University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
University of California, Berkeley Featured Rankings
- #1 Best Online Sociology PhD Degree Programs
- #1 Social Work Research Universities
- #1 Best Online Clinical Nutrition Degree Doctorate Programs
- #1 Accelerated Online Doctorate of Computer Science
- #1 Most Affordable Colleges in the U.S. 2026
- #1 Grad Schools California 2026
- #1 Most Affordable Online Computer Science PhD Programs
- #1 Research Universities in California 2026
- #1 Best Public Colleges
- #1 The Best Online History PhD Degree Programs Ranked in 2026
- #1 Communications Research Universities
- #1 Communications Colleges and Universities
- #1 Most Affordable Colleges in California 2026
- #1 Best Colleges in California 2026
- #1 Best Public Grad Schools
- #1 Public Colleges California
- #1 Best Online Economics PhD Degree Programs
- #1 Best Value Colleges
- #2 The Best Traditional MBA Programs
- #2 Sociology Colleges and Universities
- #2 Political Science Research Universities
- #2 Best Research Universities for Psychology Majors
- #2 Earth Sciences Research Universities
- #2 Schools That Offer Free Master's Degrees Online
- #2 Best Undergrad Colleges 2026
- #2 Best Consulting MBA Programs
- #2 Free Online Courses for MBA Students
- #2 Philosophy Research Universities
- #2 Computer Science Research Universities
- #2 Best Online Public Health PhD Degree Programs
- #2 Best US Universities 2026
- #2 Math Research Universities
- #2 The Best Online English PhD Degree Programs Ranked in 2026
- #2 Biology Research Universities
- #2 Economics Research Universities
- #2 Religious Studies Research Universities
- #2 Best Grad Schools 2026
- #2 Most Influential US Universities by State
- #2 Free Graduate Courses You Can Take Online
- #2 Best Undergrad Research Universities 2026
- #2 The Fastest Traditional MBA Degree Programs
- #3 Most Influential Colleges in Swimming and Diving Today
- #3 The Best Schools in the World for Earning an MBA
- #3 Best Universities World 2026
- #4 Sociology Research Universities
- #4 Engineering Research Universities
- #4 Chemistry Research Universities
- #5 Anthropology Research Universities
- #6 Physics Research Universities
- #7 English Research Universities
- #7 History Research Universities
- #8 The Most Influential Colleges in Soccer Today
- #11 The Most Influential Colleges in Tennis Today
- #17 Most Influential Colleges in Sports Today
- #24 Most Influential Colleges in Basketball Today
- #25 The Most Influential Colleges in Football Today
About University of California, Berkeley
According to Wikipedia, The University of California, Berkeley , is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. It was established in 1868 as the University of California and is the state's first land-grant university and the founding campus of the University of California system. Berkeley has been regarded to be among the top universities in the world.
University of California, Berkeley Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 128,209 | 11% | 96% | 94% |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; applications, acceptance, enrollment and test scores for fall 2022; retention for students who started in fall 2021; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2016.
How Much Does University of California, Berkeley Cost To Attend?
| Tuition (in-state) | Fees (in-state) |
|---|---|
| $11,564 | $2,831 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; tuition and fees for 2022–23; net price for 2021–22, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do University of California, Berkeley Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former University of California, Berkeley students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $100,212 a year, and 90% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
University of California, Berkeley's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2021–22 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads | Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| 47,911 | 33,715 | 14,196 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2021–22.
Where is University of California, Berkeley?
University of California, Berkeley is located at 200 California Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720.
How Safe is University of California, Berkeley?
Berkeley has a violent crime rate of 0.49% and a property crime rate of 4.42%. Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (city offenses, 2016).
What Is University of California, Berkeley Known For?
University of California, Berkeley is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Chemistry
- Biology
- Physics
- Earth Sciences
- Computer Science
- Mathematics
- Psychology
- Anthropology
- Engineering
- Communications
- Literature
- Sociology
- Philosophy
- Political Science
- Economics
- History
- Education
- Business
- Medical
- Religious Studies
- Social Work
- Law
University of California, Berkeley's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much University of California, Berkeley's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
University of California, Berkeley ranks #1 in the U.S. and #1 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesUniversity of California, Berkeley ranks #2 in the U.S. and #3 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesUniversity of California, Berkeley ranks #2 in the U.S. and #2 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesUniversity of California, Berkeley ranks #2 in the U.S. and #6 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.
earth-science DegreesUniversity of California, Berkeley ranks #3 in the U.S. and #3 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesUniversity of California, Berkeley ranks #3 in the U.S. and #6 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesUniversity of California, Berkeley ranks #3 in the U.S. and #4 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesUniversity of California, Berkeley ranks #3 in the U.S. and #3 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.
anthropology DegreesUniversity of California, Berkeley ranks #4 in the U.S. and #4 worldwide for influence in Engineering.
engineering DegreesUniversity of California, Berkeley ranks #4 in the U.S. and #7 worldwide for influence in Communications.
communications DegreesUniversity of California, Berkeley ranks #4 in the U.S. and #6 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature DegreesUniversity of California, Berkeley ranks #4 in the U.S. and #5 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesUniversity of California, Berkeley ranks #5 in the U.S. and #9 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
philosophy DegreesUniversity of California, Berkeley ranks #5 in the U.S. and #7 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesUniversity of California, Berkeley ranks #5 in the U.S. and #7 worldwide for influence in Economics.
economics DegreesUniversity of California, Berkeley ranks #5 in the U.S. and #8 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesUniversity of California, Berkeley ranks #6 in the U.S. and #9 worldwide for influence in Education.
education DegreesUniversity of California, Berkeley ranks #8 in the U.S. and #9 worldwide for influence in Business.
business DegreesUniversity of California, Berkeley ranks #9 in the U.S. and #14 worldwide for influence in Medical.
medicine DegreesUniversity of California, Berkeley ranks #9 in the U.S. and #38 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.
religious-studies-hub DegreesUniversity of California, Berkeley ranks #9 in the U.S. and #10 worldwide for influence in Social Work.
social-work DegreesUniversity of California, Berkeley ranks #10 in the U.S. and #16 worldwide for influence in Law.
Who Are University of California, Berkeley's Most Influential Alumni?
University of California, Berkeley's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Criminal Justice, Computer Science, and Chemistry. Here are some of University of California, Berkeley's most famous alumni:
- Daniel Kahneman
- An Israeli-American psychologist.
- John Kenneth Galbraith
- A Canadian-American economist and diplomat .
- Timothy Leary
- An American psychologist .
- Shing-Tung Yau
- An American mathematician from Hong Kong.
- Ken Thompson
- An American computer scientist, creator of the Unix operating system.
- Niklaus Wirth
- A Swiss computer scientist.
- Douglas Engelbart
- An American engineer and inventor.
- Theodosius Dobzhansky
- A Geneticist and evolutionary biologist .
- Betty Friedan
- An American activist.
- George Dantzig
- An American mathematician .
- Octavio Paz
- A Mexican writer, poet and diplomat.
- Gary Snyder
- An American poet.
Who Are University of California, Berkeley's Most Influential Faculty?
University of California, Berkeley's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Criminal Justice, Computer Science, and Chemistry. Here are some of University of California, Berkeley's most famous faculty:
- Emmanuel Saez
- A French economist.
- Umesh Vazirani
- An Indian theoretical computer scientist.
- Daniel J. Bernstein
- An American mathematician, cryptologist and programmer.
- Robert M. Gagné
- An American psychologist .
- Gabriel Zucman
- A French economist.
- Matei Zaharia
- A Romanian-Canadian computer scientist and engineer.
- Van H. Vu
- A Vietnamese mathematician.
- Lior Pachter
- A Computational biologist.
- Pieter Abbeel
- A Machine learning researcher at UC-Berkeley.
- Brian Behlendorf
- An Executive, director, and software programmer.
- Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway
- A Crown Prince of Norway.
- Jon Kleinberg
- An American computer scientist.
