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Berkeley, CAhttps://www.berkeley.edu
UC-Berkeley, or Cal for short, is one of the most selective public colleges in the country, with an acceptance rate of about 17%. About 91% of freshmen graduate within six years, which is 8% more than comparable elite public schools. A respected research institution, Cal gives students access to a faculty that includes numerous MacArthur fellows, Pulitzer Prize winners, and Nobel laureates, including biologist Randy Schekman, who received the 2013 Nobel Prize for medicine, and astrophysicist George Smoot, who won the 2006 award in physics. As with many big universities, lower-level classes are large -- one computer science course usually draws more than 1,000 students. With scale also comes a mind-boggling array of choices for non-academic pursuits, including more than 60 sororities and fraternities, as well as hundreds of clubs (including several devoted to specific dance styles such as tango, ballroom, and K-Pop). Sports are a big attraction on campus, and the Golden Bears' Division I sports teams tend to be very strong -- the football rivalry with nearby Stanford is legendary and results in an annual "Big Game." Cal grads go on to earn an average of $68,300 in their first three years after graduation, according to PayScale, which is 12% more than what peers from comparable schools typically make. Famous former students include the author Maxine Hong Kingston, Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak, actor John Cho, novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen, and "Myspace Tom" Anderson.
Est. Full Price 2019-2020
% of students who get any grants
Est. price for students who receive aid
Average price for low-income students
Median SAT/ACT Score
SAT/ACT required?
% of students with need who get grants
% of need met
% of students who get merit* grants
Average merit grant
Average time to a degree
Average student debt
Average salary within 3 years
% of low-income students who become upper middle class
key deadlines
Early decision application
Regular application
* Share of full-time undergraduates who had no financial need and were awarded grants.
Sources: U.S. Department of Education, Peterson's, PayScale.com, MONEY/College Measures calculations, Opportunity Insights.
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