UC Berkeley | University of California--Berkeley | Best College

Quick Stats

110 Sproul Hall
Berkeley, CA 94720-5800: [map]

Phone: (510) 642-6000

2011-2012 Tuition

$11,767: in-state

$34,645: out-of-state

Students

25,540: enrolled

47%: male /

53%: female

Admissions

Nov. 30: application deadline

21.5%: accepted

More Information

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U.S. News Rankings

Ranking score and category

U.S. News rank	Category Name
#21	National Universities

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Summary

University of California--Berkeley is a public institution that was founded in 1868. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 25,540 and its setting is urban. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. University of California--Berkeley's ranking in the 2012 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 21. Its in-state tuition and fees are $11,767 (2011-12); out-of-state tuition and fees are $34,645 (2011-12).

The University of California—Berkeley, often referred to as Cal, is situated overlooking the San Francisco Bay. Berkeley guarantees two years of housing for incoming freshmen in a number of residence halls throughout campus. There are more than 700 student organizations on campus, ranging from political groups to a hang gliding club and everything in between. Berkeley also has a thriving Greek life with more than 55 fraternity and sorority chapters. The California Golden Bears, Berkeley’s athletic teams, compete in the Pac-12 Conference and are known for their traditional arch rivalry with Stanford.

Berkeley is comprised of 14 schools and colleges, including a number of graduate and professional schools such as the School of Optometry, Graduate School of Journalism, and College of Environmental Design. Other graduate programs are the highly ranked Haas School of Business, Graduate School of Education, College of Engineering, School of Law, School of Social Welfare, School of Public Health, and Goldman School of Public Policy. Berkeley is well known as a hub of liberal student activity: the Free Speech Movement—a 1964 student protest at Berkeley in response to the administration’s attempt to remove student political groups from campus—gained widespread national attention. Distinguished alumni include former U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren, Olympic gold medalist Jonny Moseley, and actor John Cho of the Harold and Kumar films. Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer, scientific director of the Manhattan Project during WWII to develop the atomic bomb, was a physicist and professor at Berkeley.

School mission (as provided by the school):

N/A

General Information

School type	public, coed college
Year founded	1868
Religious affiliation	N/A
Academic calendar	semester
Setting	urban
2010 Endowment	$2,763,125,000

Applying

When applying to University of California--Berkeley, it's important to note the application deadline is November 30. Scores for either the ACT or SAT test are due December 31. The application fee at University of California--Berkeley is $60. It is most selective, with an acceptance rate of 21.5 percent.

For more information about the tests, essays, interviews, and admissions process, visit the Applying to College knowledge center.

Selectivity	most selective
Fall 2010 acceptance rate	22%
Application deadline	November 30
SAT/ACT scores must be received by	December 31

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Academic Life

The student-faculty ratio at University of California--Berkeley is 17:1, and the school has 62.0 percent of its classes with fewer than 20 students. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 97.0 percent.

Class sizes

Student-faculty ratio

17:1

4-year graduation rate

69% - High

Five most popular majors for 2010 graduates

Information not available

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Student Life

University of California--Berkeley has a total undergraduate enrollment of 25,540, with a gender distribution of 47.1 percent male students and 52.9 percent female students. 35.0 percent of the students live in college-owned, -operated, or -affiliated housing and 65.0 percent of students live off campus. University of California--Berkeley is part of the NCAA I athletic conference.

See what students are saying about life at University of California--Berkeley.

Total enrollment	35,838
Student gender distribution

Undergraduate men who are members of a fraternity

Undergraduate women who are members of a sorority

Collegiate athletic association	NCAA I

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Campus Info & Services

University of California--Berkeley offers campus safety and security services like 24-hour foot and vehicle patrols, late night transport/escort service, 24-hour emergency telephones, lighted pathways/sidewalks, student patrols, and controlled dormitory access (key, security card, etc).

Students who have cars on campus	N/A
Health insurance offered	No
Students required to own/lease a computer	N/A

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Paying for School

At University of California--Berkeley, 52.6 percent of full-time undergraduates receive some kind of need-based financial aid and the average need-based scholarship or grant award is $15,863.

Paying for college doesn't have to be difficult or devastating. Go to the Paying for College knowledge center to get advice on raising cash and reducing costs.

In-state tuition and fees	$11,767 (2011-12)
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$34,645 (2011-12)
Room and board	$15,272 (2011-12) - High
Financial aid statistics

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Student Reviews Ratings data provided by Unigo

ASF Junior

Located at a distance which allows for frequent trips to the cities of Oakland and San Francisco but at the same time allows for quiet nights dozing on the couch, UC Berkeley is a college perfectly situated in the suburbs of two major cities. While the adventurous can explore the bustling cityscape of San Francisco, the studious can spend weekends studying at the library without the noise of city life. For local attractions, Telegraph and Shattuck, the two streets running perpendicular to the Berkeley campus, offer various small boutiques and specialty restaurants, as well as street vendors promoting their wares. However, if you are looking for the nearest DennyÕs or California Pizza Kitchen, be prepared to drive to the neighboring cities, as the reduction of large scale commercial chain stores in Berkeley city has been enforced by the city council in order to maintain BerkeleyÕs unique atmosphere. That said, only at Berkeley can you find an institution of such high academic standing and extreme school spirit. Athletic events are an integral part of the social life at Berkeley, not only for the current students, but also for returning alumni who can be seen milling around at football tailgating events with their families or grabbing ÒfroyoÓ at Yogurt Park before late night basketball games. Every year, the Big Game against our rival Stanford bring more and more students and alumni together in hopes of winning ÒThe AxeÓ and re-establishing our dominance over the Stanford football team. Through the annual Bonfire Rally and other school-wide events, the Rally Committee Ð a student organization similar to a spirit commission - provides an opportunity for students to bond together and to incite a sense of school pride which reverberates to the core of the student body. Although one of the many stereotypes people have of Berkeley students is that they would rather study than eat or sleep, I have found that to be a great exaggeration. Even if there are the few students who live from midterm to midterm, here, most students swear by the phrase: Òstudy hard, party hardÓ - working hard during the weekdays to catch up on readings and assignments, and loosening up on weekends in celebration of the end of a long week. This equilibrium between academia is very refreshing, and keeps the stress of schoolwork from becoming a constant and debilitating aspect of student life. However, as much as I love Berkeley, I would have to say that it could use great improvements to its bureaucratic system. Every semester, come time to schedule classes, complaints of long waitlists and full classes can be heard all around campus. Scheduling and requesting classes are a hassle, and often depend on class standing, so that while seniors have priority when it comes to signing-up for classes, freshmen and sophomore have to fight for a position on the class roster. Still, the system is pretty lenient, and ÒcrashingÓ courses allows both wait-listed and non wait-listed students to attempt to add a class. Although most students end up getting into the classes that they want at the discrepancy of the instructors, some students are not as lucky. Most of the time, instructors do make exceptions for students who need a certain course to fulfill a major requirement, but many students still end up having to diverge off their major track in order to accommodate the designated number of seats in a class. If Berkeley could create a scheduling system which is easier for students to navigate, I think it would be positively received by the student body.

Sherry Freshman

Before I came to Berkeley, I didn't know who I was. I didn't even want to come to Cal. Four years later, I have been shaped by this place like no other experience in my life. I don't know now if I am Berkeley, or Berkeley is me. Sounds cheesy, but as I am about to graduate I very much like I owe Cal for what it has made me. Berkeley, on a sunny day (which is usually all of spring semester), is the most glorious sight. Students are littered across the various grassy areas of campus, sitting in groups, as the bustle of classes beginning or ending flows around them. Sitting on campus gives this feeling of happiness and belonging I cannot describe. I have school pride because my experience here has been wonderful and exactly what I would want out of college. Yet, I have only been to one sporting event in four years. That part of campus life, which is very popular, doesn't really appeal to me. I love Berkeley because of the people I met here. This place attracted people who are smart, interesting, and unique.

Allison Senior

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* Overview details based on 2010 data

University of California--Berkeley

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Summary

General Information

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