University of California-Berkeley

The University of California, Berkeley, more commonly referred to as UC Berkeley, or just Berkeley, is one of California’s top public research universities. In fact, research is a core pillar of the university. The school is located on an expansive 1,232 acre campus on the east side of the San Francisco Bay. 178 acres are dedicated to the school’s central campus.

In addition to being one of the most prestigious and renowned universities in California, the University of California Berkeley is well-known worldwide for its excellence in higher education, academic achievement and for its exceptional research capabilities.

UC Berkeley also has the finest faculty of any university in the nation. Berkeley faculty, graduates and researchers have won 9 Wolf Prizes, an astounding 70 Nobel Prizes, 7 Fields Medals, 45 MacArthur Fellowships, 15 Turing Awards, and 11 Pulitzer Prizes. And if that’s not impressive enough, UC Berkeley researchers are associated with 6 chemical elements in the periodic table (Seaborgium, Berkelium, Californium, Fermium, Einsteinium, and Lawrencium). In total, Berkeley Lab (The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) has been credited with discovering 16 unique chemical elements – more than any other educational or scientific organization in the world.

J. Robert Oppenheimer, a nuclear physicist at UC Berkeley, was the director of the Manhattan Project, a research development program responsible for the development of the world’s first atomic bomb.

Berkeley not only shines academically, but athletically as well. Student-athletes at Berkeley have won over 100 Olympic medals and national titles in several sports including football, swimming, baseball, basketball, softball, gymnastics, rugby, and water polo.

If you’re going to college simply to increase your earning potential, then you might be interested to know that Berkeley ranks 9th in the nation among universities that have produced the largest number of billionaires still living today.

If you were to ask most students why they chose to attend UC Berkeley, they’d likely tell you it had to do with the university’s superb academic programs. However, what they’d be less likely to tell you, is that what really attracted them to Berkeley is the fun filled, exhilarating student life that dominates campus. With a never ending supply of student organizations, political clubs, intercollegiate and intramural athletic teams, outdoor recreation, and vibrant campus activities, students are constantly enriched and entertained.

Academic and student support programs at Berkeley are unparalleled. The faculty, professors and other staff members are committed to ensuring the academic success of every student. The university offers a variety of counseling services, workshops and health clinics that are available to students year round.

University of California Berkeley is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).

University of Berkeley Programs

In total, UC Berkeley offers nearly 350 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in a variety of academic and professional disciplines, one of the largest selections of programs offered by any university in the nation. Of the school’s 52 doctoral degree programs, 48 are ranked top ten nationwide, including their Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Agriculture, Astrophysics, and Political Science programs to name just a few.

The Academic Ranking of World University (ARWU), commonly known as the Shanghai ranking, named after the university that founded the ranking system, ranked Berkeley 4th in the world and 2nd in California. UC Berkeley is also ranked top in the nation in several fields of study including Engineering/Technology and Computer Science (3rd), Economics/Business (4th), Mathematics and Natural Sciences (2nd), Chemistry (2nd), Social Sciences (4th), Agriculture and Life Sciences (15th), Arts and Humanities (4th), Life Sciences and Biomedicine (5th), and Clinical Medicine and Pharmacy (29th).

UC Berkeley offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees in a wide variety of disciplines and specialties.

Graduate Programs

According to recently published rankings by U.S. News and World Report, UC Berkeley’s graduate and professional programs are among the best in the nation. Many of Berkeley’s graduate schools including the Goldman School of Public Policy (ranked 6th), Boalt School of Law (ranked 7th), UC Berkeley School of Public Health (ranked 8th), and last but not least the Haas School of Business (ranked 7th) are all ranked within the top 10 ten programs in the country. UC Berkeley also ranks top in the nation in graduate sciences such as Math, Statistics, and Biological Sciences (2nd), Earth Sciences (3rd) and Physics (5th). The school has also performed exceptionally well in engineering, ranking 1st in Civil Engineering, Electronics/Electrical/Communications Engineering, and Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering; 2nd in Chemical Engineering; and 3rd in Mechanical Engineering, Computer Engineering, and Industrial/Manufacturing Engineering. And if you’re considering a graduate degree in a social science discipline, don’t despair. Berkeley scored first in English, Psychology, and Sociology and came in 6th in the nation in Political Science and Economics.

UC Berkeley offers graduate students the largest selection of top-ranked doctoral degree programs in the nation. UC Berkeley doctoral programs that have been ranked number one in the nation include Agricultural and Resource Economics, Chemistry, Astrophysics, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics, Epidemiology, English, German, Mechanical Engineering, MCB: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, MCB: Genetics, Genomics, and Development, Plant Biology, Physics, and Political Science. As previously mentioned, of the 52 graduate programs offered at UC Berkeley, an amazing 48 are ranked in the top ten in the country.

Undergraduate Programs

U.S. News & World Report ranked Berkeley’s undergraduate program the top among “National Universities”. In 2009, The Washington Monthly ranked UC Berkeley’s undergraduate program 3rd in the nation.

Both of the undergraduate programs in engineering and business were ranked 3rd in the nation by U.S. News. The Wall Street Journal placed Berkeley’s Computer Science program in 2nd place, their Marketing/Advertising and Finance programs in 3rd place, their undergraduate Accounting program came in 8th and their Engineering program came in at 12th place.

Student Housing

UC Berkeley offers a large variety of housing options designed to meet the unique personal and academic preferences of students. Entering freshmen are offered guaranteed housing for two years. Entry transfer students are guaranteed housing for one year. There are also a plethora of off-campus housing options for students. Surrounding the campus there are a lot of apartments, fraternity and sorority housing and cooperative housing, as well as individual houses that can be leased by students.

On campus you’ll find twelve separate residence halls including family student housing, undergraduate residence halls, re-entry student housing and housing options specifically for international students (most notably the International House). Most of the undergraduate residence halls are actually located directly off-campus.

Units 1, 2 and 3 (three of the largest on-campus residence hall complexes) are located on the south side of the UC Berkeley campus. These halls offer high-rise accommodations with common areas throughout each building, as well as a shared dining hall, called Crossroads. Also on the south side of campus you’ll find Clark Kerr residence hall for undergraduate students. Once a school for the deaf and blind, today Clark Kerr houses many of UC Berkeley’s student-athletes.

To the east, positioned snuggly in the foothills are three more undergraduate residence hall complexes: Bowles, Stern, and Foothill. Bowles Hall is an all-men’s residence hall located directly north of California Memorial Stadium. It has large quad-occupancy rooms and looks a lot like a medieval castle. Stern Hall, an all-women’s residence hall, is located just south of Foothill and overlooks the Hearst Greek Theatre. Because this hall is located closest to the Colleges of Chemistry and Engineering, its not uncommon for a proportionately high number of Stern Hall residents to be chemistry and engineering majors. Foothill is a co-ed residence hall that looks a lot like a Swiss chalet. Many consider this hall one of the best at UC Berkeley.

Other student housing complexes include Channing-Bowditch and Ida Jackson apartments (intended for older students) as well as University Village and Smyth-Fernwald, the two main housing complexes designed for student families.

In addition to traditional student housing arrangements, UC Berkeley also offers students several cooperative housing options. The largest network of student housing cooperatives is the Berkeley Student Cooperative (BSC), which offers students a selection of 20 cooperative houses.

UC Berkeley Departments, Colleges and School

UC Berkeley currently has over 130 individual academic departments and/or programs that are organized into 14 colleges and schools (not including the UC Berkeley Extension). While “Schools” generally only represent graduate programs, “Colleges” may represent both undergraduate and graduate programs. UC Berkeley is composed of the following colleges and schools:

• College of Chemistry
• College of Engineering
• College of Environmental Design
• College of Letters and Science
• College of Natural Resources
• Graduate School of Education
• Graduate School of Journalism
• Haas School of Business
• Goldman School of Public Policy
• School of Information
• School of Law (Boalt Hall)
• School of Optometry
• School of Public Health
• School of Social Welfare
• UC Berkeley Extension

While UC Berkeley does not have a medical school, many students looking toward medical school will apply to the University of California, San Francisco Medical School that is not far from the UC Berkeley campus.

Library System

With over 32 libraries, the UC Berkeley library system is the 4th largest academic library in the country and one of the largest in the world. It is surpassed only by Yale University Library, Harvard University Library and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library. The Association of Research Libraries ranked it as the top public and 3rd best university library system in North America based on a variety of quality factors. Together the 32 libraries cover over 12 acres, form one of the world’s largest library systems and contain over 11 million volumes.

Financial Aid and Scholarships

UC Berkeley offers a variety of merit and need based scholarships and financial aid options for students through public and private sources. While most financial aid is processed through the university’s financial aid and scholarship office, individual schools and colleges, such as the UC Berkeley School of Law and Haas School of Business, have their own financial aid programs.

General Information

Admission Office 110 Sproul Hall, #5800 Berkeley, CA 94720-5800 (510) 642-3175 Contact: Walter Robinson Director Undergraduate Admissions

Main Address 110 Sproul Hall Berkeley, CA 94720-5800 (510) 642-6000 www.berkeley.edu

Size Total undergrads: 25,151 First-time degree-seeking freshmen: 4,261 Degree-seeking undergrads: 25,151 Graduate enrollment: 9,172 Setting Urban setting Small city (50,000 – 249,999) Residential campus

Degrees offered: Bachelor’s Master’s Doctoral First Professional

Tuition & Fees

Financial Aid

All Degrees and Programs

Program Completions for Most Recent Year	BA/BS	MA/MS	PhD	AA/AS	CERT
Total of All Education Programs	7582	2046	1240	–	120
Agriculture	–	11	13	–	–
Agricultural Economics	–	9	12	–	–
Agriculture, Agriculture Operations, and Related Sciences, Other	–	–	1	–	–
Range Science and Management	–	2	–	–	–
Architecture and Related Services	168	129	21	–	–
Architecture	159	56	9	–	–
City/Urban, Community and Regional Planning	–	49	12	–	–
Environmental Design/Architecture	–	–	–	–	–
Landscape Architecture	9	24	–	–	–
Area, Gender, Cultural, Ethnic, and Group Studies	273	29	10	–	–
African-American/Black Studies	15	3	3	–	–
American Indian/Native American Studies	2	–	–	–	–
American/United States Studies/Civilization	115	–	–	–	–
Asian Studies/Civilization	20	13	–	–	–
Asian-American Studies	10	–	–	–	–
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies, Other	49	2	3	–	–
Hispanic-American, Puerto Rican, and Mexican-American/Chicano Studies	19	–	–	–	–
Latin American Studies	23	8	1	–	–
Near and Middle Eastern Studies	7	3	3	–	–
Women’s Studies	13	–	–	–	–
Biology and Biomedical Sciences	949	22	124	–	–
Biochemistry	–	–	3	–	–
Biology and Biological Sciences, General	277	2	17	–	–
Biophysics	–	1	6	–	–
Biostatistics	–	6	5	–	–
Botany/Plant Biology	8	1	6	–	–
Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology	594	6	42	–	–
Endocrinology	–	–	–	–	–
Epidemiology	–	3	18	–	–
Microbiology	44	3	8	–	–
Neuroscience	–	–	13	–	–
Toxicology	26	–	–	–	–
Vision Science/Physiological Optics	–	–	6	–	–
Business, Administration, Management, Marketing, etc.	317	600	16	–	–
Business Administration and Management	317	536	16	–	–
Business Administration, Management and Operations, Other	–	64	–	–	–
Communication and Journalism Programs	215	56	–	–	–
Journalism	–	56	–	–	–
Mass Communication/Media Studies	215	–	–	–	–
Computing and Information Sciences	84	74	35	–	–
Computer Science	84	32	32	–	–
Information Science/Studies	–	42	3	–	–
Education	–	104	38	–	93
Education	–	104	30	–	93
Education, Other	–	–	2	–	–
Educational Leadership and Administration	–	–	5	–	–
Special Education and Teaching	–	–	1	–	–
Engineering	863	343	152	–	–
Agricultural Engineering	7	–	–	–	–
Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering	116	–	15	–	–
Chemical Engineering	83	14	12	–	–
Civil Engineering	111	169	28	–	–
Electrical and Electronics Engineering	268	39	36	–	–
Engineering Physics/Applied Physics	12	–	–	–	–
Engineering Science	4	–	–	–	–
Engineering	–	–	8	–	–
Engineering, Other	31	–	–	–	–
Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering	4	–	–	–	–
Mechanical Engineering	164	80	38	–	–
Nuclear Engineering	8	14	5	–	–
Operations Research	55	27	10	–	–
English Language, Composition and Literature/Letters	456	17	37	–	–
English Language and Literature	345	9	21	–	–
Rhetoric and Composition	111	8	16	–	–
Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	309	28	45	–	–
Celtic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	9	–	–	–	–
Chinese Language and Literature	10	1	1	–	–
Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	7	4	2	–	–
Comparative Literature	27	1	11	–	–
Dutch/Flemish Language and Literature	1	–	–	–	–
East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other	1	–	–	–	–
Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other	19	3	3	–	–
French Language and Literature	30	2	3	–	–
German Language and Literature	17	2	3	–	–
Italian Language and Literature	7	–	1	–	–
Japanese Language and Literature	42	3	2	–	–
Latin Language and Literature	5	–	–	–	–
Linguistics	55	9	6	–	–
Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other	18	–	–	–	–
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	–	–	4	–	–
Scandinavian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	2	–	1	–	–
Slavic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	13	1	2	–	–
Spanish Language and Literature	46	2	6	–	–
Health Services and Allied Health Sciences	139	157	76	–	15
Environmental Health	–	5	3	–	–
Health/Health Care Administration/Management	–	–	7	–	–
Optometry	–	–	58	–	15
Public Health	139	152	8	–	–
History	236	20	15	–	–
History	236	20	15	–	–
Human Services	117	163	11	–	12
Public Policy Analysis	–	77	2	–	–
Social Work	117	86	9	–	12
Legal and Law Studies	–	100	312	–	–
Advanced Legal Research/Studies	–	96	14	–	–
Law	–	–	296	–	–
Legal Professions and Studies, Other	–	4	2	–	–
Mathematics and Statistics	252	20	26	–	–
Applied Mathematics	100	–	1	–	–
Mathematics	83	4	19	–	–
Statistics	69	16	6	–	–
Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies	373	19	15	–	–
Classical, Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies and Archaeology	30	2	4	–	–
Cognitive Science	63	–	–	–	–
International/Global Studies	–	6	–	–	–
Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other	142	11	6	–	–
Nutrition Sciences	71	–	5	–	–
Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution	67	–	–	–	–
Natural Resources and Conservation	336	7	17	–	–
Environmental Science	48	–	–	–	–
Environmental Studies	205	5	16	–	–
Forest Management/Forest Resources Management	13	–	–	–	–
Forestry	–	2	–	–	–
Natural Resources Management and Policy	1	–	–	–	–
Natural Resources/Conservation	69	–	–	–	–
Wildlife, Fish and Wildlands Science and Management	–	–	1	–	–
Physical Sciences	257	57	150	–	–
Astronomy	–	1	–	–	–
Astrophysics	28	6	6	–	–
Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology	2	–	–	–	–
Chemistry	106	11	81	–	–
Geology and Earth Science	13	5	13	–	–
Geophysics and Seismology	4	–	–	–	–
Materials Science	21	6	10	–	–
Oceanography, Chemical and Physical	8	–	–	–	–
Physics	74	28	40	–	–
Planetary Astronomy and Science	1	–	–	–	–
Psychology	315	7	12	–	–
Psychology	315	7	12	–	–
Social Sciences	1618	61	92	–	–
Anthropology	134	7	19	–	–
Anthropology, Other	–	–	3	–	–
Demography and Population Studies	–	2	2	–	–
Economics	487	4	28	–	–
Geography	30	2	6	–	–
Political Science and Government	448	20	23	–	–
Social Sciences, Other	277	5	–	–	–
Sociology	217	21	11	–	–
Urban Studies/Affairs	25	–	–	–	–
Visual and Performing Arts	305	22	23	–	–
Art History, Criticism and Conservation	65	4	9	–	–
Art/Art Studies	83	7	–	–	–
Dance	4	–	–	–	–
Design and Visual Communications	–	1	–	–	–
Drama and Dramatics/Theater Arts	31	1	4	–	–
Film/Cinema/Video Studies	75	–	–	–	–
Music	47	9	10	–	–

Admissions Information

Application Fee College has an application fee: Yes Regular application fee: $60 Online application fee: $60

Enrollment Rates Percent applicants admitted: 22% Percent of students who return for sophomore year: 96%

Admissions Considerations Secondary school GPA: Required Secondary school rank: Required Secondary school record: Required Recommendations: Required Admission test scores (SAT/ACT): Required TOEFL: Recommendations Undergraduate Admissions Fall 2011 Number of Applicants: 50,374 Percent Admitted: 21% Percent Admitted Who Enrolled: 38%

Test Scores: Fall 2011 SAT Critical Reading 600 (25th Percentile) 730 (75th Percentile) SAT Math 630 (25th Percentile) 760 (75th Percentile) ACT Writing 610 (25th Percentile) 740 (75th Percentile) ACT Composite 27 (25th Percentile) 32 (75th Percentile) ACT English 26 (25th Percentile) 33 (75th Percentile) ACT Math 27 (25th Percentile) 34 (75th Percentile)

Enrollment Statistics

Undergraduate Attendance Status

Undergraduate Student Gender

Undergraduate Student Age

Undergraduate Student Residence

Graduate Attendance Status

Undergraduate Race/Ethnicity

Retention and Graduation Rates

Retention Rates for First-Time Students Pursuing Bachelor’s Degrees

Overall Graduation and Transfer-Out Rates for Students

Graduation Rates for Students Pursuing Bachelor’s Degrees

6-Year Graduation Rate by Gender for Students Pursuing Bachelor’s Degrees

6-Year Graduation Rate by Race/Ethnicity for Students Pursuing Bachelor’s Degrees

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Undergraduate Majors

Architecture & Related Programs Architecture B Landscape Architecture B Area, Ethnic, Cultural, & Gender Studies African-American Studies B American Studies B Asian American Studies B Asian Studies B Hispanic-American Studies B Latin American Studies B Native American Studies B Near/Middle Eastern Studies B Southeast Asian Studies B Women’s Studies B Arts, Visual & Performing Art – General B Art History/Criticism/Conservation B Dance B Drama/Theater Arts B Film Studies B Music – General B Biological & Biomedical Sciences Biology B Botany B Cellular/Molecular Biology B Microbiology B Toxicology B Business, Management, & Marketing Business Administration/Management B Communications & Journalism Mass Communications/Media Studies B Computer & Information Sciences Computer Science B Engineering Biomedical Engineering B Chemical Engineering B Civil Engineering B Electrical/Communications Engineering B Engineering Physics B Engineering Science B Environmental Engineering B Geological Engineering B Manufacturing Engineering B Materials Science B Mechanical Engineering B Nuclear Engineering B Operations Research B English Language & Literature English Language & Literature – General B Speech/Rhetorical Studies B Foreign Language & Literature Celtic B Chinese B Classics B Comparative Literature B Dutch/Flemish B French B German B Greek, Ancient B Italian B Japanese B Latin B Linguistics B Scandinavian B Slavic B Spanish B History History – General B Law & Legal Studies Law & Legal Studies – General B Mathematics Applied Mathematics B Mathematics – General B Statistics B Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies Classical/Ancient Mediterranean/Near Eastern Studies B Cognitive Science B Nutrition Sciences B Peace/Conflict Resolution Studies B Natural Resources & Conservation Environmental Science B Environmental Studies B Forest Management B Forestry – General B Natural Resources & Conservation – General B Natural Resources Management/Policy B Philosophy & Religion Philosophy B Religion/Religious Studies B Physical Sciences Astrophysics B Atmospheric Sciences B Chemistry B Geology B Geophysics/Seismology B Oceanography B Physical Sciences – General B Physics B Psychology Psychology – General B Public Administration & Services Social Work B Social Sciences Anthropology B Economics B Geography B Political Science/Government B Sociology B Urban Studies B

Degree levels for each major are designated by the following letters: A = Associate degree B = Bachelor’s degree C = Certificate or diploma

*We do not guarantee the accuracy of information on this page. All information is subject to change. You should confirm all information with a college admissions officer.