Things You'll Need:
- 60 units of transferable coursework.
- A minimum GPA of 2.4
- California Residency
- An intended major.
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Step 1
Get Residency: If you are already a California resident, then you can skip this step. If you are not a California resident, you may seriously want to consider moving to California before applying to Berkeley as well as possibly attending a California Junior College.
There are two reasons for this, the first being financial; in the 2008-2009 school year, California residents paid about $12,922 less attendance fees than out of state students. The second reason to get residency is that many of the Junior Colleges in California were founded specifically to be feeder schools for the UC system and they can help you prepare for transfer in a way an out of state school cannot hope to do. While you should review Berkeley's Residency requirements, but generally, residency can be established by living in California for one year. -
Step 2
Pick a Major: One of the downsides of transferring into Berkeley is that you need to apply with an intended major in mind. You'll be coming in at what is essentially a Junior class level and you'll be expected to begin declare a major within the first two semesters of your time there. This can be an advantage however, especially depending on what you think you would like to study. Many majors are "impacted", that is, there are more applicants who meet the general admission requirements to Berkeley than there are seats in that particular major. Psychology and Computer Science are examples of majors that are usually impacted. Cognitive Science and Mathematics are generally not impacted. To give yourself the bet chance of admission, try to pick something that you are both interested in and which is a non-impacted major.
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Step 3
Completing your Junior College coursework: To get into Berkeley, you will need to do more than just complete an associate's degree with good grades. In fact, an A.A. program might be a waste of time for you. The minimum requirement for applying to Berkeley is that you have 60 units/credits that are UC transferable However, there are general education requirements that all Berkeley undergraduates are required to take and getting these out of the way now will be extremely helpful. Fortunately, there is a blueprint for getting these courses completed called the "Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum" or IGETC. You can read more at www.IGETC.org. Completing an A.A. may not fulfill these requirements so if you intended to transfer, follow IGETC over an A.A. program at your particular school.
Beyond these general education requirements, each major at Berkeley will have core requirements for the major. Freshman often try to start these classes in their sophomore year at Berkeley and since you'll be transferring in as a junior it's in your interest to complete as many of these before applying. The requirements may change often and vary from major to major, however, there is a wonderful resource, www.assist.org that will allow you to look up not only the requirements, but what classes at your current institution will satisfy them. (Note: assist.org only provides listing of UC transferable classes from other California institutions; another reason to get residency ASAP! ;) -
Step 4
Grade and Testing Requirements: Transfer students must maintain a GPA of at least 2.4 in all transferable courses in order to be considered for admission. If you have not already done so in high school, you will need to take the SAT or ACT tests and provide scores at the time of your application.
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Step 5
Applying: If you have followed all of the above and meet the requirements for admission, all that's left is to actually apply. Admissions are granted only for the fall semester and you must apply during the fall prior to the year you wish to attend. If you plan to start attending in the fall of 2012, you will need to apply during the fall of 2011 and show that any remaining requirements will be completed by the following spring. Applications are due by late November/early December, but check the admissions page (see resources below) for the exact date each year.
The application itself is mostly an online processes where you will provide unofficial transcripts (you will be required to provide official, paper transcripts from your transferring institution as well) and a entrance essay. Entrance essays are an entirely different topic which we will not cover here but the bottom line is, if you've done will with everything leading up to the application, your writing skills should be in fine enough shape to write a credible essay. -
Step 6
Good Luck! Remember, Berkeley is almost always the last to reply. If you haven't heard anything before May 1st, that is a GOOD sign!
