Universities and programs
How to Choose the Right University
A practical way to evaluate universities against your goals, rather than a list of famous names.
8 min read
Read guideUniversity in the United States
University of California, Berkeley
A public university in the University of California system, on a hillside campus in Berkeley, across the bay from San Francisco. It combines a large public undergraduate college with highly sought graduate programmes.
Berkeley · United States · Public
At a glance
A short orientation — not a ranking, and not a substitute for the course pages you will eventually read.
- Location
- Berkeley, United States
- Institution type
- Public
- Founded
- 1868
- Campuses
- Berkeley, California
- Study levels
- Undergraduate and postgraduate
Understanding the University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley is a public campus in the UC system. That matters for fees: California residents, other US students and international students are not charged on the same basis. It also matters for size — undergraduate classes in some majors can be large, especially in the first years.
The campus is in the city of Berkeley, with San Francisco and Silicon Valley as regional context rather than the walk to class. Student life is a mix of campus and East Bay neighbourhoods.
We currently tag computing, engineering and arts, and we feature Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at undergraduate level. EECS is one well-known route; it is not the whole university, and it is not a guarantee of a particular career outcome.
Why consider UC Berkeley?
Berkeley is a public US research university to consider if you want that combination of scale, a Bay Area location, and a specific college — not because public US universities are interchangeable, and not because a tech region is a job offer.
Public university, international fees
As a UC campus, Berkeley has a public mission and a public fee structure. International undergraduates pay non-resident tuition. That is a budgeting fact to face early, not a footnote.
Computing, engineering and arts in our listing
EECS is the featured undergraduate programme. Arts also appears in our tags. If you are choosing Berkeley for one department, read that department’s undergraduate or graduate page — campus-wide reputation will not sit in your timetable.
A city campus in the East Bay
You live in Berkeley, with access to the wider Bay Area. Housing is constrained and expensive by global student standards. Transit is usable; it is not a substitute for a housing plan.
Graduate support is often departmental
The Berkeley International Graduate Awards note in our listing is a reminder that master’s and PhD funding is frequently arranged by department, not as a single campus cheque. Ask the programme, not a general profile page.
Explore what you can study
A curated preview from what we currently list for University of California, Berkeley — not every course the university teaches, and not a ranking of faculties.
Study levels listed here: Undergraduate
Academic areas
Featured programmes
Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences
Undergraduate · Engineering
What could student life look like?
Berkeley student life is politically and culturally visible, academically intense in many majors, and shaped by a tight local housing market. The campus hillside, Telegraph Avenue and student housing are the immediate geography.
A large undergraduate population
You will share introductory courses with many students in popular majors. Smaller upper-division classes come later. If you want a college where every seminar is small from week one, compare the teaching format honestly.
Housing is part of the academic plan
University housing does not cover everyone for every year. Many students live in co-ops, apartments or further along transit lines. Factor search time into the summer before you arrive.
International students
Berkeley enrols international undergraduates and a large graduate population in some fields. US visas, work authorisation and health insurance follow federal and campus rules — not this page.
Berkeley and studying in the United States
Berkeley sits in the San Francisco Bay Area. For US student visas, public versus private cost logic, and destination-level guidance, use the United States page. This page stays with the campus.
Understanding the cost of studying here
UC Berkeley publishes undergraduate cost of attendance, including non-resident tuition for international students. Graduate costs and support differ by programme. We do not reprint unofficial averages.
Non-resident tuition is the international starting point
International undergraduates should read the current UC fee tables for non-residents. California resident rates do not apply.
Living in the Bay Area
Housing and food in and around Berkeley are a major part of the year. Official cost-of-attendance estimates exist on UC pages; treat third-party “average rent” posts with caution.
A guidance conversation can help you compare a public UC campus with private US institutes or with universities in other countries, using official figures rather than guessed ones.
Scholarships and funding
Undergraduate aid and scholarships at Berkeley follow UC and campus rules; many are limited for international undergraduates. Graduate funding is often departmental. The award in our listing is an orientation point, not a package you can assume.
- View details
Berkeley International Graduate Awards
University of California, Berkeley · Departmental support
Application requirements
Undergraduate admission to Berkeley is through the University of California application. Graduate admission is by department. The two should not be mixed up.
Undergraduate applications
UC uses a single application for its campuses. You choose Berkeley as a campus preference and select a major. Required courses in secondary school, essays and timelines are published by UC — they change, and we will not freeze last year’s list here.
Graduate applications
EECS and other departments set their own deadlines, tests and prior-study expectations. Apply to the department.
English language
UC and individual graduate programmes publish English language rules. Confirm the current requirement for the level you are applying to.
Application Support can help you plan a US public-university file. UC’s pages remain the source of truth.
Questions students ask about Berkeley
Short answers for orientation. Official university pages remain the source of truth for your year of entry.
In Berkeley, California, in the United States, on the east side of San Francisco Bay. Undergraduate life is centred on this campus.
Berkeley is a comprehensive public university. We currently highlight computing, engineering and arts, and feature undergraduate Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences. Use the Berkeley academic guide for the current catalogue.
Undergraduates apply through the UC application; graduates apply to a department. Requirements differ and change. We do not quote unofficial GPA cut-offs.
Some campus and departmental awards exist. International undergraduate aid is often more limited than for California residents. Graduate support is frequently arranged by department. Nothing on this page is a guaranteed award.
Undergraduate applicants use the University of California application. Graduate applicants apply to a Berkeley department. Deadlines are fixed and early. Application Support can help you plan the sequence.
Yes. International students study at undergraduate and graduate level. US visas, non-resident fees and housing still need their own plan.
Guides that may help next
Practical reading while you decide whether Berkeley — and this destination — may fit.
Scholarships and funding
Understanding the Cost of Studying Abroad
Tuition is only part of the picture. Use this guide to think through living costs, funding and planning.
6 min read
Read guide
Applications
What to Prepare Before Applying
Documents, tests, timelines and the practical things to gather before you apply.
5 min read
Read guide
Explore related universities
Other institutions we currently list in the same destination or overlapping study areas — a comparison set, not a ranking.
Considering University of California, Berkeley?
Fit depends on the programme, your background, budget and where you want to live — not on a famous name alone. A conversation can help you see whether this university, or another, may be the right next step.