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🇺🇸Berkeley, CA, United States·Est. 1868Public

University of California, Berkeley

Top public research university

Global rank#11
shortlist
Ranking source comparison
SourceScore
QS92 out of 100
THE94 out of 100
USC80 out of 100
USG96 out of 100
ARWU94 out of 100
CWUR95 out of 100
Niche89 out of 100
Leiden94 out of 100
99.1
aggregate score · 8 sources
QS World University Rankings
2024 edition
#10
Times Higher Education World University Rankings
2024 edition
#9
US News Best Colleges (National Universities)
2024 edition
#19
US News Best Global Universities
2023–24 edition
#5
Academic Ranking of World Universities (Shanghai Ranking)
2023 edition
#5
Center for World University Rankings
2024 edition
#6
Niche Best Colleges
2024 edition
#22
CWTS Leiden Ranking
2024 edition
#6

Ranking history

Real snapshots recorded each time this dataset is refreshed — never backfilled or estimated.

Ranking history over time
DateRankScore
August 3, 2026#1199.0
August 4, 2026#1199.0
August 5, 2026#1199.0
August 6, 2026#1199.0
August 7, 2026#1199.0
August 10, 2026#1199.0
August 15, 2026#1199.0
August 17, 2026#1199.0
August 20, 2026#1199.0

Admissions

Test-free — scores not considered(fall 2026 entry)

Most recently published acceptance rate and enrolled-student score ranges. SAT/ACT and GPA are US-specific admissions measures, so they're only shown where applicable.

Applications / year
128,000
Acceptance rate
11.4%
SAT (25th–75th)
1330–1530
ACT (25th–75th)
29–35
Avg. GPA
3.90

Campus & outcomes

Class size, graduation and freshman retention rates, sticker tuition vs. what students actually pay after aid, how many receive it, post-graduation employment, research output, and a few real, commonly-cited top recruiters. Everything except ratio and enrollment is US-specific or approximate — papers/year and top employers in particular are rounded/illustrative, not exhaustive or precise database exports. Earnings figures and what they imply against cost are in their own section below.

Student : faculty
20:1
Undergrads
32,800
Grad rate (6-yr)
93%
Tuition (in-state)
$14,226
Tuition (out-of-state)
$44,008
Avg. net price
$16,000
Employed within 6mo
91%
Papers/year (approx.)
17,000
Classes under 20
55%
Freshman retention
97%
Receiving aid
55%
Where grads work
GoogleAmazonAppleMeta

Earnings after graduation

Median earnings for this institution's graduates (2024–25 published figures) and what they imply against its cost. US-reported figures — the concept doesn't translate for universities outside the US, which is why they show nothing here.

Early career
$75,000
Median, roughly 0–5 years out
Mid career
$145,000
Median, roughly 10 years out · +93% growth
Cost payback
0.9 yr
Years of early-career median equal to $64,000 of 4-year net cost
Value score 2.3× — one year of mid-career median covers 2.3× the full 4-year net cost+93% early-to-mid career growth

How to read these numbers

  • Medians, not averages, and not your salary. Half of graduates earn less. The spread within a single university is far wider than the gap between most universities.
  • Institution-wide, across all majors. Much of the difference between two universities' figures reflects what their students study — an engineering-heavy institute out-earns a liberal arts college largely through major mix, not teaching quality. Per-major earnings aren't in this dataset; the US federal College Scorecard publishes them for US federal-aid recipients.
  • Geography and selectivity are baked in. Graduates often work near where they studied, so regional cost of living inflates or deflates these figures, and selective intakes would earn well regardless of where they enrolled.
  • Payback is arithmetic, not a plan. It divides 4-year net price by early-career median and ignores aid you personally receive, loan interest, taxes and living costs.

Graduate & professional schools

UC Berkeley has 6 ranked professional programmes. These admit separately from the university and are ranked separately from it — a band here says nothing about the university's overall position above, or the reverse (2025–26 rankings cycle).

Subject rankings

Real, published QS World University Rankings by Subject positions — unlike Subject strengths below, this is sourced ranking data, not an editorial estimate. Shown only for the subjects this university is ranked in.

Subject strengths

An Analects Proverbs editorial estimate — derived from this university's specialty and overall standing, not pulled from a named subject ranking.

Ranking source comparison
SourceScore
CS92 out of 100
Eng87 out of 100
Business92 out of 100
Medicine85 out of 100
Law90 out of 100
Sciences87 out of 100
Social87 out of 100
Arts90 out of 100
Strongest in
Computer ScienceBusinessLaw & Policy
Computer Science
Engineering
Business
Medicine
Law & Policy
Natural Sciences
Social Sciences
Arts & Humanities

Similar universities

Close in overall rank, and weighted toward the same country and type — a starting point for students who like University of California, Berkeley but want options to compare.

Frequently asked questions

What is University of California, Berkeley's ranking?

University of California, Berkeley ranks #11 on Analects Proverbs's combined score of 99.1/100, aggregated across 8 major published rankings.

What is University of California, Berkeley known for?

Top public research university. Its strongest subject areas, by our editorial estimate, are Computer Science, Business, Law & Policy.

What is University of California, Berkeley's acceptance rate?

University of California, Berkeley's acceptance rate is approximately 11.4%, based on the most recently published admissions cycle.

What SAT or ACT scores does University of California, Berkeley expect?

Enrolled students typically score in the 1330–1530 range on the SAT, or 29–35 on the ACT (25th–75th percentile, most recent published cycle).

How much does it cost to attend University of California, Berkeley?

University of California, Berkeley's published annual tuition is approximately $14,226, though the average net price after institutional aid is closer to $16,000 per year.

What is University of California, Berkeley's graduation rate?

University of California, Berkeley's published 6-year graduation rate is approximately 93%.

What do University of California, Berkeley graduates typically earn?

Early-career graduates report a median starting salary of around $75,000, rising to roughly $145,000 at mid-career.