Does UC Berkeley accept letters of continued interest?

UC Berkeley’s approach to waitlist management is a little different from what you might find at some private universities. Officially, Berkeley does not widely encourage or invite letters of continued interest (LOCI) as part of their waitlist process. When you’re waitlisted, the university typically sends specific instructions via your applicant portal or in their waitlist email. As of the last few years, Berkeley has asked students not to send additional materials—including LOCIs, recommendation letters, or extra essays—unless explicitly invited.

That said, there have been rare cases where waitlisted students have found a way to send brief updates using the portal if an option appears, but for most applicants, there’s no formal process to submit a LOCI, and emailing or mailing one independently is generally discouraged. Berkeley emphasizes fairness, so they aim to keep the process consistent for all waitlisted students. The admissions team has stated that they don’t factor in extra communications if they haven’t asked for them specifically.

Your best path forward is to read your waitlist instructions very closely. If they permit or provide an option for updates, you can use it, but otherwise, respect their guidelines. For example, in 2023, the application portal did not have a section for LOCIs, and emails with updates were not acknowledged or added to files.

If you feel strongly about communicating your interest, you could monitor your applicant portal for any changes. In some years, UC schools open brief forms for updates. But unless you’re given that opportunity, focus instead on preparing for all possible admission outcomes.

Staying in touch with the process and responding to all deadlines for the waitlist is most important. Ultimately, the biggest factor Berkeley considers for waitlisted candidates is how you compare academically with others still in the pool, not extra materials. If Berkeley is your top choice, be sure to opt in to the waitlist promptly and follow every instruction. That, more than a letter of continued interest, is going to give you the best chance.