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Before You Apply

Before you begin the Graduate Application for Admission and Fellowships, please review the information below.

Types of Applications:

New
If you are applying to Berkeley as a graduate student for the first time, please complete all parts of the application.

Readmission
If you are not currently registered but have been previously registered as a graduate student at Berkeley (including as a student in the Haas School of Business master’s programs or in the School of Law), you must complete an Application for Readmission whether or not you completed the graduate program. The $60 readmission fee must be submitted with your application. If you are applying to a program different from the one in which you were last registered, you must complete a Graduate Petition for Change of Major or Degree Goal. Please check with your department for additional requirements.

For details on this process and the appropriate forms, contact Graduate Services: Degrees, 318 Sproul Hall #5900, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-5900.

Who should use this application?

Use the Graduate Application for Admission and Fellowships if you are applying to graduate study at Berkeley for the first time. If you enrolled in UC Berkeley Summer courses you are still considered a first  time applicant.

If you are applying to a different program and want to use academic records or letters of recommendation previously submitted within the last two years, you must arrange for their transfer from the prior program directly to the current program.

You must meet all current deadlines and requirements; make sure that your TOEFL or other required tests meet the current test date cutoffs.

If you applied for admission more than two years ago, you must submit a new application, pay the application fee, and provide all required materials.

To apply for admission to Non-Degree status under the auspices of the University of California's Education Abroad Program (EAP), please contact the Study Center Director on your home campus for application materials. EAP applicants must fulfill Berkeley's Graduate Division admissions requirements such as evidence of a basic degree and English language proficiency. Please read those sections of the application to see if you are eligible to apply.

If you are applying to the Joint Medical Program with UCSF in Health and Medical Sciences, contact the program directly by e-mail at jmp@berkeley.edu or by writing to Health and Medical Sciences (Joint Medical Program with UCSF), 570 University Hall #1190, Berkeley, CA, 94720-1190 for application instructions.

You may apply to only one graduate program or one established concurrent program per academic term.

All materials submitted in support of your application become the property of the University.

How to Contact Departments:

Check the list of graduate programs for departmental contact information. The preferred mode of communication is via email or telephone. You may also correspond with a specific department by writing:

University of California, Berkeley
Graduate Student Affairs Officer, Department of (department name)
(the department mailing address and four-digit mail code)
Berkeley, CA 94720.

Remember to include the four-digit mail code (#) after the department address. If you are interested in applying to one of the concurrent degree programs be sure to contact both departments or schools involved. Please visit the Web site of the department of your choice for more information, and contact the department directly to confirm whether there are any additional requirements for admission.

How to Apply:

Apply Online
We encourage you to apply for graduate admission online. It's a quick and easy way to provide us with your basic information. The online application is available each application cycle beginning on the second Monday of September. To apply online, you'll need to provide a valid email address. If you don't have one, you can obtain free email accounts from several sources, including Hotmail, Yahoo, and Google's Gmail.

It's important for you to read the application instructions thoroughly. Pay particular attention to any additional requirements listed for your department. Most departments accept students for the fall semester only. After you've completed the application forms, please submit them online. Remember to mail your academic records (transcripts), letters of recommendation, and work samples, portfolio, or other required materials directly to your department.

Request a PDF Application
While most applicants apply using the online application, we do offer the application as a PDF file.

Should you utilize this, it is essential you contact your chosen major to ensure you are aware of any supplemental application materials your major may require. After reviewing the information in the PDF application, complete the appropriate forms and mail them directly to the department along with your academic records (transcripts), letters of recommendation, application fee payment, and work samples, portfolio, or other materials required by the department.

Boalt Hall School of Law Programs
Applications for the J.D. program may be obtained by contacting the School of Law at 5 Boalt Hall #7200, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-7200, or by calling (510) 642-2274; applications for the LL.M. and J.S.D. programs are available at 354 Boalt Hall #7200, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-7200, or by calling (510) 642-1476.

Haas School of Business Programs
Applicants for the PhD. Program at the Haas School of Business should complete the online “Graduate Application for Admission and Fellowships”.

Applications for the M.B.A. program may be obtained by contacting the M.B.A. Admissions Office, S430 Haas School of Business #1902, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-1902, by calling (510) 642-1405, or by e-mail (mbaadms@haas.berkeley.edu).

For applications for the Evening & Weekend MBA program, contact the Evening & Weekend MBA Admissions Office, S430 Haas School of Business #1906, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-1906, call (510) 642-0292, or e-mail ewmbaadm@haas.berkeley.edu.

For applications for the Master of Financial Engineering program, contact the M.F.E. Admissions Office, F471, S545 Haas School of Business #1906, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-1907, call (510) 642-4417, or e-mail mfe@haas.berkeley.edu.

For applications for the Berkeley-Columbia Executive MBA Program, contact the Berkeley-Columbia Executive MBA Admissions Office at S430 Haas School of Business #1910, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-1900, call (510) 643-1046, or email emba@haas.berkeley.edu.

Release of Information

Information Practices Act
The State of California Information Practices Act of 1977 requires the university to provide the following information to applicants for admission who are asked to supply information about themselves. The principal purpose for requesting information is to process your application for admission. Maintenance of this information is authorized by university policy.

Furnishing information that is not designated as voluntary or optional is mandatory. Failure to provide such information will delay or can even prevent completion of the admission process.

Information furnished may be used by various university departments for admission and other student-related purposes, such as housing and financial aid. This information will be transmitted to the state and federal governments if required by law. Individuals have the right of access to this record as it pertains to them. The official responsible for maintaining the information is the Dean of the Graduate Division.

Use of Social Security Numbers
Pursuant to Section 7 of the Privacy Act of 1974, applicants for a fellowship or graduate scholarship and other Graduate Division financial aid or benefits are hereby notified that disclosure of their social security numbers is mandatory. Social security numbers are required by the Graduate Division to verify the identity of each applicant. Social security numbers are used to link our admissions file with Financial Aid Office data, to link our application data with Graduate Record Examination scores from the Educational Testing Service, to link to the Payroll Office to verify amounts paid to students receiving teaching assistantships and research assistantships, and to link financial awards and admission data to registration histories and student records. This record-keeping system was established before January 1, 1975, pursuant to the authority of the Regents of the University of California under Article IX, Section 9, of the Constitution of the State of California. The university is required by federal law to report your social security number and other pertinent information to the Internal Revenue Service pursuant to the reporting requirements imposed by the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997.

Student Records
After a student has accepted admission, disclosure of information from his or her student records is governed by the Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974. (FERPA does not pertain to applicants who have not accepted admission.) In general, most information in a student's records is confidential, and can be released to third parties only with the prior written consent of the student. Detailed information on this policy including what information can and cannot be released and to whom, is available on the Office of the Registrar's website Open.

Deadlines

Departments set their own application deadlines within certain ranges. Check the list of departments for specific deadlines. If you are an applicant living outside the U.S., you should mail your application at least 30 days before your proposed department deadline to ensure sufficient time for your department review.

Application Fee

You must submit an application fee when you apply. The application fee is not refundable. If you are a U.S. citizen or current permanent resident, the application fee is $70; for all others, the fee is $90. Fees are subject to change.

If you apply online, you may pay the fee by credit card. If you submit a check or money order, it must be drawn on a United States bank. Checks should be made payable to “UC Regents.” Do not submit UNESCO coupons, traveler’s checks, international postal money orders, Eurocheques, or cash. We do not accept electronic funds transfers.

Fee Waivers: U.S. citizens or permanent residents who can demonstrate financial need are eligible to apply for a waiver of the application fee. To apply, please submit the Request for Waiver of the Graduate Application Fee.

Participants in the following programs —  Berkeley’s Summer Research Opportunity Program, the UC Leads Scholars Program, the Summer Undergraduate Program in Engineering at Berkeley, and the Public Policy and International Affairs-Junior Summer Institute, the Institute for Recruitment of Teachers (IRT), and the University of California Diversity Initiative for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences (UC-DIGSSS/NSF), funded by the National Science Foundation — do not need to submit financial information; submit only the completed Request for Waiver form. We will confirm your participation by contacting the programs directly. Participants in Americorps, the National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science, the Peace Corps, and the McNair Scholars Program do not need to submit financial information, but you must submit the Request for Waiver form and verification of your participation in the program for the current year. For example, you may submit a letter with the original signature of the program director (or adviser) or a copy of the current contract.  

Financial need is related to family income and size and is based on a federal formula that calculates a dollar amount available for educational expenses. As a guide, to be eligible for consideration for a fee waiver for the 2008–2009 academic year, the annual income level ranged from no more than $18,889 for a single person to no more than $44,641 for a family of five.

Mail the Request for Waiver of the Graduate Application Fee with the supporting materials to the Waiver Officer, Graduate Admissions, 309 Sproul Hall #5900, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-5900. You must submit this form by February 6, 2009. The deadline for providing supporting documentation to the form is April 15, 2009. An incomplete waiver application does not prevent review of application materials. If you apply for a fee waiver, please do not pay the application fee until a decision has been reached on the waiver request. If we deny your request for a waiver, we will instruct you to pay the fee.

If you received a waiver last year, that fee waiver will not carry over to this year. You must pay the application fee or submit a new Fee Waiver Request form.

Please note that funds for waivers are limited, and there is no guarantee that all those eligible will receive waivers.

Note: The application fee and policy are subject to change without notice.

Last Updated: September 1, 2009 2:13 PM