2015-16 Admissions

Admission to Undergraduate Programs

The College of Engineering admits students at the freshman and junior-transfer levels. The University’s Office of Undergraduate Admission administers all applications. Visit the Office of Admissions website for details on requirements and the application process.

Applicants should consider carefully before selecting a major. Junior-transfer applicants are not eligible to change majors, including adding a second major. Freshman admits to the College of Engineering may apply to change majors after completing coursework at UC Berkeley and meeting minimum GPA and course requirement eligibility, but no guarantee of acceptance can be made; change of major may not be possible into impacted programs. (This does not apply to students accepted into the Engineering Undeclared program; students in this program are guaranteed admission to any major in the College of Engineering if they are in good academic standing.)

Admission to joint major programs

• Freshman Admits
  Students admitted to the College of Engineering as freshmen may apply to a joint major once they have completed two semesters at UC Berkeley. Historically, students need a minimum GPA of 3.0 or higher to be admitted to a joint major program. (Students in the Engineering Undeclared program are eligible to declare a joint major if they have a GPA of at least 2.0 and are in good academic standing.) Engineering students considering a joint major are advised to meet with their adviser in Engineering Student Services to learn more about the process. See engineering.berkeley.edu/jointmajors for more information.
• Junior Transfer Applicants
  Junior transfers are not able to apply for joint majors. Students admitted as junior transfers who can show after one semester of attendance at the University that they would be able to complete a joint major in the time allotted, and who meet predetermined GPA requirements, may speak to their ESS adviser about the possibility of applying to a joint program.  
• Chemical Engineering Joint Majors
  The joint majors with Chemical Engineering are administered by the College of Chemistry. College of Engineering students and transfer applicants interested in a joint major with Chemical Engineering must apply to the College of Chemistry.

Admission to minor programs

The respective department administers admission to minors programs. See the department’s website for more information.

Admission from another college at UC Berkeley

As one of the top engineering schools in the nation, we receive many more applicants each year to our programs than can be accommodated (8.9% acceptance rate in 2015) and as a result admission to our freshman and transfer classes is highly selective.  We turn away thousands of exceptionally talented and deserving students each year because space in all our programs is limited. Because we admit to our freshman and transfer classes each year the maximum number of students that our programs can accommodate, we have very limited (if any) seats open each year for students admitted as freshmen to other Berkeley schools or colleges. Students admitted as freshmen elsewhere at Berkeley may apply for a change of college into Engineering after completing a minimum of two semesters at Berkeley, but should understand that admission through this process is unlikely. Admission through change of college is highly competitive and is based not only on an outstanding application but on availability in the major program the student applies to.

Admission as a second bachelor’s degree candidate

Due to the high volume of applications from first-time degree seeking students, the College of Engineering does not admit students for the purpose of earning a second bachelor’s degree.

Readmission

To reinstate as a continuing student after an absence of one or more semesters, a student must apply for readmission. All readmission requests require Dean’s Committee approval. Readmission is not guaranteed and is based upon the students’ academic record at the time of withdrawal and upon any coursework taken during their absence from UC Berkeley. Students whose records are not satisfactory should not expect to be readmitted. Engineering Student Services must approve classes taken elsewhere during an absence from the University before a student takes the courses. An academic plan indicating courses expected to be taken and places of attendance must be submitted to the appropriate Engineering Student Services adviser.

Students who are granted withdrawal are also required to apply for readmission in order to resume study in a future semester. Students who withdrew after the first eight weeks of classes and before the end of the semester are not eligible for readmission until one year from the beginning of the semester in which the withdrawal was granted.

Students returning to the University after an absence must meet the requirements of their degree program in effect at the time they are readmitted. If students have attended other institutions during their absence from the University, they must submit an official transcript of record from each college.