Back to schools/ Schools / UC Berkeley
11%
Acceptance rate
33,000
Undergrads
$28k
Avg. net cost
#15 nat'l
Ranking
90%
Fit score
✨ Campus at a glance
Bay Area accessActivist cultureHuge research budgetUrban campus
33,000
Undergrads
#1
Public university (global)
1,000+
Student orgs
91%
4-yr grad rate
🎯 Fit score breakdown
Academic rigor
95
Campus social life
84
Affordability (in-state)
82
Career outcomes
92
Campus size fit
78
✨ What makes Berkeley unique
Silicon Valley pipeline
An hour from most major tech HQs — recruiters from Google, Meta, and hundreds of startups run info sessions on campus constantly.
💬 What people are saying
Aggregated from Reddit & parent forums“It's intense and impersonal at first, but once you find your department community it clicks.”
r/berkeley
Quotes sourced from public Reddit threads and parent Facebook groups. Edited for clarity. CollegeCounter does not verify individual claims.
☀️ A day in the life
Real student snapshotsAlex, Senior — Electrical Engineering & CS
9:00a
Machine learning lecture in Soda Hall
1:00p
Research assistantship in an AI lab
6:00p
Startup club pitch night
📚 Top departments & programs
Electrical Engineering & CS
#1 national (tied)Elite AI research
Haas School of Business
#2 undergrad bizVC & startup pipeline
📍 Location, food & campus life
Food nearby
Telegraph Avenue — Cafes and food carts bordering campus
Gourmet Ghetto — Upscale casual dining, walking distance
Attractions
Berkeley Marina — Bay views, 15 min drive
San Francisco — 25 min by BART
💰 Financial aid
Avg. annual aid$20,500/yr
Students receiving aid55%
Meets 100% of need?Meets ~95% of need
Average loan burden$18,900 avg. debt at grad
In-state sticker$16,000/yr
Sticker price / yr$48,000/yr
2024–25 figures. Net cost varies by family income. Always file FAFSA.
📅 Application deadlines
Application windowNov 1 – Nov 30
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