University of California, Berkeley acceptance rate and your odds of getting in
With an acceptance rate near 11%, University of California, Berkeley is a highly selective public university in California. Because it turns away most applicants, admission turns on the strength of your whole profile rather than any one number.
Use this page to see what University of California, Berkeley weighs, where it ranks among California schools, and how a profile like yours is likely to land. Admitted students post a 75th-percentile SAT around 1530, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.
What is University of California, Berkeley's acceptance rate?
University of California, Berkeley admitted 14,677 of 125,910 first-year applicants for fall 2023, an acceptance rate of 11%.
Source: IPEDS admissions survey, fall 2023. Updated October 29, 2026.
What do students study at University of California, Berkeley?
Bachelor's degrees awarded by field in 2023 (IPEDS completions). Each field has its own page with the school's numbers, the model's major adjustment, and peers offering it.
Will I get into University of California, Berkeley?
Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into University of California, Berkeley, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.
What are my chances of getting into University of California, Berkeley?
University of California, Berkeley admits about 11% of applicants, but that overall rate is not your personal chance. Your real odds depend on how your GPA, course rigor, test scores, and activities compare to its admitted students. Run your profile through the free CollegeCalcAI calculator to get a personalized acceptance percentage for University of California, Berkeley in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.
Is University of California, Berkeley hard to get into?
University of California, Berkeley is highly selective: it turns away most applicants, with about a 11% acceptance rate. Strong academics are expected here, so the rest of your profile usually decides the outcome.
What GPA do you need to get into University of California, Berkeley?
There is no hard GPA cutoff at University of California, Berkeley, but most admitted students present roughly a 3.8 to 4.0 GPA with a rigorous course load. University of California, Berkeley reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.
What SAT score do you need for University of California, Berkeley?
University of California, Berkeley does not publish a required score, but the admitted-student 75th-percentile SAT is around 1530. A score at or above that range strengthens your application, while a lower score puts more weight on your rigor, activities, and essays. CollegeCalcAI shows how your exact score shifts your odds at University of California, Berkeley.
Your chances at University of California, Berkeley by GPA and SAT
Estimated chance of admission at University of California, Berkeley for plain profiles, from the same model as the calculator. Unweighted GPA, 6 AP courses, Regular Decision, no legacy, athletic or first-generation hook. The last column is test-optional (no score sent).
What are my chances at University of California, Berkeley with a 3.9 GPA and a 1470 SAT?
About 19% (Reach), by CollegeCalcAI's deterministic model, for an applicant with a 3.9 unweighted GPA and a 1470 SAT, the middle of University of California, Berkeley's admitted range, applying Regular Decision without a hook. A 4.0 GPA with a 1530 SAT comes out near 22%. Courses, activities, essays and the application round move the number; the free calculator includes them.
Estimates, not guarantees. Get yours with your real courses and activities. Assistants and developers can fetch this table from the free API: /api/v1/colleges/university-of-california-berkeley.
How to get into University of California, Berkeley
Built from University of California, Berkeley's admitted class and what it reports weighing. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled figures, not published cutoffs.
Here is how to get into University of California, Berkeley, built from what its admitted class actually looks like and what the school says it weighs.
CollegeCalcAI's modeled typical admit at University of California, Berkeley carries about a 3.88 core GPA and a 1480 SAT, in the most rigorous schedule available. At this selectivity that is the entry ticket, not the deciding factor.
University of California, Berkeley rates rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and extracurricular activities highest in its own Common Data Set. Put your depth there: one or two activities with leadership or recognition rather than a long list, and a transcript whose rigor rises through junior year.
Most public universities read early applicants first without a binding commitment. Apply by University of California, Berkeley's early or priority deadline (confirm dates at www.berkeley.edu), and if you are out of state, know that residency changes both the bar and the price.
How many students apply to University of California, Berkeley, and how many get in?
For the fall 2023 entering class, University of California, Berkeley received 125,910 applications and admitted 14,677, an acceptance rate of 11.7%. 6,641 enrolled. Roughly 45% of admitted students enrolled, a typical yield for a school in this range. University of California, Berkeley enrolls about 33,068 undergraduates in total, 56% of them women, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 18 to 1.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 admissions and enrollment.
What SAT and ACT scores do you need for University of California, Berkeley?
University of California, Berkeley reports that it neither requires nor recommends test scores, so admission turns on your transcript, rigor, and the rest of the file.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10.
What University of California, Berkeley looks for
What University of California, Berkeley weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.
In its review, University of California, Berkeley leans most on rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and extracurricular activities. At this level of selectivity, the difference between admits is rarely the transcript alone; essays, recommendations, and a coherent story matter. These ratings come from University of California, Berkeley's reported Common Data Set, so the full chart below reflects what the school itself says it values, not a generic guess.
SAT score positioning at University of California, Berkeley
How common SAT scores sit relative to the admitted middle. This is context, not a probability. Your full profile determines the real estimate.
How much does University of California, Berkeley cost after financial aid?
University of California, Berkeley's published cost of attendance, before any aid, is roughly $45,619 per year. Tuition and fees are $16,347 for CA residents and $50,547 for out-of-state students, a $34,200 gap that makes residency the single biggest lever on cost. What families actually pay is different: the average net price after grants and scholarships is $13,481 a year, and it ranges from $5,311 for families earning under $30,000 to $34,529 for families earning over $110,000. 29% of undergraduates receive a federal Pell Grant.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Net price is what students receiving aid paid after grants, by family income.
What do University of California, Berkeley graduates earn, and how many graduate?
Ten years after enrolling, the median University of California, Berkeley student who received federal aid earns $92,446 a year, up from $74,919 at six years. 93% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 97% return for a second year. Among graduates who borrowed, median federal debt at graduation is $13,000; 17% of undergraduates take federal loans.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Earnings cover students who received federal aid.
How University of California, Berkeley compares in California
University of California, Berkeley ranks #7 most selective of 61 schools in California in our database.
Among the 61 California schools we track, University of California, Berkeley ranks #7 most selective by acceptance rate. Schools like California Institute of Technology (3%) and Stanford University (4%) sit nearby, which makes California a useful frame for calibrating a balanced list. As a public university, residency matters: in-state applicants generally see meaningfully better odds than the headline rate suggests.
Similar to University of California, Berkeley
Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.
Build around University of California, Berkeley with peers at a comparable selectivity, such as U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Naval Academy, and UCLA. Running the same profile against each one in the free calculator is the fastest way to see where you are a reach, a match, or a likely.
More data for California: UCLA psychology admissions
Frequently asked questions
What is University of California, Berkeley's acceptance rate?
University of California, Berkeley admitted 14,677 of 125,910 applicants for the fall 2023 entering class, an acceptance rate of 11.7% (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS). 45% of admitted students enrolled.
Is University of California, Berkeley test-optional?
University of California, Berkeley reports that it neither requires nor recommends test scores.
How much does University of California, Berkeley cost after financial aid?
The average net price at University of California, Berkeley, what students receiving aid paid after grants and scholarships, is $13,481 a year against a sticker price of about $45,619. Families earning under $30,000 paid about $5,311 on average.
What do University of California, Berkeley graduates earn?
Median earnings ten years after entering University of California, Berkeley are $92,446 a year among students who received federal aid, and 93% of students graduate within six years (College Scorecard).
What does University of California, Berkeley value most in applicants?
Based on its admissions profile, University of California, Berkeley weighs rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and extracurricular activities most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.
Does University of California, Berkeley favor in-state applicants?
As a public university, University of California, Berkeley generally admits in-state applicants at a higher rate than out-of-state applicants, so your home state affects your odds. CollegeCalcAI applies an in-state residency boost when you select your state.
How can I improve my chances at University of California, Berkeley?
Focus on the highest-leverage parts of your application: course rigor and GPA trajectory first, then test scores, then a focused leadership or activity spike. CollegeCalcAI's Power-Ups quantify how much each change would move your odds at University of California, Berkeley specifically.
How does residency affect admission to University of California, Berkeley?
As a public university, University of California, Berkeley typically admits in-state students at a higher rate, and tuition differs sharply by residency. Select your home state in the calculator to fold the in-state effect into your estimate.
What makes an application stand out at University of California, Berkeley?
Beyond strong academics, University of California, Berkeley rewards a clear, specific story: focused activities with real impact, essays in an authentic voice, and recommendations that corroborate it. Depth beats a long list of unrelated activities.
Acceptance rate, application counts, admitted test ranges, cost, and outcomes reflect publicly reported federal data (U.S. Department of Education: IPEDS 2023 and the College Scorecard) and each school's Common Data Set; figures are rounded and lag the current cycle by one to two years, so confirm deadlines and policies on the school's own site. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled estimates. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are a planning tool computed by a fixed, transparent model, not a guarantee of any admission decision.