What does UC Berkeley look for in freshman applicants?

Personal qualities of the applicant, including leadership ability, character, motivation, insight, tenacity, initiative, originality, intellectual independence, responsibility, maturity, and demonstrated concern for others and for the community are considered.

Does UC Berkeley look at freshman grades?

UCs do look at courses you take in freshman and senior years; the grades and rigor of your coursework are considered in context of your overall curriculum. But freshman and senior year grades are NOT included in the GPA calculation. UC-approved Honors, AP, IB and community college courses are weighted.

What does UC Berkeley look for in applicants?

We expect the reported grades, test scores, extracurricular activities, personal insight questions, and additional comments to give us the full picture of a student's experience and aspirations. This is why it is so important to answer each section of the application thoughtfully and thoroughly.

What type of student does UC Berkeley want?

Admission to Berkeley goes beyond academic indicators. We look for persistence, passion, and a desire to give back. It doesn't matter whether you're the first in your family to attend college or you're the latest in a long tradition of educational excellence: You stand up and you stand out.

What grades does Berkeley look at?

With a GPA of 3.9, UC Berkeley requires you to be at the top of your class. You'll need nearly straight A's in all your classes to compete with other applicants. Furthermore, you should be taking hard classes - AP or IB courses - to show that college-level academics is a breeze.

Applying to UC Berkeley as a Freshman? - Admissions Overview

Does UC Berkeley look at 9th grade GPA?

UCs do consider courses you take in freshman year and the rigor/grades in context of your overall schedule/grade trend (so you should provide an explanation if there are anomalies in your schedule or grades); but freshman grades are NOT included in the GPA calculation used for admission evaluation.

Is Berkeley the hardest UC to get into?

In 2022, UCLA received 139,489 applicants. It's also the most selective, with a 9% acceptance rate. Close runners-up include UC Berkeley, UCSD, and UCI.

What are the top 3 major offered at Berkeley?

At the University of California-Berkeley, the three most popular college majors students pursue are Computer Science, Econometrics and Quantitative Economics, and Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology.

How can I increase my chances of getting into UC Berkeley?

An exceptional academic history, a high GPA, and a diverse range of extracurricular activities you're passionate about are essential to building a compelling application. Now that you know how to get into UC Berkeley, you should understand what the admissions committee is looking for.

What are my chances of getting into UC Berkeley?

The acceptance rate at UC Berkeley is 11.4%.

In other words, of 100 students who apply, only 11 are admitted. This means the school is very selective.

What does UC Berkeley look for in essays?

Include interest in your intended major, explain the way in which your academic interests developed, and describe any related work or volunteer experience. Explain your reason for transferring if you are applying from a four-year institution or a community college outside of California.

What is the UC 9 rule?

The Statewide Index identifies California-resident students in the top 9 percent of California high school graduates and offers these students a guaranteed space at a UC campus, if space is available.

Can you get into UC Berkeley with bad grades?

You will need a very high GPA and will likely be graduating in the top 10% of your class in order to get into UC Berkeley. If your GPA is lower than suggested at the time you apply, you may have to perform above average on your standardized tests.

What is the hardest UC to get into?

The three most difficult schools to get into — UCLA, UC Berkeley and UC Irvine — also have the highest enrollment rates, which is defined as the percentage of admitted students who chose to attend the school.

What subject is UC Berkeley known for?

Some of the most popular majors for Berkeley undergraduates have included electrical engineering and computer science; economics; political science; business administration; and psychology.

Does UC Berkeley care about major?

A: Students can select a primary major and an alternate major. Currently, Berkeley only guarantees the review of the primary major and will not review students for an alternate major.

Is Berkeley an elite college?

Berkeley, the system's most elite school based on high school GPA, offers the starkest example of the struggle to boost their numbers, particularly for Black students.

Is Berkeley as prestigious as an Ivy League?

UC Berkeley is as prestigious as most Ivy League schools in the eyes of many people globally.

Is UCLA or UC Berkeley more prestigious?

Talking about the UCLA vs UC Berkeley rankings, UC Berkeley has been ranked #10 in the QS World University Rankings, while UCLA ranks #29 in the QS World University Rankings.

Why is UC Berkeley so prestigious?

Berkeley is famed for the breadth, and depth of 120+ graduate programs in 15 schools and colleges, awarding more than 4,000 master's and professional degrees each year and close to 800 doctoral degrees each year. Berkeley graduate students go on to join an impressive collection of alumni.

Does Berkeley consider freshman year?

UC Berkeley looks at your classes and grades from all of high school, but does not count freshman grades in the UC GPA they use in admissions. There's no easy answer to this question since every college has different admissions requirements.

Does UC Berkeley grade on a curve?

1) Why does Berkeley Haas have a curve? Berkeley Haas courses do not have a forced “curve.” There is a grading policy which requires that the mean GPA not exceed the stated caps above. In the past, grading curves were used in Berkeley Haas classes, as is the case across the campus and in large prerequisite courses.

Do Ivy Leagues care about freshman year?

So, do colleges care about freshman year? The short answer is yes. Colleges want to see how much progress you've made throughout your high school career. They also want to see how much you've been willing to challenge yourself — both academically and in terms of extracurricular involvement.