Officially known as the University of California at Berkeley is the flagship campus of the ten University of California system campuses. Berkeley is consistently ranked among the top public universities in the United States and the world. Known in the 60’s for its radical student body the university is less combative than it once was, although you will still find a rich diversity of views and difference is valued.
Overview
Founded back in 1868, Berkeley is one of the universities sitting under the University of California banner. Proud of its distinction as being one of the best publicly funded universities in the world, Berkeley continues to employ more Nobel laureates than any other college in the United States.
· Location:
Berkeley University is located in the city of Berkeley, California, situated across the bay from San Francisco, which is readily accessible. The university’s campus overlooks the bay is covers 1,232 acres of parkland and university buildings reflecting numerous architectural styles. Its proximity to San Francisco means that it is easy to reach for students arriving from around the world at San Francisco International Airport.
· Student Cohort:
The student cohort at Berkeley is massive, in total, it has a student population of approximately 45,000 of whom nearly 32,000 are undergraduate students. The very size of the student cohort pervades just about every aspect of the Berkeley experience, whether that is being one of a thousand students taking an introductory course in biology or struggling to find affordable accommodation within easy distance of campus. Berkeley University is known to be academically intense with many finding it highly competitive, meaning that it is not a place for those who struggle to advocate for themselves. A highly diverse institution, with a significant number of international students Berkeley has nearly 13% of its undergraduate population coming from overseas.
Admission
· Acceptance Rate:
Berkeley University is a highly competitive institution, with a low acceptance rate. The acceptance rate for freshman applicants for the Fall 2022 semester was 17.6%, the lowest of all the UCs except for UCLA.
· Acceptance GPA:
The average GPA of admitted freshmen at Berkeley University is 4.18, and over 80% of accepted students will have a GPA of between 3.75 and above. Like all of the UCs, Berkeley does not consider SAT or ACT scores as part of the admissions decision.
· Types of Admission:
As a part of the University of California, Berkeley University uses the UC application portal for all applicants. Applicants can apply for any of the UC universities using just one online application which needs to be submitted by 30th November.
· Additional Admissions Requirements:
All of the University of California colleges have the same requirements for applicants. Students need to have followed a broad curriculum across grades 9 to 12 and have a GPA of 3.0 for Californian residents or 3.4 for non residents. As a part of the application, students need to complete four ‘Personal Insight’ essays of 350 words each.
Academics
Berkeley University offers over 160 undergraduate majors spread across five undergraduate colleges and one undergraduate school. Each college or school sets their own breadth requirements which are designed to expose students to areas of study outside of their major.
· Standout Majors:
Berkeley University is well-known for its exceptional programs in a number of fields. Some of the standout majors at Berkeley University include Computer Science, which is consistently ranked among the top computer science programs in the world, and Business Administration, which is ranked among the top ten business schools in the United States.
· Faculty/Student Ratio:
Berkeley University has a faculty/student ratio of approximately 1:18, which means that there is one faculty member for every 18 students. 53% of all undergraduate classes have less than 20 students, however, as has already been pointed out some introductory classes can reach into the hundreds.
· Four Year Completion Rate:
According to the latest data available from the National Center for Education Statistics, the four-year completion rate for students at Berkeley University is approximately 79%, while 93% graduated within six years.
· Net Cost of Attending:
The cost of attending Brown University comes in at approaching $46,500 for residents of California and $70,000 for non residents. This covers tuition room and board, books and other expenses.
In conclusion, UC Berkeley is a highly competitive and prestigious institution known for its academic rigour. It offers many world class programmes, often under the guidance of professors who are top in their fields. Any student graduating comes out with a level of motivation and self reliance that comes from trying to navigate through the challenges of sharing your studies with 30,000 other students.
