Berkeley University Admission Requirements?

Hey everyone, I've been looking into University of California, Berkeley as my dream school. I was wondering what the exact admission requirements were? Are they looking for specific grades or having certain extracurriculars? If anyone who got in can tell me about their credentials, I'd really appreciate it!

Hey! University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) certainly sets the bar high when it comes to admissions requirements due to its competitive nature. While it doesn't state an explicit minimum GPA requirement, most of its admitted students tend to have GPAs in the top 10% of their high school class. GPA is considered in the context of your school and its curriculum, including the rigor of the classes you've taken.

For the 2024-2025 application cycle, UC Berkeley won't be considering SAT or ACT scores at all as it's a test-blind school. This means, you shouldn't worry about standardized tests for your application to this school.

As for extracurricular activities, UC Berkeley, like many top schools, values qualities of leadership, initiative, and depth of involvement more than the sheer number of activities. Engaging deeply in a few extracurricular activities that you're passionate about, preferably activities that showcase your "spike" or highly developed specialty, is more impactful than having a long list but shallow involvement.

While Berkeley doesn't have specific, universal extracurricular requirements, they do generally look for students who have demonstrated commitment to their community, shown leadership, or excelled in personal areas of interest. This can take many forms, and the "best" extracurriculars are the ones that are most meaningful to you and have had an impact on your growth and development.

As far as admissions go, they assess applicants based on a comprehensive review of their application, which includes academic achievements, personal qualities, and the potential for contribution to the intellectual and cultural vitality of the campus. The application will ask you to write personal insight questions that will give them more information about you.

In these essays, it can be useful to address how you've overcome challenges, what you've learned from your experiences, and how you'll contribute to the campus community. Highlighting your unique perspective and experiences can help you stand out in a competitive applicant pool.

University of California applications are usually open from October 1 to November 30, so mark these dates. Good luck with your application!