What You Need to Know
about UC Berkeley
Information, Tips, & Strategies for
Successful Transfer
Fall 2008
UC Minimum Eligibility Requirements
ƒ Complete 60 UC-transferable semester (90 quarter) units of
college credit.
ƒ Earn 2.4 GPA in UC-transferable courses
ƒ Complete required 7-course pattern with grade of C or
better in each course.
ƒ 2 in English composition (ENG 110 & ENG 111 or PHIL 111)
ƒ 1 in mathematical concepts and quantitative reasoning (Math
117, 120 or higher)
ƒ 4 in at least 2 of the following areas:
ƒ Arts and humanities
ƒ Social and behavioral sciences
ƒ Physical and biological sciences
ƒ Each course must be at least 3 semester/4 quarter units.
UC Berkeley – Important Things to Know
ƒ Only accepts junior-level transfers, no lower-division
transfers (less than 60 UC transferable units).
ƒ Only accepts applications for Fall transfer. Some Fall
applicants are offered admission for the following
Spring term.
ƒ Application filing period for Fall term transfer is the
previous November (all campuses).
ƒ Admission to UC Berkeley is highly selective.
UC Berkeley – Important Things to Know
ƒ In evaluating applications, UC Berkeley place highest
importance on academic achievement.
ƒ All admission requirements must be completed by the end of
Spring semester prior to transfer in the Fall – no admission
requirements can be completed in summer session directly
preceding Fall transfer term.
ƒ For the majority of majors, UC Berkeley will not accept seniorlevel students or students who already have a Bachelor’s
degree.
ƒ Admissions notifications are provided to students by May 1st.
UC Berkeley – Important Things to Know
ƒ Uses a Comprehensive Review for all
transfer applicants that takes into
consideration the following factors:
ƒ Completion of major- preparation courses
(available at www.assist.org )
ƒ Completion of breadth/GE requirements (available
at www.assist.org )
ƒ GPA in all transferable courses
Comprehensive Review Factors, Part 2
ƒ Honors courses/programs
ƒ Talents, achievements, awards
ƒ Special college projects (i.e. research projects, internships,
inventions, etc).
ƒ Accomplishments in light of life experiences
ƒ Location of college or home
ƒ Information provided in the Personal Statement responses
More About GPAs
In addition to your cumulative, transferable GPA,
UC Berkeley also takes into consideration:
ƒ Individual grades in major prep courses and your total
GPA .
ƒ GPA trends – Has your GPA increased? Decreased? Did
you have one bad semester?
ƒ Not all GPA’s are the same.
ƒ 2 students who have a 3.3 GPA can be very different.
ƒ Student who does not work, has no family
responsibilities, only goes to class, and has no extracurricular involvement does not have as strong of a
GPA as a student who works 25-40 hours a week, is a
single parent, is very active in leadership roles, etc.
What’s a Competitive GPA for Admission?
ƒ UC Berkeley
ƒ Fall 2008 Range of GPAs for the middle 50% of admitted students on a 4.0
scale = 3.69 – 3.75
ƒ Provides admission rates for their colleges/schools at
http://students.berkeley.edu/files/Admissions/12626_5.Info_TransAdm.pdf
UC Berkeley - Additional Minimum
Admissions/Selection Requirements
COLLEGE OF LETTERS AND SCIENCE
ƒ Applicants must have a minimum 3.00 UC-transferable GPA.
ƒ Applicants are considered based on the division in which the major
is located (i.e. Social Sciences, Arts & Humanities, etc)
ƒ Need to complete as much major prep as possible before transfer to
increase possibility of admission.
ƒ International students applying to the Social Science Division for a
Fall term will only be offered admission for the Spring Term.
ƒ Essential Skills Requirement - Reading and Composition,
Quantitative Reasoning, and Foreign Language requirements must
be completed by the end of the spring term that precedes the
students first semester at UC Berkeley.
UCB Letters & Science, cont.
By the end of the Spring term applicants must satisfy the Essential Skills
Requirements by completing the entire IGETC or
ƒ The College of Letters and Science Requirements in:
ƒ Reading and Composition = R1A & R1B
ƒ Engl 110 (or 110HR) + Engl 111(111HR) + Engl 225 (or226or 226HR)
ƒ Quantitative Reasoning
ƒ COMSCI 101, OR COMSC 119,OR COMSC 131, OR COMSC 135,OR
COMSC 137 OR COMSC160, OR MATH 117, OR MATH 117HR, OR
PSYCH 150, OR MATH 120, OR ONE SEMESTER OF
PRECALCULUS OR CALCULUS
ƒ Foreign Language
ƒ Arabic 102,or ASL 102, or CHIN 102, or FR 102, or GER102, or HEBR
102, or ITAL 102, or JPNSE 102, or SPAN 102
ƒ All courses must be passed with a minimum grade of C-.
UC Berkeley - Colleges of Engineering, Environmental
Design, Chemistry, and Natural Resources
ƒ IGETC not recommended
ƒ Reading and Composition, Quantitative Reasoning, and Foreign
Language requirements (Essential Skills) must be completed by the
end of the Spring term that precedes the students first semester at
UC Berkeley.
ƒ Need to complete prep for major courses.
ƒ For the College of Chemistry:
ƒ A minimum 3.00 UC transferable GPA is required for admission
consideration.
ƒ At minimum students must have one year of general chemistry, a year
of calculus, and a calculus-based physics course(s) in mechanics and
wave motion.
UC Berkeley - HAAS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
ƒ Admitted students are required to begin instruction at Berkeley in
July.
ƒ Applicants must complete ALL major requirements, at least seven of
the nine breadth requirements, and a foreign language requirement by
the end of Spring semester (www.assist.org )
ƒ Prep for major courses include:
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BUSAD 101
MATH 150 OR MATH 130
ECON 101 AND 102
MATH 117 OR 117HR
One 3 unit UC transferable course from either Computer Science or
Computer Information Systems department
ƒ Literature/Writing requirement: A 3 unit UC transferable writing or literature
course from Creative Writing, English, or Literature departments
ƒ Reading and Composition: Engl 110 (or 110HR) + Engl 111(111HR) + Engl
225 (or226or 226HR)
HAAS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS Requirements
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7 of the 9 Breadth Requirements must be completed by the end of Spring term
prior to entrance.
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Arts and Humanities: Two courses from areas such as Art, Drama, Ethics, Film, Foreign
Language (any level), Literature, Music, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Rhetoric, and
Theater, including history, theory and studio/practice courses in these areas.
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Biological Sciences: One course related to the biology of plants and/or animals (including
humans) from areas such as Anatomy, Anthropology, Biology, Botany, Nutrition, Physiology,
and Zoology. A laboratory component is not required.
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International Studies: Two courses from areas such as Asian Studies, Foreign Language
(any level), History, International Relations, Latin American Studies, Near Eastern Studies,
and Political Science. Choose from courses about a single country other than the U.S., or
two or more countries (may include the U.S.).
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Physical Sciences: One course related to the physical world from areas such as
Archaeology, Astronomy, Chemistry, Earth Science, Engineering, Geography, Geology,
Physical Science, and Physics. A laboratory component is not required.
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Social and Behavioral Sciences: Three courses from areas such as Anthropology,
Archaeology, Economics (other than micro- or macro-economic theory), Ethnic Studies,
Geography, History, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, and Women's Studies.
HAAS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS Requirements
ƒ Foreign Language Requirement: 3 years of high school foreign
Language or appropriate exam or college course.
ƒ All applicants are also expected to refer to the application and
selection information frequently by going to the admissions section at
haas.berkeley.edu/Undergrad/ .
ƒ All Transfer applicants will be asked to submit a Self-Reported
Academic Record (SAR), essay and resume in January.
ƒ Many factors are considered in the admission decision, including:
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performance in key prerequisites (business, math, economics, statistics)
grade trends
course load
consistency of academic performance
leadership skills
accomplishments as demonstrated by extra-curricular activities
as well as communication and analytical skills.
HAAS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
PRE-ADMISSION ADVISING
ƒ The Haas undergraduate program office is open 9:00 a.m.--4:00
p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
ƒ Visit the web site at www.haas.berkeley.edu/undergrad for
program and admission information and
ƒ to obtain a copy of the Self-Reported Academic Record (SAR).
ƒ Whether you seek advice in person or by phone (510-642-1421),
you need to have the completed SAR with you.
UC Berkeley Application Process
ƒ Open for transfer applicants in Fall term only.
ƒ Filing Period: Nov 1-30
ƒ Offers small number of Fall applicants admission for Spring
ƒ After application is submitted, students must complete both the
UC Application Update and an additional UC Berkeley
Application Update by February 15th.
ƒ Admission decisions available on UC Berkeley website by April
30th
ƒ Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) due June 1st.
UC Berkeley Websites
ƒ Undergraduate Admissions:
http://students.berkeley.edu/admissions/index.asp
ƒ Transfer Admissions:
http://students.berkeley.edu/admissions/transfer.asp
ƒ Transfer Information for International Students:
http://students.berkeley.edu/admissions/transfer.asp?id=62&navid=N
ƒ Transfer Admissions Brochure with Tips for Writing the
Personal Statement:
http://students.berkeley.edu/admissions/transfer.asp?id=62&navid=N
ƒ Academic Programs & Majors:
http://students.berkeley.edu/admissions/general.asp?id=20