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.

33
Average class size
81%
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.

Class Sizes
2-9
648
10-19
901
20-29
415
30-39
266
40-49
196
50-99
281
100+
338

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
81%
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
Econometrics and Quantitative Economics
Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology
Electrical and Electronics Engineering
Computer and Information Sciences, Other
394
458.8
523.6
588.4
653.2
718

The Full List

Major Graduates
Architecture And Related Services
  • Architecture 113
  • Environmental Design/Architecture 19
  • Landscape Architecture 18
Area
  • Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies 59
  • Ethnic Studies 59
  • American/United States Studies/Civilization 40
  • Women's Studies 22
  • Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies 17
  • Ethnic Studies 17
  • African-American/Black Studies 11
  • Hispanic-American, Puerto Rican, and Mexican-American/Chicano Studies 10
  • Women's Studies 8
  • American/United States Studies/Civilization 7
  • Hispanic-American, Puerto Rican, and Mexican-American/Chicano Studies 7
  • Asian Studies/Civilization 5
  • African-American/Black Studies 5
  • Asian Studies/Civilization 2
  • Latin American Studies 0
  • Near and Middle Eastern Studies 0
  • American Indian/Native American Studies 0
  • Asian-American Studies 0
Biological And Biomedical Sciences
  • Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology 694
  • Biology/Biological Sciences, General 158
  • Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology 73
  • Microbiology, General 42
  • Biology/Biological Sciences, General 19
  • Botany/Plant Biology 13
  • Microbiology, General 2
  • Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology 0
  • Toxicology 0
Business
  • Business Administration and Management, General 409
Communication
  • Mass Communication/Media Studies 226
  • Mass Communication/Media Studies 32
Computer And Information Sciences And Support Services
  • Computer Science 718
  • Computer and Information Sciences, Other 448
  • Computer and Information Sciences, Other 221
  • Computer Science 130
Engineering
  • Electrical and Electronics Engineering 498
  • Mechanical Engineering 189
  • Civil Engineering, General 105
  • Chemical Engineering 104
  • Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering 93
  • Operations Research 63
  • Electrical and Electronics Engineering 30
  • Engineering Science 19
  • Engineering, Other 13
  • Engineering Physics/Applied Physics 12
  • Nuclear Engineering 11
  • Operations Research 8
  • Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering 7
  • Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering 1
  • Civil Engineering, General 1
  • Agricultural Engineering 0
  • Manufacturing Engineering 0
English Language And Literature/Letters
  • English Language and Literature, General 205
  • Rhetoric and Composition 41
  • English Language and Literature, General 16
  • Rhetoric and Composition 12
Foreign Languages
  • Linguistics 50
  • Hispanic and Latin American Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 38
  • Comparative Literature 21
  • Linguistics 19
  • Hispanic and Latin American Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 19
  • French Language and Literature 13
  • Japanese Language and Literature 9
  • Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other 7
  • Comparative Literature 6
  • French Language and Literature 6
  • Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other 5
  • Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 4
  • Slavic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 4
  • German Language and Literature 3
  • Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other 3
  • Chinese Language and Literature 2
  • Japanese Language and Literature 2
  • Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 2
  • Slavic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 2
  • Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 2
  • Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 2
  • East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 1
  • East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 1
  • Chinese Language and Literature 1
  • German Language and Literature 1
  • Scandinavian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 1
  • Italian Language and Literature 1
  • Italian Language and Literature 1
  • Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other 1
  • Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 1
  • Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 1
  • Latin Language and Literature 1
  • Latin Language and Literature 1
  • Dutch/Flemish Language and Literature 0
  • Spanish Language and Literature 0
  • Ancient/Classical Greek Language and Literature 0
  • Celtic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 0
Health Professions And Related Programs
  • Public Health, General 187
  • Public Health, General 23
History
  • History, General 99
  • History, General 22
Legal Professions And Studies
  • LEGAL PROFESSIONS AND STUDIES 169
  • Non-Professional Legal Studies 169
  • Legal Studies 169
  • LEGAL PROFESSIONS AND STUDIES 49
  • Non-Professional Legal Studies 49
  • Legal Studies 49
Liberal Arts And Sciences
  • Humanities/Humanistic Studies 0
Mathematics And Statistics
  • Applied Mathematics, General 185
  • Mathematics, General 82
  • Applied Mathematics, General 69
  • Statistics, General 69
  • Statistics, General 54
  • Mathematics, General 14
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
  • Cognitive Science, General 204
  • Nutrition Sciences 99
  • International/Globalization Studies 94
  • Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other 54
  • Cognitive Science, General 26
  • International/Globalization Studies 13
  • Classical, Ancient Mediterranean, and Near Eastern Studies and Archaeology 11
  • Classical, Ancient Mediterranean, and Near Eastern Studies and Archaeology 6
  • Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other 5
  • Nutrition Sciences 4
  • Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution 2
Natural Resources And Conservation
  • Environmental Studies 207
  • Natural Resources/Conservation, General 89
  • Environmental Science 79
  • Natural Resources Conservation and Research, Other 22
  • Environmental Studies 14
  • Natural Resources/Conservation, General 10
  • Natural Resources Conservation and Research, Other 6
  • Forest Sciences and Biology 4
  • Environmental Science 3
  • Forest Sciences and Biology 1
  • Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy, General 0
  • Forest Management/Forest Resources Management 0
  • Natural Resources and Conservation, Other 0
Philosophy And Religious Studies
  • Philosophy 82
  • Philosophy 5
  • Religion/Religious Studies 0
Physical Sciences
  • Chemistry, General 123
  • Physics, General 74
  • Astrophysics 37
  • Materials Science 30
  • Physics, General 25
  • Oceanography, Chemical and Physical 13
  • Astrophysics 9
  • Geology/Earth Science, General 4
  • Geophysics and Seismology 4
  • Chemistry, General 3
  • Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, General 2
  • Planetary Astronomy and Science 1
  • Planetary Astronomy and Science 1
  • Physical Sciences, General 0
Psychology
  • Research and Experimental Psychology, Other 280
  • Research and Experimental Psychology, Other 64
  • Psychology, General 0
Public Administration And Social Service Professions
  • Social Work 82
  • Social Work 6
Social Sciences
  • Econometrics and Quantitative Economics 700
  • Political Science and Government, General 437
  • Sociology, General 258
  • Social Sciences, Other 173
  • Econometrics and Quantitative Economics 99
  • Anthropology, General 89
  • Political Science and Government, General 27
  • Urban Studies/Affairs 27
  • Sociology, General 25
  • Anthropology, General 15
  • Social Sciences, Other 14
  • Economics, General 0
  • Geography 0
Visual And Performing Arts
  • Film/Cinema/Media Studies 70
  • Fine/Studio Arts, General 41
  • Art History, Criticism and Conservation 34
  • Music, General 29
  • Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General 23
  • Fine/Studio Arts, General 13
  • Film/Cinema/Media Studies 12
  • Art History, Criticism and Conservation 6
  • Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General 5
  • Music, General 4
  • Dance, General 3
  • Dance, General 2

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