UC Berkeley Acceptance Rate: 10.5% for the Class of 2030, In-State vs Out-of-State
By Rona Aydin
What is the UC Berkeley acceptance rate?
The UC Berkeley acceptance rate for the Class of 2030, which entered in fall 2026, was 10.5% by our calculation. Berkeley’s student profile lists 133,157 first-year applications and 13,992 admitted students for 2026, based on admissions data as of August 2026, and rounds the share admitted to 11%. Berkeley News reported in July that “13,982 students were offered admission,” and that their unweighted average GPA was 3.93 and weighted average 4.52 (Berkeley News, July 29, 2026). The small differences between these counts likely reflect different snapshot dates.
Berkeley has not yet published how many of the admitted students enrolled in fall 2026. For fall 2025, the Common Data Set shows 6,687 enrolled from 14,524 admitted, a yield of 46.0% by our calculation.
How has the UC Berkeley acceptance rate changed?
| Entering class | Applied | Admitted | Acceptance rate | Enrolled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2026 (Class of 2030) | 133,157 | 13,992 | 10.5% | Not yet published |
| Fall 2025 (Class of 2029) | 126,864 | 14,524 | 11.4% | 6,687 |
| Fall 2024 (Class of 2028) | 124,245 | 13,714 | 11.0% | 6,272 |
| Fall 2023 (Class of 2027) | 125,916 | 14,769 | 11.7% | 6,641 |
| Fall 2022 (Class of 2026) | 128,226 | 14,614 | 11.4% | 6,726 |
Applications held between about 124,000 and 128,000 for four years, then rose for fall 2026; Berkeley News reported in February that first-year applications were up about 5% (Berkeley News, February 24, 2026). Applications rose and Berkeley admitted about 500 fewer students, citing “a modest reduction in available enrollment seats” (Berkeley News, July 29, 2026), so the acceptance rate fell to the lowest of these five years.
Is UC Berkeley harder to get into for out-of-state students?
For fall 2026, the University of California’s preliminary tables show California residents admitted at a higher rate than nonresidents (UCOP applications table; UCOP admissions table):
| Applicant group, fall 2026 | Applied | Admitted | Acceptance rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| California residents | 76,201 | 9,445 | 12.4% |
| Other U.S. applicants | 31,707 | 3,155 | 10.0% |
| International applicants | 25,220 | 1,367 | 5.4% |
| Total | 133,128 | 13,967 | 10.5% |
The gap was wider for fall 2024, the latest year with residency detail in Berkeley’s Common Data Set: California residents were admitted at 14.9% (10,774 of 72,156), out-of-state applicants at 7.3% (2,186 of 29,788) and international applicants at 3.4% (754 of 22,301), by our calculation. The fall 2026 figures are preliminary and come from a different source, so the change should be read with care. Our guides to the Berkeley out-of-state acceptance rate and UC admissions for out-of-state students go further.
Does UC Berkeley have early decision or early action?
No. Berkeley’s application page states: “UC Berkeley does not participate in early action or early decision” (Berkeley Admissions). Every first-year applicant applies through the University of California application in a single round, so there is no early acceptance rate to compare.
When is the UC Berkeley application deadline for fall 2027?
| Step | Date |
|---|---|
| Application opens | August 1, 2026 |
| Application filing period | October 1 to November 30, 2026 |
| FAFSA, California Dream Act and GPA Verification deadline | March 2, 2027 |
| Admission decisions released (UC system window) | March 1 to 31, 2027 |
| Statement of Intent to Register deadline | May 1, 2027 |
Does UC Berkeley consider SAT or ACT scores?
No. The University of California states that it “will not consider SAT or ACT test scores when making admissions decisions or awarding Regents and Chancellor’s scholarships.” Scores a student chooses to submit may be used for the statewide admissions guarantee, as another way to meet minimum eligibility requirements, or for course placement (University of California). Berkeley’s application page links to this policy, and its Common Data Set reports no test scores. In our view, grades and course rigor therefore carry the academic weight of the application.
What GPA do admitted UC Berkeley students have?
For the fall 2026 admitted class, Berkeley reports a middle 50% unweighted GPA of 3.90 to 4.00 and a weighted GPA of 4.36 to 4.72 (Berkeley student profile). Berkeley News reported an unweighted average of 3.93 and a weighted average of 4.52. For students who enrolled in fall 2025, the Common Data Set reports an average high school GPA of 3.90. Our guide to getting into UC Berkeley covers how the UC reads grades and the Personal Insight Questions.
Are some Berkeley majors harder to get into?
Berkeley does not post acceptance rates by major on its website, so EECS, Haas or computer science admit rates found online cannot be checked against a current Berkeley page. In our view, applicants to high-demand programs such as Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences should assume a lower chance than the overall rate and choose an alternate major carefully. Our comparison of Berkeley EECS and Computer Science explains the two routes into computing.
How does the UC Berkeley waitlist work?
| Entering class | Offered a place | Accepted a place | Admitted from the waitlist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2025 (Class of 2029) | 9,102 | 6,479 | 0 |
| Fall 2024 (Class of 2028) | 10,894 | 7,853 | 26 |
| Fall 2023 (Class of 2027) | 7,001 | 4,820 | 1,191 |
| Fall 2022 (Class of 2026) | 8,456 | 4,655 | 44 |
Berkeley’s waiting list has ranged from no admissions to more than 1,000 in recent years, and in our view the outcome depends mostly on how many admitted students accept and on Berkeley’s enrollment target that year. A waitlisted student should opt in and commit to another college by May 1. Our Berkeley waitlist guide covers the process.
How much does UC Berkeley cost for California families?
Under the UC Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan, “Most California families that earn up to $100,000 receive enough grant and scholarship funds to cover their UC tuition,” provided they file the FAFSA or California Dream Act application by March 2 (UC Admissions). Out-of-state students pay nonresident tuition, and our analysis of whether out-of-state UC tuition is worth it looks at the trade-off.
What does the UC Berkeley acceptance rate mean for applicants?
In the view of Oriel Admissions, Berkeley is a reach for nearly every applicant, in state or out, because admitted students have close to perfect grades and the university does not use test scores to separate them. With no early round, the Personal Insight Questions and the choice of major carry unusual weight. Out-of-state families should compare Berkeley with other UC campuses, such as UC San Diego and UC Davis, and our Berkeley vs UCLA comparison covers the most common choice between campuses.
Frequently Asked Questions About the UC Berkeley Acceptance Rate
Berkeley admitted 13,992 of 133,157 first-year applicants for fall 2026, an acceptance rate of 10.5% by our calculation from its admissions site, which rounds the figure to 11%. The rate was 11.4% for fall 2025, according to the Common Data Set.
Preliminary University of California figures for fall 2026 show other U.S. applicants admitted at 10.0%, California residents at 12.4% and international applicants at 5.4%, by our calculation. For fall 2024, the Common Data Set showed 7.3% for out-of-state applicants.
No. Berkeley does not offer early action or early decision. All first-year applicants file the University of California application between October 1 and November 30.
No. The University of California does not consider SAT or ACT scores in admission decisions or for Regents and Chancellor scholarships. Submitted scores may be used for eligibility or course placement.
Berkeley sets no cutoff above the University of California minimum GPA of 3.0 in A-G courses, or 3.4 for nonresidents. The middle 50% unweighted GPA of the fall 2026 admitted class was 3.90 to 4.00, and the weighted range was 4.36 to 4.72.
Berkeley does not post acceptance rates by major on its website, so EECS rates found online cannot be checked against a current Berkeley page. In the view of Oriel Admissions, applicants to high-demand majors should expect lower odds than the overall rate.
The University of California releases fall 2027 first-year decisions between March 1 and 31, 2027, and some campuses may release them earlier. Admitted students reply by May 1, 2027.
It varies widely. Berkeley admitted 0 students from its waiting list for fall 2025, 26 for fall 2024 and 1,191 for fall 2023, according to its Common Data Sets.
Sources: Berkeley Admissions student profile, Berkeley News, July 29, 2026, Berkeley News, February 24, 2026, UC Berkeley Common Data Sets 2022-2023 to 2025-2026, UCOP fall 2026 preliminary applications, UCOP fall 2026 preliminary admissions, Apply to UC Berkeley, UC Admissions dates and deadlines, University of California testing policy, UC Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan. All read October 26, 2026.
About Oriel Admissions
Oriel Admissions is a college admissions consulting firm advising families nationwide on elite university admissions strategy, with offices in Princeton, New Jersey and New York. Our team pairs deep admissions expertise with a distinctive 360 approach spanning academic planning, extracurricular strategy, essays and application execution. To discuss your strategy, schedule a consultation.
