The University of California Berkeley is the #1 public university in the country, and they say in the world. That ranking doesn really mean much, though, when held up against the more objectively measurable markers of impressiveness that UCBerkeley holds claim to. Across 15 colleges and schools, and serving 40,000 students, UCBerkeley has leading academics, Nobel Prize recipients, Guggenheim Fellowship Award recipients, and a multitude of other highly-prestigious awards. Students at Berkeley have been shaping academic and youth culture for a century, and what happens in Berkeley is felt nation-wide ” even if you don know that where it started. They receive more than 120,000 first-year applications each year. The acceptance rate for the first-year class entering 2025 was . This is misleading for out-of-state applicants, who face a significantly lower acceptance rate than for residents of California.
Berkeley Admissions Statistics 2025
Last admissions cycle, University of California, Berkeley (or just Berkeley) admitted 11.3% of applicants, a figure that highlights how selective the process has become. But that number alone doesn reveal much about what really happening in Berkeley admissions landscape. How exactly is that percentage calculated? What the breakdown between in-state and out-of-state? While Berkeley does release some admissions data, understanding the full picture requires looking more carefully at the numbers and the broader context around them. Each year, we analyze this information in detail so students can approach highly selective admissions with a clearer perspective and a more thoughtful strategy.
The Best Majors at the University of California, Berkeley
Summer Strategy Ideas for UC Berkeley
The UC schools are all excellent, top-tier state schools. But Berkeley stands out as being one of the best in the nation. With an acceptance rate of just 11%, it an extremely competitive school. If you™re dead-set on enjoying the NoCal life for the next four years at one of the best programs the west coast has to offer, we have some advice as to how you can maximize your summer.
UC Berkeley Legacy Guide
It isn uncommon in Northern California to see a child dressed up head to toe in UC Berkeley merch. These kids often go on to dream of going to Cal just like their parents did. We work with a lot of these kids and we always get questions from their parents about if their legacy status will help them get in. We have been doing a series on the ins and outs of legacy status at top schools and wanted to dive into what UC Berkeley says about legacy status and what that can mean for your applicant.