A+
Overall Niche Grade
How are grades calculated?
  1. Academics
    A+
  2. Value
    A+
  3. Diversity
    A+
  4. Campus
    A-
  5. Athletics
    A+
  6. Party Scene
    A-
  7. Professors
    A
  8. Location
    A+
  9. Dorms
    C
  10. Campus Food
    A
  11. Student Life
    A+
  12. Safety
    C-
View Full Report Card
University of California - Berkeley is ...
Public
Athletic Division
NCAA Division I-A
Athletic Conference
Pac-12 Conference
Address
200 California Hall
Berkeley, CA 94720
Website
berkeley.edu

University of California - Berkeley Rankings

Niche rankings are based on rigorous analysis of key statistics from the U.S. Department of Education and millions of reviews.

Admissions

Acceptance Rate
16%
SAT Range
1240-1500
ACT Range
29-34
Application Fee
$70
SAT/ACT
Required
High School GPA
Required
Will You Get In?

Test Scores and GPA for University of California - Berkeley

Cost

Net Price
$16,655/ year
National
$15,431
Average cost after financial aid for students receiving grant or scholarship aid, as reported by the college.
Net Price by Household Income
  • <$30k
    $8,607/ year
  • $30-48k
    $9,429/ year
  • $49-75k
    $13,192/ year
  • $76-110k
    $20,722/ year
  • $110k+
    $29,196/ year

Academics

Professors
A
Based on faculty accomplishments, salary, student reviews, and additional factors.
Student Faculty Ratio
17:1
Evening Degree Programs
No
70%
of students agree that professors put a lot of effort into teaching their classes.227 responses
39%
of students agree that it is easy to get the classes they want.234 responses
37%
of students agree that the workload is easy to manage.234 responses

Majors

Most Popular Majors
  • Economics
    630 Graduates
  • Cellular Biology
    506 Graduates
  • Biology
    415 Graduates
  • Psychology
    389 Graduates
  • Political Science and Government
    370 Graduates
  • Electrical and Electronics Engineering
    367 Graduates
  • Business Administration and Management
    356 Graduates
  • Computer Science
    329 Graduates
  • Social Sciences
    326 Graduates
  • Mathematics & Statistics
    304 Graduates

Students

Full-Time Enrollment
26,320Undergrads
Undergrads Over 25
5%
Pell Grant
24%
Varsity Athletes
4%
Poll
What one word or phrase best describes the typical student at this school?
Based on 146 responses
Report
  • Competitive and hardworking
    30%
  • Motivated, driven
    20%
  • Dedicated and exceptionally intelligent
    18%
  • Motivated, hardworking, intelligent and amazing!!!
    14%
  • Motivated but know how to have fun
    10%
  • Motivated, Quirky, Intelligent
    4%
  • They are some characters
    2%

Campus Life

Freshmen Live On-Campus
—
Poll
62%
of students say that Greek life is average, and no one will treat you differently if you don't join.289 responses
Poll
60%
of students say varsity sports are a big part of campus life.347 responses
Poll
What one word or phrase best describes your school?
Based on 150 responses
Report
  • Diverse, liberal, crazy, and intelligent
    28%
  • Diverse and liberal
    17%
  • Inclusive and intelligent
    13%
  • AMAZING
    9%
  • Competitive, awe- inspiring, + challenging
    9%
  • Competative and liberal
    7%
  • Competitive, liberal, and difficult
    7%

After University of California - Berkeley

Median Earnings 6 Years After Graduation
$62,700/ year
National
$33,028
Graduation Rate
91%
National
47%
Employed 2 Years After Graduation
86%
National
83%
68%
of students feel confident they will find a job in their field after graduation.154 responses
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University of California - Berkeley Reviews

3,642 reviews
All Categories
Overall, UC Berkeley is a great place. UC Berkeley has great academics, delicious food at and around campus, and it is number one public university in the world after all! However, there are some downsides to attending UC Berkeley. The housing situation is awful at Berkeley. Dorms and apartments are expensive and are hard to get. Homeless people around the campus and number of violent protests make Berkeley an unpleasant and dangerous place to live in. Your days will be filled with protestors blocking pathways and random people yelling and handing out flyers.
Review University of California - Berkeley
The campus is very beautiful. It's always a pleasure to look around while walking to class, even if you've been a student for a while. The architecture and nature is stunning. However, the environment and city itself is quite unsettling sometimes since there are frequent crimes. Moreover, the studying environment is competitive, and many times students may feel incompetent in comparison to their peers. But you must remember that you should never compare yourself to your classmates!
My experience at UC Berkeley has been amazing. The professors are my favorite part. They are so knowledgeable, and some are even famous, in their field of study. The best part? They genuinely care about our, the students, growth! UC Berkeley professors are not just looking for a pay check, they are looking to share knowledge with students that they believe are important. My least favorite part of Cal, housing. Ugh! Good housing is not only hard to come by, but its inflated! I hope UC Berkeley looks into creating more affordable and comfortable student housing.