More selective than 93% of California colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $45,619. College Scorecard.
Higher than 96% of California colleges we cover and 97% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 92% of California colleges we cover and 97% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
University of California-Berkeley acceptance rate & admissions
Of 125,910 applicants, University of California-Berkeley admitted 14,677 and 6,641 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
University of California-Berkeley tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for California residents who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (in-state, federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
State aid: California residents who meet income, asset and GPA standards may receive a Cal Grant (California Student Aid Commission); apply with the FAFSA or California Dream Act Application. At University of California and California State University campuses, the Middle Class Scholarship can also help families with income and assets up to $250,000 (2026-27, dependent students). Not included in the prices above. California Student Aid Commission
University of California-Berkeley majors, earnings & careers
University of California-Berkeley offers 80 bachelor's majors across 9 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 21
- Science & Math · 21
- Engineering · 16
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 10
- Arts & Design · 5
- Business & Finance · 2
- Health & Medicine · 2
- Technology & Computing · 2
- Communications & Media · 1
Highest-earning majors at University of California-Berkeley
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | $204,379 | $13,900 |
| Electrical Engineering | $200,543 | $14,437 |
| Business Administration | $144,599 | $12,195 |
| Operations Research | $138,883 | — |
| Economics | $135,050 | $13,000 |
| Statistics | $133,986 | $16,165 |
| Chemical Engineering | $121,027 | $18,155 |
| Cognitive Science | $120,193 | $13,950 |
Quick list of all 80 majors
- Agricultural Engineering—
- Anthropology$64,359
- Applied Mathematics$118,414
- Architecture$76,679
- Area Studies$70,366
- Astronomy and Astrophysics$90,943
- Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology—
- Biology$79,163
- Biomedical Engineering$110,597
- Botany / Plant Biology—
- Business Administration$144,599
- Cell / Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences$66,577
- Celtic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Chemical Engineering$121,027
- Chemistry$82,386
- Civil Engineering$108,548
- Classical and Ancient Studies—
- Classics—
- Cognitive Science$120,193
- Communications$75,612
- Computer and Information Sciences—
- Computer Science$204,379
- Dance—
- East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean)—
- Economics$135,050
- Electrical Engineering$200,543
- Engineering Physics—
- Engineering Science—
- Engineering, Other—
- English$60,187
- Environmental / Natural Resources Management and Policy—
- Environmental Design—
- Environmental Engineering—
- Environmental Science / Conservation$78,624
- Ethnic / Gender Studies$67,291
- Film and Photography$70,963
- Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other—
- Forestry—
- Geography—
- Geology / Earth Science—
- German—
- History$64,755
- International / Global Studies$66,522
- Landscape Architecture—
- Legal Studies / Paralegal$70,636
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Linguistics$76,724
- Manufacturing Engineering—
- Materials Sciences—
- Mathematics$80,654
- Mechanical Engineering$119,371
- Microbiological Sciences and Immunology$103,546
- Middle / Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other$87,791
- Music—
- Natural Resources and Conservation, Other—
- Nuclear Engineering—
- Nutrition Science$79,391
- Operations Research$138,883
- Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution$65,269
- Pharmacology and Toxicology—
- Philosophy$63,326
- Physical Sciences—
- Physics$96,043
- Physiology—
- Political Science$75,128
- Psychology$62,835
- Psychology (Research)$64,904
- Public Health$76,572
- Religious Studies—
- Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Social Sciences, Other$101,138
- Social Work$67,393
- Sociology$71,363
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages$75,715
- Statistics$133,986
- Studio Art$51,699
- Theatre$55,555
- Urban Studies / Affairs$76,125
- Writing$69,373
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Computer Science → Software developer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.2% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Environmental Science / Conservation → Environmental scientist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 6.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in San Francisco
Overall prices in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $2,805. Housing costs 95% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 26 inches of rain a year, almost no snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: wildfire (relatively high); river flooding (very high); coastal flooding (relatively high); heat wave (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Alameda County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Alameda County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare University of California-Berkeley with similar schools
Similar public colleges in California by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of California-Berkeley | 11% | $13,481 | 93% | $92,446 | This school |
| University of California-Los Angeles | 9% | $12,548 | 93% | $82,511 | |
| University of California-San Diego | 27% | $12,470 | 86% | $84,943 | |
| University of California-Irvine | 29% | $14,251 | 87% | $80,735 | |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | 31% | $16,665 | 86% | $90,768 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
University of California-Berkeley would cost you $933 more per year than University of California-Los Angeles, on average.
- Higher sticker price at University of California-Berkeley, mostly from higher housing & meal costs (+$5,544).
- University of California-Berkeley gives aided families $6,072 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, California resident | University of California-Berkeley | UCLA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $16,347 | $15,203 | +$1,144 |
| Books & supplies | $1,273 | $1,574 | −$301 |
| Housing & meals | $22,692 | $17,148 | +$5,544 |
| Personal & travel | $6,238 | $5,562 | +$676 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$931 | −$873 | −$58 |
| Sticker price | $45,619 | $38,614 | +$7,005 |
| Average grants | −$32,138 | −$26,066 | −$6,072 |
| You pay | $13,481 | $12,548 | +$933 |
“+” means University of California-Berkeley costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about University of California-Berkeley
What is the University of California-Berkeley acceptance rate?
University of California-Berkeley accepts 11% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 14,677 of 125,910 applicants were admitted.
How much does University of California-Berkeley cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $45,619 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $13,481 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $5,311 and families earning $110k+ pay $34,529.
How much do University of California-Berkeley graduates earn?
Former University of California-Berkeley students earn a median $92,446 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the University of California-Berkeley graduation rate?
93% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 97% return for their second year.
Is University of California-Berkeley the right fit for your family?
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “University of California-Berkeley: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/university-of-california-berkeley (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).