Thinking about applying to UC Berkeley? They are no exception to the trend of falling acceptance rates. For the fall of 2022, UC Berkeley only accepted 14,600 freshman applicants, which is nearly 2,000 lower than last year and the lowest number of first-year students admitted since 2018.
The University of California cited their desire to keep enrollment stable after a higher-than-expected acceptance rate last year as their reasoning behind the minimized number of admittees, as well as their expectation that many students who deferred during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic will return to the campus this fall.
While the number of UC Berkeley admittees has gone down significantly, the number admitted by the UC system as a whole continues to grow, with the University citing a 1.2% increase over last year. However, there has been a 19% drop in offers to out-of-state applicants, making admittance significantly more difficult for non-Californians.
So whether you’re in-state or out-of-state, if you have your heart set on going to the UCs, you should consider applying to other UC colleges that are highly ranked in your field. UCLA, for instance, has beaten out UC Berkeley for #1 Top Public School, and ranks in the top ten computer science programs. If you’re passionate about engineering, UC San Diego is in the top twenty undergraduate engineering programs, and ranks #8 in Biomedical Engineering. For those interested in computer science, UC Irvine ranks #7 in software engineering, and it’s our founders’ alma mater!
If you'd like more information about the college application process, learn more about our college counseling services here.
- Hillary K.
Essay Specialist University of Virginia
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