OVERVIEW

University of California-Berkeley is a public research university located in California. With over 25,000 undergraduates, and more than 10,000 postgraduates, this university is generally considered to be the flagship institution in the University of California system, which also indicates its selectiveness with an acceptance rate of 21.5%.

University of California-Berkeley was first established on March 23, 1868. This university occupies a big campus of 1,232 acres on the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay and the “central campus” occupies only the low-lying western 178 acres in the area. University of California-Berkeley provides campus safety and security services like 24-hour foot and vehicle patrols, 24-hour emergency telephones and so on to facilitate students’ campus life.

University of California-Berkeley offers degrees in bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate’s programs. The average freshman retention rate is 97%, which is obviously a fantastic number and 69% of the students in this college finally finished their four years’ study and managed to graduate with a degree.

The mission of University of California-Berkeley is:

The mission of University of California-Berkeley is teaching-educating students at all levels, from undergraduate to the most advanced graduate level; research-do research by some of the world’s best researchers and brightest students in hundreds of disciplines at its campuses, national laboratories, medical centers and other research facilities around the state; and public service-disseminates research results and translates scientific discoveries into practical knowledge and technological innovations that benefit California and the nation.

ACCREDITATION

University of California-Berkeley receives accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) every decade.

ACADEMICS

University of California-Berkeley has 14 colleges and schools:

• College of Letters&Science
• Haas School of Business
• College of Chemistry
• Graduate School of Education
• College of Engineering
• College of Environmental Design
• School of Information
• Graduate School of Journalism
• School of Law
• College of Natural Resources
• School of Optometry
• School of Public Health
• Richard & Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy
• School of Social Welfare

The university is ranked No.21 among all national universities by US News.

With the student-faculty ratio being 17:1 and 62.0% of all classes having less than 20 students, University of California-Berkeley has enough professors for students so that every one of them can be well instructed.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Applicants for the university are required to provide either their SAT or ACT scores before December 31 and admission interview is neither required nor recommended. The deadline for application is November 30 and the application fee is USD 60. Working and volunteering experiences usually give applicants extra advantages.

COSTS AND FINANCIAL AID

The in-state tuition and fees for year 2011-2012 are USD 11,767, and the out-of-state ones are USD 34,645. Students averagely spend USD 1,202 on books and supplies.

University of California-Berkeley offers scholarships(including both need-based ones and non-need-based ones), financial aids and part-time job opportunities for student to help them deal with their tuition and expenses. There are five types of need-based scholarships/grants, awarding 46% of the freshmen with USD 17,468. USD 5,612 non-need-based scholarships/grants are offered according to data of the year 2010. University of California-Berkeley provides four types of loans for students. About 57.1% of the students applied for need-based financial aid and 25.2% of them had their needs fully met. Financial aids are also available for international students in this university.