University of California-Berkeley CAL (Berkeley, CA, United States)

University overview

Editorial View

Location, editorial summary, and verified institutional context.

The University of California system doesn’t formally designate a “flagship” campus, but informally, Berkeley has held that honor for quite some time. Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, Berkeley is one of the top public universities in America. Berkeley became especially famou...

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Admissions

Verified Data

Selectivity, enrollment funnel, and reported test score ranges from verified federal data.

Institution type

Public

Carnegie

A Doctoral University (which undergraduates attend) with very high research activity

Setting

Midsize city

Admit rate (14%)

Yield estimate (42%)

Applicants

112,843

Admits

16,295

Enrolled

6,892

Academics

Verified Data

Enrollment scale, calendar structure, and outcome-linked academic signals.

Total students

6,892

6,892 students

Calendar

semester

Academic calendar

Graduation rate

93%

Reported outcomes

Retention rate

96%

First-year retention

Carnegie classification

A Doctoral University (which undergraduates attend) with very high research activity

Cost and affordability

Verified Data

Tuition, net price, and aid signals sourced from federal reporting where available.

Average net price

$17,652

After grants and scholarships for in-state students where reported.

In-state tuition$70

Out-of-state tuition$59,829

Institutional grant aid$45

Pell share25%

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Campus life

Verified Data

Culture percentile bands describe student life intensity across common fit dimensions.

Campus culture bands are not yet available for University of California-Berkeley CAL. Theme attributes and athletics may still appear under Special Features.

Rankings and recognition

Verified Data

CollegesRef does not invent magazine-style ranks. This section surfaces verified classification data and editorial context only.

Carnegie classification

A Doctoral University (which undergraduates attend) with very high research activity

Institutional classification used for academic peer grouping.

Athletics

NCAA Division I

NCAA division where available from verified imports.

Editorial spotlight

University of California-Berkeley CAL — editorial overview (Berkeley, CA)

Outcomes and after college

Verified Data

Verified outcomes from imported federal datasets. Editorial interpretation may supplement these facts elsewhere on the profile.

Median earnings

N/A

Median earnings where reported by federal outcomes data.

Retention rate

96%

First-year student retention.

Graduation rate

93%

Students graduating within 150% of normal time.

Student reviews

Editorial View

User-submitted reviews are not fabricated for launch. This report card summarizes verified data signals until moderated student voices are available.

Data report card

Admissions selectivityA

Graduation outcomesA

RetentionA

Editorial depthB+

University of California-Berkeley CAL

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Special features

Verified Data

Curated theme attributes and athletics context that distinguish campus character.

A State's Flagship Public University or SimilarHistorically Leans Liberal (relative to other American colleges)Has a POSSE Chapter

Athletics

NCAA Division I

Sources and data freshness

Verified Data

Legacy CLGS importLast verified 2026-06-27T19:13:52+00:00

CollegesRef separates verified federal and institutional data from editorial interpretation. Personalized AI matching is available via Colleges Like This.

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