Another record year for enrollment applications

Student demand for a spot in the UC Berkeley freshman class remains as strong as ever, with another record year of applications. Figures released today (Monday, Jan. 12) show that more than 78,800 high school students have applied for 2015-16 freshman admission, a 7 percent increase over the previous year.

Applications from transfer students increased as well, to about 17,200 applications, roughly a 4 percent increase over the previous year.

The UC Office of the President released application data today for all campuses in the UC system. Freshman applications overall were up 6.5 percent and transfer applications were up 2.6 percent. Detailed campus-by-campus data is available online.

Freshman admission decisions will be released to students on March 26 and transfer decisions will be released to students on April 24.

Academically, Berkeley’s 2015-16 freshman applicant pool remains strong, with an average GPA of 3.65 (unweighted) and average SAT composite test score of 1924. Transfer applicants, many of whom are from California’s community colleges, have an average GPA of 3.49.

Grades and test scores are critical aspects of the Berkeley admissions process, as is the context of the student’s academic achievement. Among many factors, Berkeley considers grade trends, the type and pattern of coursework taken and whether the student made the most of available opportunities. In its review of applicants, Berkeley also considers indications of qualities such as leadership and persistence. Ultimately, it seeks to enroll a strong class of scholars and leaders representing a cross-section of communities, incomes, backgrounds, interests and talents.

In all, 78,844 students applied for freshman admission and 17,240 applied as transfers, for a total of 96,084 applications submitted for the 2015-16 freshman and transfer classes.