Approximately 14,000 first-year students and more than 5,000 transfer students have been offered a coveted seat in UC Berkeley’s fall 2026 class — and, as to be expected, their collective talents stretch far beyond their impressive academic accomplishments.

These students include a world-class diver, a budding politician voted into local office at age 18, and an accomplished chef who has trained with cooks from Michelin-starred restaurants. One incoming student created a program that teaches financial literacy at under-resourced middle schools. Another invented camera- and GPS-aided eyeglasses that provide auditory directions to help people with limited vision avoid obstacles. 

Admissions data were released today in coordination with the University of California Office of the President, which posted new first-year and incoming transfer student data for all nine UC undergraduate campuses. 

“At a time when the interest in and value of a college degree is being called into question, we saw increases in first-year and transfer applications and robust attendance at our newly admitted student events,” said Olufemi Ogundele, associate vice chancellor and dean of enrollment. “It is a testament to the hard work of our admissions team and the appeal of UC Berkeley, the nation’s premier public university. We continue to engage some of the best and brightest young minds in California and across the globe.” 

First-year students

Among first-year applicants, 13,982 students were offered admission, about 500 fewer than last year. Their unweighted average GPA is 3.93 (on a 4.0 scale) and their weighted average is 4.52; 97% of the admitted class has a weighted GPA of at least 4.0.

More than 9,400 of the students are from California, representing 48 of the state’s 58 counties. Los Angeles, Orange, Santa Clara, San Diego and Alameda counties provided the most students.

Twenty-three percent of the admitted first-year class are first-generation students, meaning neither parent has a four-year college degree. One in four are underrepresented minority students, including African American, Latinx, Native American, Pacific Islander, Hmong and Laotian students. Almost 10% of the admitted first-year class are international students, arriving from more than 72 countries.

The youngest students are two 15-year-olds, and the oldest is 24.

Transfer students

Among transfer applicants, 5,284 students were offered admission, about 350 fewer than the prior year. Their average GPA is 3.8, and California residents represent 82% of the newly admitted class.

Forty-three percent of them are first-generation students, and 27% are underrepresented minority students. The youngest student is 13, while the oldest is 79.

“Transfer students at UC Berkeley are uniquely inspirational, eager to embrace our intellectual community across all fields and ready to learn what it means to be a Berkeley changemaker,” said John Marfield, assistant vice chancellor and director of undergraduate admissions. “There is no singular path to UC Berkeley, but we are particularly proud that over 93% of our incoming transfer students hail from California community colleges, bringing with them the tenacity and determination that is emblematic of our student body.”

Demand for a seat in the first-year and transfer classes remained high this year, with a record number of students submitting first-year and transfer applications. Admission offers were down just slightly this year compared to last year due to a modest reduction in available enrollment seats.

For more detailed data on Berkeley admissions, see this year’s campus admissions charts, which compare current preliminary data with final admission counts from prior years. Note that some UC systemwide charts may have data that differ from Berkeley’s and, for example, may show California resident counts only. Some 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 in UC’s systemwide data collection. 

Admissions officials released decisions for most first-year applications on March 26. Transfer student decisions were posted on April 17.