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Public · Urban campus · verified rankings · federal data

University of California, Berkeley

Students comparing University of California, Berkeley on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Berkeley, California33,068 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 2Public universityHighly selectiveUrban campus

The short answer

University of California, Berkeley: U.S. News ranks it #15 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #5 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #52 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #8 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #42 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); QS ranks it #18 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 33,068 undergraduates, admits 11.0% of applicants, and posts a 92.8% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $50,547; aid recipients pay $13,481 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $92,446.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
11.0%

Below the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$13,481

82% below the $74,297 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$92,446

Above the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
92.8%

Above the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$13,000

Above the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
Not reportedUniversity of California-Berkeley reports that it neither requires nor recommends admissions test scores, and does not report a score range to the Department of Education.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Where UC Berkeley ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026National Universities#15of 436National universities
Forbes2026America's Top Colleges#5of 500Top colleges (Forbes)
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#52of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.#8of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)A+#42of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value Colleges5 starsListedBest value (Money)
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)ListedOverall (Niche)
QS2026World University Rankings#18of 1,504World (QS)

Methodology sensitivity: UC Berkeley's position moves 2 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is unusually stable — its standing barely depends on whose formula you use. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About UC Berkeley

University of California, Berkeley is a public institution in Berkeley, California. Federal data show 96.8% first-year retention and a 18:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $13,481 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $74,297 sticker cost against $13,481 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing University of California, Berkeley on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

In-state tuition & fees
$16,347

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Out-of-state tuition & fees
$50,547

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$23,750

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $74,297 a year, but the average family pays $13,481 — a 82% difference. 28.6% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run UC Berkeley's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    18:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    96.8%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    33,068

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    UC Berkeley: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $50,547 and on-campus room and board is $23,750, for a published total of $74,297 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $13,481.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 11.0%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    University of California, Los Angeles

    Los Angeles, CAPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    University of California, Los Angeles: U.S. News ranks it #17 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #15 on America's Top Colleges (2026); WSJ ranks it #68 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #17 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); QS ranks it #46 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 33,475 undergraduates, admits 9.0% of applicants, and posts a 92.6% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $49,403; aid recipients pay $12,548 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $82,511.

    Acceptance rate
    9.0%
    Average net price
    $12,548
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $82,511
    6-yr graduation rate
    92.6%
    US News · National universities#17 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#15 of 500WSJ · U.S. colleges (WSJ)#68 of 500+4 more on profile

    33,475 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 5 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    University of California, Irvine

    Irvine, CAPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    University of California, Irvine: U.S. News ranks it #32 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #31 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #139 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #31 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #69 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); QS ranks it #293 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 30,197 undergraduates, admits 28.6% of applicants, and posts a 86.9% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $49,922; aid recipients pay $14,251 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $80,735.

    Acceptance rate
    28.6%
    Average net price
    $14,251
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $80,735
    6-yr graduation rate
    86.9%
    US News · National universities#32 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#31 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#139 of 1,504+5 more on profile

    30,197 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 9 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Columbia University

    New York, NYPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Columbia University: U.S. News ranks it #15 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #2 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #43 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #14 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #9 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026) — #1 College Newspaper; QS ranks it #38 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 8,973 undergraduates, admits 4.0% of applicants, and posts a 96.1% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $71,845; aid recipients pay $21,590 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $102,491.

    Acceptance rate
    4.0%
    Average net price
    $21,590
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $102,491
    6-yr graduation rate
    96.1%
    US News · National universities#15 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#2 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#43 of 1,504+5 more on profile

    8,973 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 2 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

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