University of California, Berkeley
Academics

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How strong are the academics at University of California, Berkeley?

Let's cover class sizes, graduation rates, and outcomes.

18:1
Student to faculty ratio
33
Average class size
80%
4-year grad rate

Class Sizes

Class sizes likely stayed the same for you through high school. You'll find that college is much different. Some of the largest universities have classes that can seat hundreds of students in giant lecture halls. Conversely, as they progress and their focus narrows, higher-level courses can sometimes have just a handful of students.

Berkeley has an average student-to-faculty ratio of 18:1. The typical school is 14:1. While this ratio is important, what’s more important is how big a typical class is.

Class Sizes
2-9
665
10-19
838
20-29
450
30-39
235
40-49
206
50-99
286
100+
335

Honors Programs

University of California, Berkeley has an honors program and/or honors college. Specifics of these programs vary, but benefits of being in an Honors Program might include priority registration, being part of a tight-knit community, and accessing unique learning opportunities.

Learn more about honors options on Berkeley's website.

Outcomes

It’s critical to understand a school’s outcomes to understand if your four (or more) years at the school will be worth it. Here are some key statistics about the outcomes of students who enroll at University of California, Berkeley:

97%
First-year retention rate
80%
4-year grad rate
93%
6-year grad rate

Majors

Many students choose a school largely based on the what they want to study. The are University of California, Berkeley's most popular majors, ranked by how many people graduated with the concentration in the most recent year:

Computer Science
Computer and Information Sciences, Other
Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology
Econometrics and Quantitative Economics
Electrical and Electronics Engineering
431.2
504.16
577.12
650.08
723.04
796

The Full List

Major Graduates
Architecture And Related Services
  • Architecture 109
  • Landscape Architecture 25
  • Environmental Design/Architecture 25
Area
  • American/United States Studies/Civilization 55
  • Ethnic Studies 35
  • Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies 35
  • Hispanic-American, Puerto Rican, and Mexican-American/Chicano Studies 20
  • Women's Studies 14
  • Ethnic Studies 13
  • Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies 13
  • African-American/Black Studies 8
  • Women's Studies 6
  • African-American/Black Studies 6
  • Hispanic-American, Puerto Rican, and Mexican-American/Chicano Studies 4
  • American Indian/Native American Studies 3
  • Asian Studies/Civilization 3
  • American Indian/Native American Studies 1
  • Asian Studies/Civilization 1
  • American/United States Studies/Civilization 1
  • Asian-American Studies 0
  • Near and Middle Eastern Studies 0
  • Latin American Studies 0
Biological And Biomedical Sciences
  • Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology 691
  • Biology/Biological Sciences, General 143
  • Microbiology, General 80
  • Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology 56
  • Botany/Plant Biology 21
  • Biology/Biological Sciences, General 17
  • Botany/Plant Biology 2
  • Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology 0
  • Toxicology 0
Business
  • Business Administration and Management, General 425
Communication
  • Mass Communication/Media Studies 226
  • Mass Communication/Media Studies 32
Computer And Information Sciences And Support Services
  • Computer Science 796
  • Computer and Information Sciences, Other 771
  • Computer Science 94
  • Computer and Information Sciences, Other 70
Engineering
  • Electrical and Electronics Engineering 492
  • Mechanical Engineering 213
  • Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering 124
  • Chemical Engineering 120
  • Civil Engineering, General 112
  • Operations Research 52
  • Engineering Science 21
  • Electrical and Electronics Engineering 18
  • Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering 13
  • Nuclear Engineering 12
  • Engineering Physics/Applied Physics 12
  • Engineering, Other 9
  • Operations Research 5
  • Engineering Science 2
  • Agricultural Engineering 0
  • Manufacturing Engineering 0
English Language And Literature/Letters
  • English Language and Literature, General 210
  • Rhetoric and Composition 28
  • English Language and Literature, General 13
  • Rhetoric and Composition 11
Foreign Languages
  • Linguistics 36
  • Hispanic and Latin American Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 33
  • Comparative Literature 23
  • Hispanic and Latin American Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 14
  • Linguistics 13
  • Japanese Language and Literature 10
  • French Language and Literature 8
  • French Language and Literature 7
  • Comparative Literature 5
  • Japanese Language and Literature 5
  • Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other 4
  • East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 4
  • East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 4
  • Chinese Language and Literature 3
  • Italian Language and Literature 2
  • Italian Language and Literature 2
  • Chinese Language and Literature 2
  • Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other 2
  • East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 2
  • East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 2
  • Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other 1
  • Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 1
  • Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 1
  • German Language and Literature 1
  • Slavic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 1
  • Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 1
  • Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other 0
  • Celtic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 0
  • German Language and Literature 0
  • Latin Language and Literature 0
  • Slavic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 0
  • Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 0
  • Spanish Language and Literature 0
  • Dutch/Flemish Language and Literature 0
  • Ancient/Classical Greek Language and Literature 0
  • Scandinavian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 0
Health Professions And Related Programs
  • Public Health, General 170
  • Public Health, General 16
History
  • History, General 114
  • History, General 19
Legal Professions And Studies
  • Legal Studies 163
  • Non-Professional Legal Studies 163
  • LEGAL PROFESSIONS AND STUDIES 163
  • Legal Studies 42
  • Non-Professional Legal Studies 42
  • LEGAL PROFESSIONS AND STUDIES 42
Liberal Arts And Sciences
  • Humanities/Humanistic Studies 0
Mathematics And Statistics
  • Applied Mathematics, General 177
  • Mathematics, General 87
  • Statistics, General 64
  • Statistics, General 50
  • Applied Mathematics, General 24
  • Mathematics, General 15
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
  • Cognitive Science, General 217
  • Nutrition Sciences 92
  • Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other 74
  • International/Globalization Studies 53
  • Cognitive Science, General 28
  • Classical, Ancient Mediterranean, and Near Eastern Studies and Archaeology 14
  • Classical, Ancient Mediterranean, and Near Eastern Studies and Archaeology 12
  • International/Globalization Studies 5
  • Nutrition Sciences 3
  • Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other 3
  • Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution 0
Natural Resources And Conservation
  • Environmental Studies 203
  • Natural Resources/Conservation, General 100
  • Environmental Science 86
  • Natural Resources Conservation and Research, Other 37
  • Environmental Studies 9
  • Natural Resources/Conservation, General 7
  • Forest Sciences and Biology 6
  • Natural Resources Conservation and Research, Other 6
  • Environmental Science 3
  • Natural Resources and Conservation, Other 1
  • Forest Management/Forest Resources Management 0
  • Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy, General 0
Philosophy And Religious Studies
  • Philosophy 87
  • Philosophy 4
  • Religion/Religious Studies 0
Physical Sciences
  • Chemistry, General 133
  • Physics, General 84
  • Astrophysics 37
  • Materials Science 28
  • Physics, General 28
  • Astrophysics 10
  • Geology/Earth Science, General 4
  • Oceanography, Chemical and Physical 3
  • Planetary Astronomy and Science 3
  • Geology/Earth Science, General 2
  • Geophysics and Seismology 2
  • Chemistry, General 2
  • Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, General 1
  • Oceanography, Chemical and Physical 1
  • Planetary Astronomy and Science 1
  • Geophysics and Seismology 1
  • Physical Sciences, General 0
Psychology
  • Research and Experimental Psychology, Other 307
  • Research and Experimental Psychology, Other 52
  • Psychology, General 0
Public Administration And Social Service Professions
  • Social Work 64
  • Social Work 4
Social Sciences
  • Econometrics and Quantitative Economics 631
  • Political Science and Government, General 386
  • Sociology, General 252
  • Social Sciences, Other 152
  • Anthropology, General 73
  • Econometrics and Quantitative Economics 46
  • Urban Studies/Affairs 26
  • Sociology, General 21
  • Political Science and Government, General 17
  • Social Sciences, Other 10
  • Anthropology, General 6
  • Geography 0
  • Economics, General 0
Visual And Performing Arts
  • Film/Cinema/Media Studies 89
  • Fine/Studio Arts, General 72
  • Music, General 54
  • Art History, Criticism and Conservation 34
  • Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General 30
  • Film/Cinema/Media Studies 12
  • Dance, General 8
  • Art History, Criticism and Conservation 7
  • Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General 6
  • Fine/Studio Arts, General 5
  • Music, General 4
  • Dance, General 2
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