University of California, Berkeley — Admissions Research

Source: uc_berkeley.md

University of California, Berkeley — Admissions Research

Overview

UC Berkeley is the flagship campus of the University of California system and widely considered the top public university in the United States. Located in Berkeley, CA, it is a large research university with approximately 33,100 undergraduates and 13,000 graduate students (Fall 2025). Berkeley competes with Ivy League and elite private universities for top students, particularly in STEM, business, and social sciences.

Admissions Rounds

The UC system does not offer Early Decision or Early Action. All freshman applications are submitted through the UC Application with a single deadline of November 30. Admissions decisions are released in mid-March. This is a key differentiator from private universities in the simulation — Berkeley has no early-round advantage or binding commitment mechanism.

Acceptance Rate

Overall acceptance rate (2024-25): 11.0% (14,451 admitted from ~126,798 applicants)
California residents: ~15% acceptance rate
Out-of-state/international: ~7-8% acceptance rate
Berkeley received its largest applicant pool ever in 2024 with 126,798+ freshmen applicants
Historical trend: declined from 16% (2019) to 9.3% (2023) to 11% (2024)

Source: UC Berkeley Office of Undergraduate Admissions

Test Scores (SAT/ACT)

UC Berkeley has been test-blind since 2021 — SAT/ACT scores are not considered in admissions decisions at all. However, the UC system announced it will reinstate test requirements for the 2025-26 admissions cycle (Fall 2026 entry) with hardship exceptions.

Historical middle 50% ranges (from enrolled students before test-blind policy, and self-reported): - SAT Composite: 1310–1530 - ACT Composite: 30–35

These scores reflect the caliber of students who attend Berkeley even though scores are not used in admissions. For the simulation, these ranges are relevant for modeling the academic profile of Berkeley students.

Source: College Tuition Compare

GPA

Unweighted GPA middle 50%: 3.89–4.00
Weighted GPA middle 50%: 4.31–4.65
97% of admitted students were in the top 10% of their high school class

Source: UC Berkeley Student Profile

Class Size & Yield

Freshman class size (Fall 2024): 6,272 enrolled first-year students
Yield rate: 46% (percentage of admitted students who enrolled)
74% from public high schools
26% first-generation college students

Source: UC Berkeley OPA

Demographics (Undergraduate, Fall 2025)

Total undergraduate enrollment: 33,122

Group	Percentage
Asian	41%
Hispanic/Latinx	21%
White	19%
International	10%
Black/African American	4%
Multiracial/Other	5%
Women	54%

Source: UC Berkeley OPA Quick Facts

Net Cost by Family Income

Income Bracket	Average Net Price
$0–$30,000	$8,392
$30,001–$48,000	$9,130
$48,001–$75,000	$13,081
$75,001–$110,000	$21,401
Over $110,000	$32,504

Berkeley is a no-loan school — financial aid packages replace federal loans with grants and scholarships.

Source: College Factual

Athletics

NCAA Division I (Pac-12 Conference, now Big 10 as of 2024)
30 varsity sports programs
1,072 student-athletes (574 male, 498 female)
Athlete percentage: 3.2% of undergraduate enrollment

Source: College Factual Athletics

Simulation Notes

No early rounds: Berkeley should be coded as RD-only in the simulation. No ED/EA multiplier applies.
Test-blind: SAT/ACT scores from the simulation's student profiles should not affect Berkeley admissions probability — however, for practical purposes, the simulation can use the historical SAT range to model the academic caliber of students Berkeley admits (via GPA-heavy weighting).
Public university dynamics: Berkeley's yield rate (~46%) is high for a public university but lower than elite privates. In-state preference is significant (15% vs 7-8% acceptance for out-of-state).
Massive applicant pool: 127K applicants makes Berkeley's volume comparable to or exceeding most private elites.
Category: public_elite — Berkeley occupies a unique tier as a public university competing with T20 privates.