What is UC Berkeley's current acceptance rate?
I've been looking at a lot of different colleges and UC Berkeley is one of my top choices, but I'm having a hard time finding the most up-to-date info about their acceptance rate. I know it can change year to year, and I've seen numbers anywhere between 11% and 17%.
Does anyone know what the acceptance rate was for the most recent admissions cycle? I'm hoping to get a sense of how competitive it's really gotten, especially for in-state vs out-of-state applicants. If you have any insight into specific colleges within Berkeley too (like Engineering or L&S), that would be super helpful!
I'm a junior starting to build my college list and stressing a bit about reach schools. Any info is appreciated!
Does anyone know what the acceptance rate was for the most recent admissions cycle? I'm hoping to get a sense of how competitive it's really gotten, especially for in-state vs out-of-state applicants. If you have any insight into specific colleges within Berkeley too (like Engineering or L&S), that would be super helpful!
I'm a junior starting to build my college list and stressing a bit about reach schools. Any info is appreciated!
4 months ago
•
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Kathy Jayanth
• 4 months ago
Advisor
For Fall 2023, UC Berkeley’s overall acceptance rate was approximately 11.6%. This marks one of the lowest rates in the school’s history, reflecting increased competition due to rising application numbers. In the most recent cycle, about 125,800 students applied for freshman admission, and around 14,600 were accepted.
The acceptance rate varies depending on residency. In-state California residents generally have a higher chance of admission compared to out-of-state and international applicants, because of the UC system’s priority for Californian students. For example, the in-state acceptance rate was closer to 14-15%, while for out-of-state residents it typically drops to around 7-8%. International rates can be even lower.
When it comes to specific colleges, the College of Letters & Science (L&S) is the largest and tends to be somewhat less selective compared to some of the smaller, specialized colleges. The College of Engineering is extremely competitive, with an acceptance rate often around 5-7% overall, and sometimes even lower for particular majors like Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences (EECS). That said, Engineering applicants are evaluated with a more technical eye, so strong STEM coursework, projects, and related activities are especially important.
To give you an example, a friend of mine applied to EECS last year with nearly straight As and ACT in the top percentiles, along with state-level coding competition wins; even then, acceptance wasn’t guaranteed. For L&S, the bar is very high, but the focus may be a bit broader, with strong extracurriculars and essays playing a larger role.
Since you’re starting your list, it’s wise to consider UC Berkeley as a reach, especially for competitive majors. But strong academic credentials, compelling essays, and activities relevant to your academic interests can make you a serious contender. Also remember that each UC campus evaluates applications independently, so if you like Berkeley, look at UCLA and UCSD too—they’re also excellent choices with similar application processes but slightly different admissions profiles.
If you want the most recent data each year, UC Berkeley publicly shares its Freshman Profile and Common Data Set on its admissions website, which is a good place to track shifts in selectivity as you finalize your own application strategy.
The acceptance rate varies depending on residency. In-state California residents generally have a higher chance of admission compared to out-of-state and international applicants, because of the UC system’s priority for Californian students. For example, the in-state acceptance rate was closer to 14-15%, while for out-of-state residents it typically drops to around 7-8%. International rates can be even lower.
When it comes to specific colleges, the College of Letters & Science (L&S) is the largest and tends to be somewhat less selective compared to some of the smaller, specialized colleges. The College of Engineering is extremely competitive, with an acceptance rate often around 5-7% overall, and sometimes even lower for particular majors like Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences (EECS). That said, Engineering applicants are evaluated with a more technical eye, so strong STEM coursework, projects, and related activities are especially important.
To give you an example, a friend of mine applied to EECS last year with nearly straight As and ACT in the top percentiles, along with state-level coding competition wins; even then, acceptance wasn’t guaranteed. For L&S, the bar is very high, but the focus may be a bit broader, with strong extracurriculars and essays playing a larger role.
Since you’re starting your list, it’s wise to consider UC Berkeley as a reach, especially for competitive majors. But strong academic credentials, compelling essays, and activities relevant to your academic interests can make you a serious contender. Also remember that each UC campus evaluates applications independently, so if you like Berkeley, look at UCLA and UCSD too—they’re also excellent choices with similar application processes but slightly different admissions profiles.
If you want the most recent data each year, UC Berkeley publicly shares its Freshman Profile and Common Data Set on its admissions website, which is a good place to track shifts in selectivity as you finalize your own application strategy.
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Kathy Jayanth
Berkeley, CA
UC Berkeley | Economics & Slavic Studies
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