First Year Pathways

Should you be admitted to UC Berkeley, you may be asked to select a First Year Pathway. All of these pathways offer you high caliber Berkeley, or transferable, courses, housing, and student activities that allow you to build pride, trust, and community with your peers, faculty, and staff. Please note some of the pathways have additional fees or costs associated with them.

If you are admitted from the wait list, you may only be offered limited pathways. While this may cause initial concern or disappointment, the reality is that if you are admitted, you will still be among the roughly 15,000 admitted first-year students who competed successfully in UC Berkeley’s exceptional applicant pool. You will still receive the same status and privileges of all undergraduates.

 

Traditional Pathway

The traditional pathway allows you to have access to the traditional courses and the traditional first-year student experience when you start at Berkeley.

 

Global Edge

Start your first-year year in a unique way. Spend your summer at Berkeley, then fall semester in London. Through Global Edge you will join a small group of fellow freshmen for eight weeks of summer courses, getting a head start on the Berkeley experience. In the fall, your group travels to London to take Berkeley courses at the UC London Center. Return to campus for spring semester with many academic requirements completed and a new global perspective.

 

  • Global Edge is available to students admitted to the College of Letters and Science and the Rausser College of Natural Resources
  • Global Edge is mandatory for students who are admitted to the Global Management Program through the Haas School of Business.

 

Fall Program for First-Semester (FPF)

FPF is a small, collaborative learning community for first-year students in the College of Letters & Science (excludes transfers or returning students). The smaller class sizes allow for high-impact learning, proactive advising, and a strong network of relationships among peers, advisors, and instructors Over its 40-year history, FPF has become a cornerstone experience for new students to support their entry to UCB. Like other collegiate first-year programs, FPF equips students with a curated curriculum with thematic threads FPF is offered during the first semester with courses that explore intellectual themes to amplify the student experience.

 

  • FPF is available to students admitted to the College of Letters and Science.