How to get into UC Berkeley
What 744 admitted applicants actually had: their grades, test scores, activities, awards and intended majors, counted from 1,922 UC Berkeley results that students posted for the 2016 to 2027 cycles. Every number below is counted, not estimated.
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UC Berkeley admits by the numbers
Median unweighted GPA
3.97
Middle half 3.90 to 4.00
Median SAT
1,540
Middle half 1,490 to 1,570
Median ACT
35
Middle half 34 to 36
Median weighted GPA
4.50
Middle half 4.31 to 4.70
Results posted: 744 admitted, 918 rejected, 260 waitlisted. People who post results are a self-selected group, so this is not the UC Berkeley acceptance rate; the official rate is in UC Berkeley’s Common Data Set.
Admitted vs. rejected: grades are not the difference
| Median | Admitted | Rejected |
|---|---|---|
| Unweighted GPA | 3.97 | 3.92 |
| SAT | 1,540 | 1,520 |
| ACT | 35 | 35 |
When the rejected applicants’ numbers sit this close to the admitted ones, the decision was made somewhere else in the file: the activities, the essays and the letters. That is where the rest of this page looks.
What UC Berkeley admits did outside class
Share of admitted applicants listing at least one activity of each type.
- Nonprofit/Service67%
- Research47%
- Athletics44%
- Tutoring/Teaching40%
- STEM club/competition39%
- Internship38%
- Music33%
- Work/Job28%
Held a leadership role
89%
Founded something
49%
National or intl. award
74%
Did research
47%
Intended majors of UC Berkeley admits
- Computer Science18%
- Engineering12%
- Economics8%
- Biology7%
- Math6%
- Political Science6%
Who got in
Of the admitted posters, 13% first-generation, 12% low income, 12% underrepresented minority, 7% legacy, 1% recruited athlete and 9% international. Of those who said where they enrolled, 38% chose UC Berkeley.
Three recent UC Berkeley admits
2027 cycle · RD · Political Science
Los Angeles applicant whose essay examined the inequality between his commute's two worlds.
GPA 3.98 UW · SAT 1520 · Original post
2026 cycle · RD · Math
Pure math researcher and debate captain who co-leads a voting-access foundation and founded a chess club.
GPA 4.00 UW · ACT 36 · Original post
2026 cycle · RD · Business
Teen entrepreneur who built a STEM business and app and mentors middle schoolers.
GPA 3.97 UW · SAT 1570 · Original post
Essays that worked for UC Berkeley
“Since 5th grade, I have been my parents’ right hand at Ming Ji Restaurant in our hometown of Zacatecas, Mexico.”
Published by CollegeEssayGuy
How the UC Berkeley admissions office reads a file
- How does UC Berkeley evaluate your GPA in context?
- What extracurriculars does UC Berkeley look for?
- Does having a job help your UC Berkeley application?
- Do UC Berkeley readers score applications differently?
- Does senior year matter for UC Berkeley? · members
- What do UC readers look for in personal insight questions? · members
Where else UC Berkeley admits got in
UC Berkeley admissions questions
- What GPA do you need to get into UC Berkeley?
- Among 744 applicants who posted a UC Berkeley admission on r/collegeresults, the median unweighted GPA was 3.97 and the middle half reported 3.90 to 4.00 (631 reported a GPA). UC Berkeley sets no minimum GPA; these are what admitted posters reported.
- What SAT score do you need for UC Berkeley?
- Among 744 applicants who posted a UC Berkeley admission on r/collegeresults, the median SAT was 1,540 and the middle half scored 1,490 to 1,570 (515 reported an SAT). The median ACT was 35.
- What extracurriculars do UC Berkeley admits have?
- The most common activity types among admitted posters were nonprofit/service (67%), research (47%), athletics (44%), tutoring/teaching (40%). 89% held at least one leadership role and 74% listed a national or international award.
- What is the UC Berkeley acceptance rate?
- The official rate is published by UC Berkeley in its Common Data Set. These pages do not compute one: people who post results are a self-selected group, so the share of admits among them is far higher than the real rate.
Applying to UC Berkeley?
A Specialist who got into a school like UC Berkeley can read your student’s file against these numbers and say where it stands out and where it doesn’t.
Source: self-reported results posts on r/collegeresults, each linked from our Database, counted across the 2016 to 2027 cycles with transfer applicants excluded. Aristo Scholars is not affiliated with UC Berkeley. All colleges