More Californians apply, are admitted to UC Berkeley for fall 2023

More than 14,500 students have been offered admission to the University of California, Berkeley’s fall 2023 freshman class, including several hundred more California residents than were admitted the previous academic year.

Overall, 14,565 applicants were admitted as first-year UC Berkeley students, about 59 fewer than the prior year. That number includes 10,994 California residents, 465 more than last year. California residents have always represented the vast majority of UC Berkeley admitted students, but a record number of California residents applied for fall 2023, and more of those who applied were admitted, compared to the prior academic year. The increased California admission offers are also in alignment with a multi-year budget and enrollment agreement shared by the University of California, the governor and the Legislature.

UC Berkeley released admissions data today, Aug. 8, in coordination with the UC Office of the President, which released data for all nine undergraduate campuses in the UC system.

Jocelyn De Jong, UC Berkeley’s assistant vice chancellor and director of undergraduate admissions, noted that the academic performance of the admitted class remains as strong as in previous years and is diverse in many ways, including in the students’ geographic representation, socioeconomic status, cultures and backgrounds.

The average unweighted GPA of the admitted class remains 3.92, and the average weighted GPA is 4.44, versus 4.46 last year.

The overall number of underrepresented minority students offered freshman admission increased by 274 students to 4,393. Nearly all groups within that category saw increases in the number of admitted students, but the number of African Americans admitted dropped by 32 students to 699.

There was an increase in admission offers to first-generation students — students who have no parent with a four-year degree — and that’s up by 542 students over last year to 4,551. In addition, more of this year’s admitted students — 3,976 students, or 347 more than last year — had income levels that qualified them for application fee waivers.

“Admitting more students who reflect the socioeconomic diversity of the state has been a priority for us,” said De Jong. “We know that academic talent can be found in all communities and settings, and we value bringing together a diverse class of students with different experiences and perspectives.”

More than 125,800 students applied for a seat in UC Berkeley’s fall 2023 freshman class. California residents submitted 200 more applications than they did the prior year, while applications from out-of-state and international students declined.

Among those who submitted applications, 11.6% were admitted, compared to 11.4% the prior year. The admitted students come from 55 of California’s 58 counties, 54 U.S. states and territories, and 99 countries. About 60%, or more than 8,600, of them are women, and 2%, or more than 300, of them identify as nonbinary.

Transfer students

More transfer students were admitted for fall 2023 than last year, for a total of 5,623, an increase of 343 transfers over last year. In particular, more California residents were offered admission — their numbers were up by 329 admitted students over last year to 4,935.

The number of offers to underrepresented transfer students dropped by 46 to 1,599. All subcategories saw an increase in offers of admission except Pacific Islanders, with the number of offers of admission dropping by three to 11, and offers to Latinx transfer students dropped by 60 for a total of 1,264. Admissions officials noted that Latinx transfer students submitted fewer applications this year compared to the prior year.

Offers to first-generation transfer students declined by 44 to 2,463.

The grade point average (GPA) of transfer students remains comparable this year to that of last year’s class — 3.76 for fall 2023 and 3.77 for 2022.

The number of applications from students seeking to transfer to UC Berkeley remained essentially the same as last year — 19,342 , down by seven. Transfer applications from California residents were up by 85 to 16,112.

Freshman admissions decisions were announced March 30, with early admission decisions offered Feb. 9. Transfer decisions were announced April 22.

UC Berkeley admissions charts are available at this web page. Please note that some UC systemwide charts may have data that differ from UC Berkeley’s and, for example, may show California resident counts only. Some UC Berkeley and UC data may not match because some UC charts may be limited only to fall admissions or may reflect a different point in time for the UC’s systemwide data collection.