First-Year Requirements

UC Berkeley seeks students from all over the world to be a part of our dynamic community.

First-year applicants are students who are currently in high school (with or without college coursework completed), or students who have graduated high school and have no college coursework post-high school.

• Meet the A-G subject course requirements. (Review the A-G Policy Resource Guide)
• Have a 3.0 GPA in A-G courses taken in the 10th and 11th grade years. (3.4 GPA for non-residents)

*These minimum requirements follow the University of California (UC) minimum requirements. For more information on UC requirements, visit the UC First-year admissions website.

• 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

Berkeley is test-free, meaning we will not use standardized exams (SAT and ACT) in our review process. Subject exams are optional but can still be value added. (Note: Our school code is 4833.) If you report your scores to one campus, they will be shared with every campus to which you've applied. Standardized exams will not be used in the application review process.

1. The applicant’s full record of achievement in college preparatory work in high school, including the number and rigor of courses taken and grades earned in those courses.
2. 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.
3. Likely contributions to the intellectual and cultural vitality of the campus. In addition to a broad range of intellectual interests and achievements, admission readers seek diversity in personal background and experience.
4. Achievement in academic enrichment programs, including but not limited to those sponsored by the University of California. This criterion is measured by time and depth of participation, by the academic progress made by the applicant during that participation, and by the intellectual rigor of the particular program.
5. Other evidence of achievement. This criterion recognizes exemplary, sustained achievement in any field of intellectual or creative endeavor; accomplishments in extracurricular activities such as the performing arts or athletics; leadership in school or community organizations; employment; and volunteer service.
6. Race, ethnicity, gender, and religion are excluded from the criteria.

All achievements, both academic and nonacademic, are considered in the context of the opportunities an applicant has had, and the reader’s assessment is based on how fully the applicant has taken advantage of those opportunities. For an applicant who has faced any hardships or unusual circumstances, readers consider the maturity, determination and insight with which the applicant has responded to and/or overcome them. Readers also consider other contextual factors that bear directly upon the applicant’s achievement, including linguistic background, parental education level, and other indicators of support available in the home.

The review recognizes a wide range of talent and creativity that is not necessarily reflected in traditional measures of academic achievement but which, in the judgment of the reader, is a positive indicator of the student’s ability to succeed at Berkeley and beyond.

Next, get familiar with what makes an applicant stand out in our pool:

• How Berkeley selects students
• Student profile
• Personal Insight Questions
• First-year admission policy
• International students
• First-year applicant checklist