UC Berkeley Transfer Acceptance Rate and Requirements — 2024

December 11, 2023

uc berkeley transfer acceptance rate

If your initial attempt to become a Golden Bear directly out of high school came up short, there is no reason to lose hope. In fact, UC Berkeley admits 4,000-5,300 applicants every year. In further good news, acceptance rates for transfers at UC Berkeley are actually roughly double those of the regular round. The following blog will reveal the UC Berkeley transfer acceptance rates as well as other crucial items like the UC Berkeley transfer deadline, the UC Berkeley transfer requirements, the UC Berkeley transfer decision date, and much more.

UC Berkeley Transfer Acceptance Rate

Below we present the most current available acceptance rate as well as historical data.

For entry in the fall of 2023, 5,642 students were accepted, and 19,375 applied. This means that the UC Berkeley transfer acceptance rate is 29%.

For entry in the fall of 2022, there were 5,260 students admitted out of a pool of 19,300 applicants. This means that the UC Berkeley transfer acceptance rate was 27%.

For entry in the fall of 2021, there were 4,372 transfer applicants and 22,206 individuals were accepted. This means that the transfer acceptance rate was 20%.

When trying to get the complete picture of how difficult it is to transfer into any school, it is important to look at historical data. As you can see, UC Berkeley’s has remained fairly stable in recent years.

Historical UC Berkeley transfer rates are as follows:

Year UC Berkeley  Transfer Acceptance Rate
2020 21%
2019 23%
2018 21%
2017 23%

Transfer Acceptance Rate by Major

Here are some of the transfer acceptance rates for the most popular majors at Berkeley.

Major Acceptance Rate
Business Administration 5%
Psychology 5%
Economics 14%
Electrical Engineering 10%
Political Science 21%
Computer Science 5%

For a more detailed look, you can view acceptance rates by major at all UC campuses.

UC Berkeley Transfer Deadline

For every academic program, the UC Berkeley transfer deadline is November 30.

The application window opens on August 1, so you can begin completing all materials at that time.

The FAFSA deadline is March 2.

Some programs have additional supplemental materials due in January, For example, “All Haas Business School applicants are required to submit an additional writing sample and resume with the Application Update Form in January.”

UC Berkeley Transfer Requirements

All students must submit the following items as part of their UC Berkeley application:

Official transcripts and letters of recommendation are not part of the UC Berkeley transfer requirements. In fact, they are not even accepted during the admissions process. That said, by January 31, all applicants will need to complete a Transfer Academic Update (TAU) that provides their fall grades and planned spring coursework. If accepted, you will then need to provide final, official transcripts.

In addition to meeting the transfer requirements, you’ll need to have achieved/earned the following:

  • Completion of general education/breadth requirement
  • Minimum 60 UC-transferable semester (90 UC-transferable quarter units
  • Overall minimum GPA of 3.0 in all transferable college-level coursework
  • Lower Division Major Preparation Courses

We recommend thoroughly reviewing the UC Berkeley Transfer Admission Guide. Moreover, demonstrated leadership is a very important part of a successful application.

Berkeley also has articulation agreements with CA community colleges, which are official guarantees of course transfer between institutions (upon acceptance).

UC Berkeley Average Transfer GPA

Students admitted as transfers in 2023 had a mid-50% GPA range of 3.62-3.96.

Berkeley Transfer Application Essays

Required UC Berkeley Essay

  1. Please describe how you have prepared for your intended major, including your readiness to succeed in your upper-division courses once you enroll at the university.

Choose 3 of the following 7 questions (in addition to the mandatory prompt above):

  1. Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time.
  2. Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side.
  3. What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?
  4. Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.
  5. Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement?
  6. What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?
  7. Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California?

All essays have a 350-word maximum, and applicants are encouraged to answer the three that align most closely with their individual experiences and circumstances.

UC Berkeley Decision Date

The UC Berkeley transfer decision date is in mid-to-late April. It fell on April 19th in one recent cycle.

Final Thoughts – UC Berkeley Transfer Acceptance Rate

The University plucks 92% of their transfer students from California community colleges. A sizable 43% are first-generation students.

If you are looking for information on how to apply to Berkeley as a first-year student, you may find the following blogs to be of interest:

Those searching for application info on other institutions may wish to visit our Dataverse pages:

 


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