strict & bureaucratic. The university administration can be rather confusing and bureaucratic, and it has serious financial problems and that lead to lack of competent administrators. The university also has severe location constraint, which the rent is very high, and all spaces on campus are extremely expensive to rent for any student/department events.
- Senior
- 2 days ago
Rating 3 out of 5
Berkeley is situated in a beautiful location with wonderful weather, however the environment is not very safe. I have been assaulted twice in two separate occasions when walking to school. I believe there can be more security measures taken by the school to better protect students and faculty. There are certain resources offered to accompany student, such as bear walk, however this is not always available or convenient.
For academics, I believe professors can be more understanding of students and be more accessible in terms of communicating.
Furthermore, Berkeley is a bit expensive to live in. Housing and food are certainly costly. This can certainly be financially difficult for some students and may possibly create a stressful environment.
- Senior
- 22 days ago