Discover Berkeley | UC Berkeley | University of California, Berkeley

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Home / DISCOVER BERKELEY

When you become a Golden Bear, you connect with a long tradition of academic excellence and community pride.

We invite you to join us to discover yourself as you discover Berkeley. You’ll learn about the admission process for both first-year and transfer applicants, explore our academic programs, engage with the student community, and more--all from the comfort of your own home.

Spring 2021 Discover Berkeley Series sessions

It’s never too early to be UC ready! (9th-11th graders) (Tuesday, May 25 @ 1:45-2:45pm PST)

Everything You Need to Know About Applying to Berkeley as a Freshman (Thursday, May 27 @ 1:45-2:45pm PST)

Everything You Need to Know About Applying to UC Berkeley as an International Student (Tuesday, June 1 @ 9:00am-10:00am PST)

Everything You Need to Know About Applying to UC Berkeley as a Transfer Student (Friday, June 4 @ 2:00pm-3:00pm PST)

Unlocking the Secrets to the Personal Insight Questions (Freshman/Transfer) (Thursday, June 10 @ 11:00am-12:00pm PST)

Engage with us VIRTUALLY

Missed a Discover Berkeley Series session?
Check out our video hub below.

Looking for a general introduction to UC Berkeley and the admissions process?
Sign up for one of our upcoming virtual information sessions for first-year or transfer students. Or, check out a pre-recorded session here(link is external).

Virtual Campus Tour
Wondering what campus is like? Join Berkeley Student Ambassadors for a Virtual Campus Visit (offered in English, Spanish and Mandarin), Engineering tour, or student panel. Learn more.

Discover Berkeley Series
Video Gallery

For more videos from the Discover Berkeley Series and the UC Berkeley Virtual Open House,
visit our UC Berkeley On Demand Video hub(link is external).

Freshman Admissions Overview

Transfer Admissions Overview

Presenting Yourself on the Application (Freshman)

Presenting Yourself on the Application (Transfer)

Transfer Student Panel

Personal Insight Questions & Extracurriculars

Discover More

Academics

Students can discover their academic interests in one of over 100 undergraduate programs. Whether it is our discovery courses, or a DeCal, or a large lecture, or a small discussion seminar, our students thrive inside the classroom in a variety of different fields.

Around 70% of undergraduate classes have fewer than 30 students. Our student-to-faculty ratio is about 18:1. Students are encouraged to engage with our world-class faculty.

Learn more about our academic programs and majors.

Arts & Culture

From blockbuster concerts at the Greek Theater to more intimate performances in the redwood grove of the campus’s Botanical Garden, there is no shortage of cultural events happening in and around the Berkeley campus. Recent guests include Simpson creator Matt Groening and cartoonist Lynda Barry, writer Margaret Atwood, humorist David Sedaris, musician Kehlani, and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

Learn about upcoming performances and events.

Bay Area and Berkeley

Discover what makes Berkeley, well, Berkeley - pizza co-ops, independent bookshops, architectural wonders, eclectic live music venues, farmer’s markets, idyllic swimming holes, breathtaking scenic lookouts, charming neighborhoods, and more. Enjoy exploring a college town nestled in a bustling city. And should you want to discover further, Oakland and San Francisco are just a short BART ride away. And within 40 miles you’ll have access to the Napa Valley, with hundreds of wineries and gourmet food, as well as the tech hub of Silicon Valley.

Cal Athletics

Cal’s Division I athletic program is legendary. And at Berkeley, it is tradition to cheer on the California Golden Bears. In recent years, our women’s basketball team has made it to the Final Four, the NFL and NBA have drafted Cal football and men’s basketball players, and many athletes in soccer and swimming have gone on to win world championships and olympic medals. As the Fall semester nears, Cal’s students and fans are ready to storm the historic California Memorial Stadium(link is external) to scream “Roll on you Bears!” to our football team.

Learn more about our athletics program or how to be recruited as an athlete at CalBears.com(link is external).

Housing

Virtually all entering freshmen live in university housing. The residence halls provide students with a meal plan, Academic Services Centers, live-in faculty and residential assistants, security monitoring programs, live-in health workers, computing centers, tutoring, and a community that cares about the academic success of our students. Berkeley also offers a Theme Program experience which allows students to benefit from being a part of a smaller community of people with similar interests and identities.

Berkeley maintains a commitment to making housing available for students. The recent addition of the 752-bed Blackwell Hall and a concerted campus effort to address the housing crunch have improved the availability of housing for students in their first year at Berkeley and beyond.

Learn more about housing opportunities at Berkeley.

Rec Sports

Berkeley Rec Sports invites you to Rec Sports Online - our virtual recreation hub specifically designed to help you stay active and healthy, wherever your location. With over 50 free on-demand videos and 30 live fitness classes each week with the instructors you know and love, weekly IM Sports Trivia Nights, self-guided outdoor activities, and even a training program to take you from your couch to a 5K, there’s something for everyone.

All these offerings and more can be found on our website.

Safety

While Berkeley is in an urban environment, the campus offers a wide range of safety services such as late-night shuttles, campus escorts, and self-defense courses. The Berkeley campus has a dedicated, full-service police department with 77 officers, 45 full-time non-sworn personnel, and 60 student employees.

Wellness

The campus offers comprehensive healthcare services—as well as health promotion, public-health services, and personal, career, and crisis counseling—for all Berkeley students at the Tang Health Center. You’ll also find help for any special needs (disabled students, gender equity, etc.).

UC Berkeley is a tobacco-free campus. The goal is to create a healthier environment for students, faculty, staff, and visitors; help support tobacco users who are trying to quit; and reduce the number of new tobacco users by promoting the social norm of a tobacco-free environment.

Berkeley, along with all of the UC campuses, has implemented immunization requirements to ensure that students are educated about and receive vaccinations to prevent potentially serious and contagious diseases. To see what immunizations are now required, visit the University Health Services (Tang Center) website.

Don’t know where to start? Check out the Dean of Student’s wellness resources.

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