collageInformation on uc berkeley early decision acceptance rate, uc berkeley acceptance rate by major & uc berkeley early action can be found in the article below. You will also find related posts on uc berkeley acceptance rate for international students, uc berkeley acceptance rate out of state & ucla acceptance rate on collegelearners.
Berkeley’s 17.5% acceptance rate for the Class of 2024 was actually higher than the 16.8% and 15.1% figures the previous two cycles. There is no early action/decision option at this school; all students submit their applications during the month of November. No official Class of 2025 data has been released as of yet.
UC Berkeley is one of the most prestigious universities in the world, and its acceptance rate reflects that. The school’s early decision acceptance rate for 2020 was 36%.
That’s a lot of students who didn’t get accepted—but it’s also a good indication of how selective UC Berkeley is. They received over 14,000 applications for around 2,700 spots, so they were able to select only 36% of applicants.
In other words, if you apply early decision at UC Berkeley, don’t be surprised if you don’t get in.
uc berkeley acceptance rate by major
uc berkeley early decision acceptance rate
The University of California – Berkeley’s reputation as a haven for young liberals grew in the 1960s as it became the epicenter of protests over the Vietnam War and, in many ways, the very center of the counterculture movement itself. By the 1970s, Berkeley had a reputation for strong academics, but it was by no means an exclusive institution—two-thirds of applicants were still accepted by the time the ’80s rolled around. In the early Reagan years, the University of California campus received under 10,000 applications per year.
Fast-forward to 2021 and Berkeley now receives over 112,000 freshman applications per year and their acceptance rate stands at 15-17%. Those who are accepted sport “A” averages and SAT/ACT scores in the upper-echelon of all test takers (yet, this is set to change in 2021 – more later…). Berkeley still has large protests (they made headlines again in 2017), but in order to join them, you’ll have to survive a brutal admissions gauntlet. To help you, College Transitions is happy to provide you with:
1) A deep dive into just how highly-selective the Berkeley admissions process truly is.
2) Data that will help you better assess how you measure up to the competition.
3) How the Berkeley admissions committee operates and what they look for in a successful candidate.
To accomplish these goals we will touch on the following topics:
- Berkeley’s Class of 2024 acceptance rate
- SAT, ACT, GPA and class rank of accepted Berkeley applicants
- Admissions trends
- The demographics of current Berkeley undergraduates
- Berkeley’s yield rate
- How Berkeley’s admissions officers evaluate candidates
- Tips for applying to UC Berkeley
- How to assess whether applying to Berkeley is even worth the $70 application fee (for you)
Let’s begin with an examination of the most recent admissions data.
Berkeley: Acceptance Rate – Class of 2024
Berkeley’s 17.5% acceptance rate for the Class of 2024 was actually higher than the 16.8% and 15.1% figures the previous two cycles. There is no early action/decision option at this school; all students submit their applications during the month of November. No official Class of 2025 data has been released as of yet.
Berkeley Admissions – SAT, ACT, GPA, and Class Rank
The University of California System has adopted a test-blind policy beginning with those applying in the fall 2021 cycle and extending through at least 2025. For the Class of 2024, when scores were still accepted, the mid-50% range on the SAT was 1330-1530; the ACT range was 29-35. Performance inside the classroom was equally stellar with the middle-50% weighted GPA a healthy 4.27-4.62; the unweighted equivalent was 3.86-4.0. Clearly, most incoming Golden Bears achieved straight A’s in high school and scored better than 90% of their peers on standardized tests.
Admissions Trends & Notes
- The biggest change is that all University of California schools have adopted a test-blind policy beginning in the 2021-22 applications cycle. This means SAT ACT score will not be considered in the admissions process for any UC applicant.
- International students were accepted at a 9.1% clip into the Class of 2024; they hailed from 74 different countries.
- The percent of the 2020-21 freshman class that qualified as first-generation was more than 10% higher than the previous year.
- 77% of current undergrads pay in-state tuition.
- 96% of Class of 2024 members were in the top 10% of the high school class compared to 97% the previous year.
Who Gets Into Berkeley?
Let’s look at the demographics of Berkeley undergraduates:
Most Berkeley students hailed from the Golden State:
- California (residents) – 74%
Examining the country of origin for international students, China leads the way, followed by South Korea, India, Canada, and Indonesia.
Looking at ethnic identity, the breakdown of the entire Class of 2024 is as follows:
- African American: 3.7%
- Mexican American: 16.4%
- Chinese: 16.1%
- White: 17.2%
- South Asian:11.6%
- International: 11.3%
- Korean: 4.8%
- Filipino: 3.2%
- Vietnamese: 3.8%
- Japanese: 1.1%
The breakdown by gender of all current undergraduates shows significantly more women than men:
- Male: 46%
- Female: 54%
The Class of 2024 included the following:
- Public School Students: 76.5%
- From Rural Areas: 5.2%
- First-Generation Students: 26.6%
UC-Berkeley’s Yield Rate
Berkeley’s yield rate—the percentage of accepted students who elect to enroll, divided by the total number of students who are admitted was 40%. To compare this school to other elite public institutions, UT-Austin has a 46% yield, UNC-Chapel Hill sports a similar 45%, and UGA also comes in at 45%.
How Berkeley Rates Applicants
There are only three factors that Berkeley ranks as being “very important” to their admissions process: rigor of secondary school record, and GPA, and application essays. Factors are rated as “important” are: extracurricular activities, character/personal qualities, volunteer experience, and work experience. “Considered” factors are: recommendations, first-generation status, and state residency.
Berkeley, along with all other University of California campuses, announced that they are dropping all standardized requirements starting with the Class of 2025 (those applying in the 2020-21 admissions cycle). This makes the already holistic review process at Berkeley even more so. According to the admissions committee, the university is looking for students who “will contribute to Berkeley’s intellectual and cultural community and, ultimately, to the State of California, the nation, and the world.”
It can also greatly improve an applicant’s odds if they possess an exceptional skill a given area, whether that is in the realm of music, research, leadership, or athletics. One recent incoming class of freshmen included:
- 100+ students who had performed at Carnegie Hall.
- 170 students who had participated in the Science Olympiad
- 50 Eagle Scouts
- 50 Girl Scout Gold Award winners
It most definitely helps if you are recruited as an athlete to join one of Berkeley’s 27 Division I sports teams. Approximately 250 incoming students are designated as “recruited athletes” each year.
Tips for Applying to Berkeley
If you plan on joining the 112,000+ Golden Bear hopefuls for the next admissions cycle, you should know the following:
- While a “holistic” process, Berkeley does not offer interviews of any kind, in-person or alumni.
- Berkeley does not consider “demonstrated interest” so it is not essential to take multiple steps in the name of establishing yourself as a serious and committed applicant. However, it still never hurts to make contact with the admissions office, connect through social media, and (when COVID-19 is no longer an issue) visit campus or meet Berkeley reps at college fairs near you. If nothing else, this will still help you learn more about whether the university is the perfect home for you.
- As mentioned previously, UC-Berkeley, along with all other UC campuses are now test-blind.
- Make sure to dedicate sufficient time and effort to the supplemental essays required by Berkeley. In the 2019-20 cycle, there were eight total prompts, of which applicants are instructed to choose four to respond to. Each response is limited to maximum of 350 words.
1) Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time.
2) Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side.
3) What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?
4) Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.
5) Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement?
6) Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom.
7) What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?
8) Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you stand out as a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California?
The best approach here is to select the four prompts that are the best fit for you and elicit the most compelling and personal responses. As the UC-Berkeley admissions committee states, “All questions are equal” and “all are given equal consideration in the application review process.” For more, read our blog: How to Master to UC Personal Insight Essays.
uc berkeley early action
Should I Apply to Berkeley?
Getting into UC-Berkeley has never been more a challenging endeavor, particularly for out-of-state and international students. Even in-state applicants need to have pristine academic transcripts with no more than one or two blemishes. Berkeley is wonderful school with a great number of extremely strong academic programs possessing global reputations. Of course, you have to aware that, ultimately, 83-85% of applicants will be turned away. As such, all students need to make sure that they formulate an appropriate college list, containing a complement of “target” and “safety” schools. You’ll definitely want to do this in collaboration with an admissions professional (including your own high school counselor).
UC Berkeley is a very popular school. In fact, it’s one of the most popular schools in the country. But what’s the early decision acceptance rate?
The early decision acceptance rate at UC Berkeley is 34%. This means that if you apply to UC Berkeley with an early decision plan in mind, you have a 34% chance of getting accepted.
If you’re applying to a lot of colleges, it’s important to figure out what your odds are for each school. It’s also important to know how many students were accepted early decision and how many students applied early decision. It will give you some context for your own application!
collage