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Berkeley , CA
The University of California, Berkeley is a renowned public research university located in Berkeley, California. Founded in 1868 as the flagship campus of the University of California system, UC Berkeley is widely regarded as one of the top institutions in the world. With its commitment to academic excellence and groundbreaking research, the university has earned a stellar reputation across various disciplines.
UC Berkeley is home to a diverse and vibrant community of students, faculty, and staff. The campus spans over 1,200 acres and offers a wide array of academic programs across 14 schools and colleges, including arts and sciences, engineering, business, social sciences, and more. The university's academic curriculum is rigorous and intellectually stimulating, fostering critical thinking, creativity, and innovation.
Beyond academics, UC Berkeley offers a rich and stimulating campus life. With over 1,000 student organizations, there is something for everyone, whether it's joining a club related to a specific interest, participating in community service, or engaging in political activism. The campus is also known for its vibrant arts scene, featuring world-class museums, galleries, and theaters. Additionally, the university's athletic teams, known as the California Golden Bears, compete in the NCAA Division I Pac-12 Conference.
Overall, the University of California, Berkeley is an esteemed institution known for its rigorous academics, groundbreaking research, and vibrant campus community. With its strong commitment to leadership, social responsibility, and diversity, UC Berkeley has consistently produced leaders in various fields and continues to be an influential force in higher education.
University of California, Berkeley is a public university located in Berkeley, CA. This school follows a semester-based calendar. It has an acceptance rate of 11%. The freshman retention rate at University of California, Berkeley is 96.8% and the six-year graduation rate is 93%.
For freshmen, the application deadline for this school is November 30. For transfer students, the application deadline is November 30.
Read more about what University of California, Berkeley has to offer based on the most recent data this institution has reported.
Quick Facts
33,469
Total Number of Undergraduate Students
18:1
Student to Faculty Ratio
93%
Graduation Rate
Admissions
You need to discover as much as you can about the entrance requirements of the university in order to increase your chances of being accepted. Read on to learn some essential facts about admission policy and requirements at University of California, Berkeley.
In 2025, the school accepted 13,714 new students.
Test Scores
The latest reported average GPA of the enrolled students was 3.9. Accordingly, you'll probably need an above-average GPA in order to be granted acceptance.
Deadlines
Be sure to apply to this school by November 30. If you are applying for a transfer, the application deadline is November 30.
Retention Rate
The freshman retention rate is the percentage of college or university newcomers who return for their sophomore year. This piece of data is important as it can reveal to the prospective students how many freshmen liked the school enough to return to it as sophomores.
As reported in 2025, the freshman retention rate for University of California, Berkeley was 96.8%, which is an excellent retention rate only the most prestigious institutions achieve.
Another important metric to consider is the graduation rate. This rate indicates how many students finish their degrees within a certain timeframe. The six-year completion rate at this institution is 93%, which is considered an above-average graduation rate.
Student Body
Choosing a school that is the right place for you is not a simple task. Knowing more about the student population can help you get a better understanding of the school's culture and life.
Main Student Body
In 2025, the school enrolled 46,403 students.
The school reported an out-of-state student body portion of 13.5% for that year. The total number of undergraduate students enrolled at the institution was 33,469, 3255 of which were international students. 2,691 students enrolled as transfer students.
Student Population Gender Ratio
With a coeducational student body, the school had 18,364 male and 22,426 female full-time students in 2025. 4,972 full-time graduate men and 5,168 full-time graduate women attended this school.
Student Population Diversity
Higer Education is committed to focusing on the diversity of its student body and improving students' sense of inclusion and belonging. In a diverse learning space, you will be exposed to people from different backgrounds, which promotes the feeling of inclusion and acceptance. Learn more about all the ethnic communities you might encounter at this institution.
This school had 11,721 Asian students and 679 Afro-American students in 2025. 7,308 students at this school declared as Hispanic/Latino and 2,241 identified with more than one race. The school also had 33 students who declared as Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, and 44 American Indian or Alaska Native students. There were also 1,243 students whose ethnicity is unknown.
Cost
One of the most crucial things to take into account when applying to any college or university is the financial component. Here are some important facts on University of California, Berkeley costs that most students encounter at this school.
Tuition and Fees
Here are some numbers that can help you better understand the estimated tuition fees for this university.
Tuition fees for area resident were $13,602, as reported by public county or municipal institutions. For students who don't live in the state in which the university is located, the tuition was $51,204 in 2025. If you are an international student at University of California, Berkeley, you should know that the 2025 tuition amounted to $51,204, as well. Fees per academic year required of full-time students totaled $4,119 in 2025.
| Category | Tuition | Fees | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Out-of-State | $51,204 | $4,119 | $55,323 |
| In-State | $13,602 | $4,119 | $17,721 |
Books and Supplies
Another important expense to take into consideration is the approximate cost of books and supplies for a college or university. The cost of books and supplies for full-time students of this school is estimated at about $1,442.
Boarding
The cost of dorm rooms and meals in the school's cafeteria is for sure something to take into consideration. What is the typical amount colleges and universities charge for room and board?
In 2025, the price of room and board at University of California, Berkeley was $24,558 per academic year.
| Expense Category | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition | $ 13,602 |
| Room and Board | $ 24,558 |
| Book and Supplies | $ 1,442 |
| Total Expense | $ 39,602 |
Financial Aid
Be it a grant, loan, scholarship, or work-study program, any type of financial support can be a great deal for a number of students. Check out some recent data to get the info about need-based and non-need-based monetary aid available at University of California, Berkeley.
The most recent records show that 2,683 freshmen received some sort of financial help. The average amount of financial aid given to students was $34,883.
Need-based
If you need help with paying for your studies and you meet other eligibility requirements, you may be eligible for need-based aid.
14,024 students were granted some form of need-based financial aid. Need-based college-administered scholarship and grant aid at University of California, Berkeley isn't available to international students. The total number of students (including freshmen) who were determined to have financial need was 14,495. The amount of federal need-based scholarships/grants awarded to the students at this institution added up to $68,222,368, and state $156,736,406. The students of University of California, Berkeley received the -institutional need-based aid in the amount of $234,752,407, and external in the amount of $7,422,414.
$8,894
Average Amount of Aid Received
Non-Need Based
Non-need-based aid is any type of financial aid given to a student who does not meet the requirements for need-based aid. Non-need-based student aid typicaly comes in a form of Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans, Graduate PLUS Loans, Parent PLUS Loans, and the Teacher Education Access for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant.
Institutional non-need-based scholarships or grants were given to 533 students overall (including freshmen) at University of California, Berkeley in 2025. Institutional help in the form of non-need-based scholarships or grants was given to 157 full-time freshmen. The total dollar amount of federal non-need-based scholarships/grants awarded to the studens at this school was $68,222,368 while the state aid is $1,643,929. The total amount of institutional scholarships and awards that were not based on financial need was $17,572,285. This includes endowment, alumni, other institutional awards, and also external funds awarded by the institution, but doesn't include athletic aid and tuition waivers. The amount the students of this school received from external sources (e.g. Kiwanis, National Merit) was $11,700,660 USD.
Majors
Faculty
18:1
Student to Faculty Ratio
Knowing more about a school's faculty can help you gauge the caliber of the education it can provide to you.
In 2025, this ratio at University of California, Berkeley was 18:1. That means that there were 18 times more students than teachers at this school. According to the most recent information, there are 3,133 faculty members at this school. Out of that number, there were 1,720 men and 1,413 women.
Student Population Diversity Graph
Campus Life
It is not all about learning and grades at University of California, Berkeley: campus life is a crucial component of your educational experience. Find out some details about students' life at University of California, Berkeley.
Student Organizations
Being a member of a student organization will make you connect better with your fellow students and enjoy your college years more.
Those interested in music can join the University of California, Berkeley band or chorus. For students with a talent for acting, there is a drama club. Interested in media and communication? University of California, Berkeley publishes its own newspaper and has its own radio station.
FAQ
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University of California, Berkeley is located in Berkeley, CA.
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University of California, Berkeley doesn't offer need-based college-administered scholarship and grant aid to international students.
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According to the latest information, the acceptance rate for University of California, Berkeley is 11%.
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The most recent reported freshman retention rate for University of California, Berkeley is 96.8%.
Contact Information
Data Source: IPEDS and Peterson's Databases © 2023 Peterson's LLC All rights reserved. Portions of this content were co-written with OpenAI's GPT-3.5 model.
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Data Source: IPEDS and Peterson's Databases © 2023 Peterson's LLC All rights reserved.
Portions of this content were co-written with OpenAI's GPT-3.5 model.
