Admissions Factors

What UC Berkeley Looks For

UC Berkeley rates 3 factors as very important: rigor of high school courses, academic GPA and application essay.

How UC Berkeley rates each factor

Each college sorts 18 factors into four levels on its Common Data Set.

Very important

Important

Considered

Not considered

The numbers behind the class

Overall admit rate

11.4%

14,524 of 126,864 applicants

Early decision admit rate

No early decision

Admitted from the waitlist

0 of 6,479 who stayed on it

Enrolled first-years had an average high school GPA of 3.90.

Email me what UC Berkeley looks for

A link to this page, plus the comparison table for every college we track.

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Frequently asked questions

What does UC Berkeley look for in applicants?

UC Berkeley rates 3 factors as very important: rigor of high school courses, academic GPA and application essay.

Does UC Berkeley consider legacy status?

UC Berkeley rates alumni relation as "not considered" in its 2025-26 Common Data Set.

Does UC Berkeley track demonstrated interest?

UC Berkeley rates the level of an applicant's interest as "not considered".

What is UC Berkeley's waitlist acceptance rate?

6,479 students stayed on the waitlist and 0 were admitted, a rate of 0%. The number changes a lot from year to year because it depends on how many admitted students enroll.

Source: UC Berkeley’s own Common Data Set 2025-26, Section C. Last checked 2026-10-08. The ratings are the college’s own description of its process. Counts are for one entering class.