Public · University
University of California-Berkeley
Berkeley, California · Midsize city
- 11.0%
- Admit rate
- $13,481
- Avg net price
- 93%
- Graduation rate
- $92,446
- Median earnings
University of California-Berkeley is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Berkeley, California (midsize city setting), enrolling 33,068 undergraduates.
About Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. The first people of European descent (most of whom were of mixed race and born in America) arrived with the De Anza Expedition in 1776. Berkeley is home to the Chilean-American community's La Peña Cultural Center, the largest cultural center for this community in the United States. The Freight and Salvage is the oldest established full-time folk and traditional music venue west of the Mississippi River. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Midsize city
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 11 miles to San Francisco, CA
- To the ocean
- 2 miles
- Nearest airport
- 11 miles to Oakland San Francisco Bay (OAK) · major hub
How University of California-Berkeley compares
More selective than 98% · #9 most selective of 107 in California
Higher than 97% · #9 of 122 in California
Higher than 95%
Higher than 97% · #16 of 130 in California
Cheaper than 79% · #26 cheapest of 118 in California
Lower than 94%
Lower than 18%
Larger than 98%
Percentiles compare University of California-Berkeley with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in California.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate33,06872%
- Graduate12,81228%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women18,07255%
- Men14,99645%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White20%
- Black2.1%
- Hispanic22%
- Asian35%
- Other or multiracial21%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 33,068
- Graduate enrollment
- 12,812
- Student–faculty ratio
- 18 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 29%
- First-generation students
- 35%
- Students over 25
- 5%
- Median family income
- $31,227
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $191,214
- Endowment
- $3,176,106,000
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 6,641 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From California79%
- Other U.S. states10%
- International10%
Most first-years stay in state — University of California-Berkeley draws overwhelmingly from California.
10% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 11.0%
- Test scores
- Not considered
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- —
- SAT average
- —
- SAT reading
- —
- SAT math
- —
- ACT composite
- —
- Average GPA
- 3.90
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $16,347
- Out-of-state tuition
- $50,547
- Room & board
- $23,750
- Books & supplies
- $1,131
- Total cost of attendance
- $45,619
- Average net price
- $13,481
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 93%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 80%
- First-year retention
- 97%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $74,919
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $92,446
- Median debt at graduation
- $13,000
- Students with federal loans
- 17%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 76%
About 13% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 9,899
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 30%
- Application fee
- $80
- Athletics
- NCAA Division I-FBS
- Football conference
- Atlantic Coast Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 1,088 (621 men · 467 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (17)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- D
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 12.2 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 359
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 1,324
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (45,882 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$9,693/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
A meaningful share of freshmen — 46% — get grant money from University of California-Berkeley itself, averaging $14,826, which softens the sticker price.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 6,680 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $92,446
- Typical debt at graduation
- $13,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 14%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 75%
Typical debt would take roughly 1.4 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $19,228 (23%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 76°F
- Winter low
- 43°F
- Annual rain
- 26.1″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Berkeley, CA US station (0.2 mi from campus).
What University of California-Berkeley graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to University of California-Berkeley
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare University of California-Berkeley side by side →
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan · Midsize city · 35 mi to Detroit
- Students
- 34,177
- Admission
- 16%
- Net price
- $13k
- SAT
- 1465
- GPA
- 3.9
- Earnings
- $84k
University of California-Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California · Large city · 11 mi to Los Angeles
- Students
- 33,475
- Admission
- 9%
- Net price
- $13k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $83k
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus
Atlanta, Georgia · Large city · 2 mi to Atlanta
- Students
- 18,785
- Admission
- 14%
- Net price
- $12k
- SAT
- 1480
- GPA
- 4.1
- Earnings
- $103k
University of California-San Diego
La Jolla, California · Large city · 12 mi to San Diego
- Students
- 34,948
- Admission
- 27%
- Net price
- $12k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- 3.9
- Earnings
- $85k
University of Virginia-Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia · Midsize suburb · 68 mi to Richmond
- Students
- 17,597
- Admission
- 17%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1480
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $87k
University of California-Irvine
Irvine, California · Large city · 35 mi to Riverside
- Students
- 30,197
- Admission
- 29%
- Net price
- $14k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $81k
Colleges near University of California-Berkeley
Graduate Theological Union
Berkeley, CA · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Church Divinity School of the Pacific
Berkeley, CA · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Pacific School of Religion
Berkeley, CA · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Institute of Buddhist Studies
Berkeley, CA · Private nonprofit · Graduate
The Wright Institute
Berkeley, CA · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Berkeley School of Theology
Berkeley, CA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 17 students
Berkeley City College
Berkeley, CA · Public · Associate · 4,456 students
Dominican School of Philosophy & Theology
Berkeley, CA · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.













