University of california berkeley transfer acceptance rate

Do you have what it takes to get into the University of California Berkeley, one of the best public universities across the globe?

In this article, we covered the UC Berkeley acceptance rate for 2022 freshman and transfer students as well as the most important things they check for when reviewing applications.

University of california berkeley transfer acceptance rate

Now, let’s get to business.

Is UC Berkeley a hard school to get into?

Getting into UC Berkeley is relatively hard, of every 100 applicants only 11 are offered admission. Since most applicants meet the minimum admission requirements, the admission officers look for things that distinguish some applicants like essays, extracurriculars, accomplishments, etc.

Being a prestigious institution and the oldest school in the University of California system, it receives a ton of applications annually and while most of these applicants are qualified for admission, only the best are selected.

Therefore having a perfect GPA and good enough grades may not cut it. This is why some smart applicants get waitlisted or rejected by UCB. Also, how hard it gets depends on various factors.

Factors like residency, admission path, major, etc determine how tough the competition will be. For example, as an international student, you should expect your chances of getting admitted lower than an in-state student.

Impacted majors such as computer science, economics, public health, etc are generally more competitive due to their high demand. While changing majors is feasible at UCB, some majors are hard to change. Your intended Undergraduate Major Adviser can give you some alternatives.

The UC Berkeley acceptance rate for the class of 2026 is 11.4%. Of the 128,225 freshman applicants who applied for fall 2022 admissions, only 14,603 students were admitted.

When we compared the freshman admissions data for 2022 to the previous year, UC Berkeley saw a 12% growth in the number of first-year applications and a 3.1% decrease in the selectivity rate.

Below are the acceptance rates for the University of California Berkeley over the past four years.

YearAcceptance Rate
2019 16.8%
2020 17.5%
2021 14.5%
2022 11.4%

Based on residency, UC Berekely acceptance rate for international students is 5.52%. UCB’s admit rate for out-of-state students is 8.61% while that of California residents is 14.52%.

International students have the highest yield rate of 53%, followed by 47% for in-state students and 28% for domestic non-residents of the state of California.

Also Read:

  • UC San Francisco acceptance rate
  • UC Merced acceptance rate
  • UC Irvine acceptance rate
  • UC Santa Cruz acceptance rate
  • UC Davis acceptance rate

UC Berkeley transfer acceptance rate

The University of California Berkeley transfer acceptance rate for 2022 is 27%. The school received 19,371 transfer applications and admitted 5,200 students for the class of 2026. About 94% of these students transferred from California community colleges.

Across all schools in the UC system, it’s normal for the transfer admit rate to be higher than that of freshman admissions. While transferring from a community college might seem hard, it’s a smart way to save money.

Even though UC Berkeley saw a significant decrease in the number of transfer applications this year, its transfer selectivity rate increased by a whopping 7.6%.

UC Berkeley acceptance rate by major

Major nameAdmit rate
Environmental earth science 39%
Environmental economics & policy 37%
Geography 27%
Conservation & resources studies 48%
Environmental science 12%
Society & environment 33%
Architecture 21%
Landscape architecture 16%
American studies 58%
Chicano studies 26%
Gender & women’s studies 20%
Integrative biology 27%
Molecular & cell biology 26%
Microbial biology 20%
Molecular environmental biology 25%
Business administration 4%
Media studies 26%
Computer science 4%
Data Science 15%
Chemical engineering 37%
Bioengineering 21%
Civil engineering 27%
Electrical engineering – computer science 10%
Mechanical engineering 16%
Art 42%
Film 29%
History of art 53%
Music 41%
Theater and performance studies 52%
Chinese language & literature 16%
Japanese language & literature 43%
Linguistics 17%
Cognitive science 9%
Global studies 17%
Interdisciplinary studies 50%
Nutritional science 10%
Legal studies 20%
English 43%
History 19%
Philosophy 51%
Applied mathematics 31%
Mathematics 26%
Statistics 35%
Chemical biology 13%
Chemistry 20%
Physics 40%
Psychology 6%
Public health 15%
Anthropology 15%
Economics 22%
Political economy 26%
Political science 21%
Sociology 46%

Note: The data above is for transfer students only.

Who gets into UCB?

Gender

Female 52.2%
Male 46.8%
Not reported 0.5%
Genderqueer 0.3%
Trans Male 0.1%
Trans Female 0.1%

Residency

California resident 65.5%
Nonresident international 15.0%
Nonresident domestic 12.5%
Unknown 7.0%

Ethnicity

African American 3.8%
Hispanic/Latino(a) 18.8%
American Indian 0.4%
Pacific Islander 0.2%
Asian 38.9%
White 20.8%
Domestic unknown 4.0%
International 13.1%

GPA and test scores of middle 25%-75% students

High School GPA 4.17 – 4.31
ACT Composite Score 30 – 35
ACT English Language Arts  28 – 32
SAT Evidence-Based Reading & Writing 660 – 750
SAT Mathematics 680 – 790
SAT Essay 16 – 19

What GPA is needed for UC Berkeley?

As a freshman applicant, you need at least a 4.25 weighted grade point average to gain admission into UC Berkeley. An average admitted first-year student has a weighted GPA of 4.24.

Meanwhile, applicants transferring from a community college to UCB need a minimum GPA of 3.81 on a 4.0 scale to be considered competitive. Also, UC Berkeley does not have a Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program for transfer students.

Before UC schools started ignoring standardized test scores, applicants used to complement their below-average GPA with their SAT/ACT scores. The only way to do that now is by taking challenging courses such as AP/IB classes to get additional points.

What does UCB look for in applicants?

Keep in mind that UC Berkeley receives x10 the number of applicants it can admit and hence uses a holistic selection process when reviewing applications. To get admitted to UCB your academic as well as non-academic profile needs to be solid.

Being one of the most selective universities in the nation anyone planning to study at UC Berkeley must be an above-average student while meeting the minimum admission requirements. This is not restricted to only being a class topper.

As a freshman applicant, your academic performance is demonstrated by:

  • Your weighted and unweighted UC grade point average (calculated using 10th and 11th grade UC-approved courses only)
  • Your planned 12th-grade courses
  • Your pattern of grades over time
  • The number of college preparatory, Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), honors, and transferable college courses you have completed
  • Your level of achievement in those courses relative to other UC applicants at your school
  • Your scores on AP or IB exams and SAT subject exams

On the other hand, transfer students must have completed the following before applying to UCB:

  • Completion of general education/breadth requirement
  • Minimum 60 UC-transferable semester units (90 UC-transferable quarter units)
    • Please note that every course offered at your institution is not UC-transferable
  • Overall minimum GPA of 3.0 in all transferable college-level coursework
  • Lower Division Major Preparation Courses

The admission officers are on the look for 3 major things; passion, persistence, and a desire to give back. The last part is primarily shown by your volunteer activities and non-academic achievements.

Last but not least, try to be genuine when answering the personal insight questions and revise them before submitting your UC application.

Conclusion

Regarding admissions, the University of California Berkeley will continue to get more selective every year. We reviewed the UC Berkeley acceptance rate as well as its admission requirements and statistics.

If you have any questions or suggestions concerning the topic covered, feel free to use the comment section. Don’t forget to share this post with others 🙂

What GPA do you need to transfer to Berkeley?

Minimum GPA of 3.0 in all transferable college-level coursework for most majorsMajor preparation courses (Check ASSIST.org or guide.berkeley.edu for more information).

How hard is it to get into UC Berkeley as a transfer?

UC Berkeley accepts 22.49% transfer applicants, which is competitive. To have a shot at transferring into UC Berkeley, you should have a current GPA of at least 3.89 - ideally you're GPA will be around 4.05. In addition, you will need to submit standardized test scores.

Is it easier to get into Berkeley as a transfer?

The transfer acceptance rate at UC Berkeley is around 25%. In comparison, the acceptance rate for non-transfer students hovers around 17%. Importantly, of the roughly 5,000 transfer students Berkeley receives each year, a staggering 95% of them are transferring from a California community college.

Is it easier to get into UCLA or Berkeley?

Both the universities require students with high GPAs, SAT scores & ACT scores. UCLA is extremely selective and only enrols students who have a GPA of 3.9 or more. UC Berkeley requires a GPA of 3.89 from all its students. The average SAT score should be between the SAT scale of 1405 and 1600.