For First Year Students Admitted Fall 2023 & After
For first-year students applying to Berkeley Letters & Science (L&S) for fall 2023 and after, there will be two pathways to declare a high-demand major. This policy will not impact current or continuing students.
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Admission into L&S: Those who already know as high school students that they want a high demand major should select that major on their UC Berkeley admissions application as their primary major. If admitted to Berkeley L&S, they will be guaranteed a spot in the major they selected, subject to completing the prerequisites, maintaining good academic standing in L&S, and filing a declaration form.
- Changing to a high-demand major after arriving at L&S: For students who did not select a high-demand major on their UC Berkeley admissions application, the process for declaring a high-demand major will be through a review, rather than a minimum GPA requirement only. Students will have one opportunity to apply for a high-demand major, and will be required to have an alternate plan to declare a non-high-demand major as a back-up.
*The opportunities for being admitted to a high-demand major after enrollment are extremely limited, and applying via comprehensive review does not guarantee a spot in a high-demand major. If you have an interest in a high-demand major in L&S, we strongly encourage you to select that high-demand major on your UC Berkeley application. If you opt to change to a high-demand major in the College of Letters & Science after being admitted to Berkeley, you will be required to have an alternate plan to declare a non-high-demand major as a back-up.
For further details on the L&S High-Demand Major Policy, please review the L&S High-Demand Major Policy: FAQs.