The requirements for admission as a transfer student vary by college. Requirements for all majors are available on assist.org or in the Berkeley Academic Guide. Visit the college websites for more information.
- All colleges require a minimum of 60 semester (90 quarter) UC-transferable units by the end of the spring term prior to fall matriculation.
- The colleges do not accept second bachelor’s degrees with the exception of the College of Chemistry’s Chemistry and Chemical Biology majors only. See college website for more details.
- College of Chemistry (B.S. degree)add
- Applicants must meet the minimum requirements for admission to their specific major.
- Completion of additional major prerequisites is strongly encouraged (see assist.org).
- Completion of Reading and Composition is required, but applicants do not need to complete all other general education requirements prior to admission.
- More on College of Chemistry requirements for transfer students.
- College of Computing, Data Science, and Society (B.A. degree)add
Effective for the fall 2025 application cycle and thereafter, students seeking transfer admission to the College of Computing, Data Science, and Society (CDSS) must complete the following to satisfy eligibility requirements:
- University of California 7-course pattern
- Minimum 60 UC-transferable semester (90 UC-transferable quarter) units
- Major preparation courses as advised in ASSIST.org
- Minimum 3.0 UC-transferable GPA by the end of the fall term when the application is submitted.
Completion of the Essential Skills Requirements, or UC IGETC/Cal-GETC/UC Reciprocity, is not required for admission consideration; however, selecting courses that meet both the 7-course pattern, and these curricular programs is highly recommended for optimal progress towards degree completion. The UC IGETC, Cal-GETC, or UC Reciprocity programs will streamline degree progress for those admitted to CDSS.
For students not completing UC IGETC or UC Reciprocity, it is recommended that courses taken for the 7-course pattern align with transfer courses approved for Reading and Composition as outlined in ASSIST for General Education/Breadth for Berkeley.
Additionally, students are highly encouraged to complete all major preparation courses as outlined by the major preparation requirements on ASSIST.
- College of Engineering (B.S. degree)add
- Requires strong preparation in math and physical sciences.
- If admitted to the College of Engineering, transfer students are not eligible to change their major within the college.
- Transfer students in our college are allotted five semesters to graduate.
- For more information, please see the College of Engineering admissions site for transfer students.
- College of Environmental Design (B.S. degree)add
- Required first-year/sophomore core courses must be completed before admission.
- Completion of IGETC from a California community college will meet breadth requirements.
- More on College of Environmental Design requirements for transfer students.
- Rausser College of Natural Resources (B.S. degree)add
- Selection is based upon completion of appropriate major preparation.
- More on Rausser College of Natural Resources admissions for transfer students.
- Haas School of Business (B.S. degree)add
- Complete all prerequisite courses with a letter grade of C- or higher, no more than five years before starting the business major.
- All prerequisite courses must carry a minimum of three semester or four quarter units.
- Minimum 60 UC-transferable semester (90 UC-transferable quarter) units.
Application process:
- All Haas Business School applicants are required to submit a supplemental application with Application Update Form in January.
More information about the transfer admission process for the business major is available on the Berkeley Haas transfer students page.
- Complete all prerequisite courses with a letter grade of C- or higher, no more than five years before starting the business major.
- College of Letters and Science (B.A. degree)add
Effective for the fall 2025 application cycle and thereafter, students must complete the following to satisfy eligibility requirements for admission to the College of Letters and Science (L&S):
- University of California 7-course pattern,
- Minimum 60 UC-transferable semester (90 UC-transferable quarter) units
- Major preparation courses as advised in ASSIST.org
- Minimum 3.0 UC-transferable GPA by the end of the fall term when the application is submitted.
Completion of the L&S Essential Skills Requirements: Reading & Composition, Quantitative Reasoning, and Foreign Language; or IGETC/Cal-GETC/UC Reciprocity are no longer required for admissions consideration; however, choosing courses that complete requirements for both 7-course pattern and any of these curricular programs is permitted and highly recommended. The IGETC, Cal-GETC, or UC Reciprocity program will optimize degree progress for those admitted to L&S.
- For those not completing UC IGETC or UC Reciprocity, it is highly recommended that courses selected for 7-course pattern align with transfer courses approved (as published in ASSIST General Education/Breadth for Berkeley) for the Reading and Composition and Quantitative Reasoning degree requirements. Additionally students are strongly encouraged to complete the college’s Foreign Language degree requirement prior to starting Berkeley. These are the Essential Skills requirements for L&S.
- For those completing Cal-GETC certification, students are strongly encouraged to complete the college’s Foreign Language requirement prior to starting Berkeley.
NOTE: Effective fall 2026, completion of a third year of high school foreign language or the third level in high school will no longer satisfy the Foreign Language requirement. Refer to the Foreign Language requirement website for information on other ways this requirement can be satisfied.
More information:
- Information about the degree requirements for the College of Letters and Science can be found on the L&S Prospective Transfer Student page.
- Students are admitted to the College, but not their major. Once enrolled at Berkeley, students are able to declare a major.
- Fall 2025 Direct Admission to Major Pilot: Fall 2025 transfer students who are offered admission to L&S, and have selected one of the (24) pilot majors on their application, will be directly admitted into the major. These students will not have to go through an additional process to apply or officially declare their major once enrolled at Berkeley. Read more about the pilot program and participating majors on the Direct Admission to Major website.
Learn more about the colleges:
- College of Chemistry
- College of Computing, Data Science, and Society
- College of Engineering
- College of Environmental Design
- Rausser College of Natural Resources
- Haas School of Business
- College of Letters and Science