Community College Transfer to UC Berkeley:Admission and Colleges

Transferring from a community college to UC Berkeley is one of the most difficult options on the community college to UC pathway. Official UC data show that for fall 2026, 26,210 students applied and 5,248 were admitted, an admit rate of 20%. Of those admitted, 93.3% came from California community colleges, which shows that community colleges remain the main transfer source for UC Berkeley. UC Berkeley does not participate in the Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG), so every applicant goes through the standard comprehensive review. In the assessment of EDUBUS, this campus is suitable as a reach target only for students with near-perfect grades who have completed their major prerequisites thoroughly.

Transfer Admission Data

This section describes how competitive transfer admission to UC Berkeley has been in recent years. The table below shows the preliminary fall 2026 data published by UC (as of June 2026).

Item	Fall 2026
Applicants	26,210
Admits	5,248
Admit rate	20%
Share of admits from California community colleges	93.3%

The student profile page of the UC Berkeley Office of Undergraduate Admissions, based on August 2026 estimates, lists a middle 50% college GPA of 3.69 to 3.96 for transfer students entering in 2026. The same page lists 26,251 applicants and 5,345 admits for 2026, also a rate of 20%; its figures differ from the official UC numbers because they were compiled at a different time. The page also lists 23,377 applicants and 5,641 admits for 2025, an admit rate of 24%, which shows a clear increase in applications. Berkeley Engineering states that California community college applicants who have completed all prerequisites receive the highest admission priority. Applicants from other UC campuses, four-year universities, or out-of-state community colleges receive lower priority.

Selective Majors and Prerequisites

This section explains the additional requirements that different colleges set for transfer students. UC Berkeley sets minimum GPAs and prerequisites by college, and most colleges evaluate the transferable GPA as of the end of the fall term in the application year. ASSIST, referenced in the table, is the official course articulation system for California public colleges and universities; students can use it to see which courses at their college satisfy UC Berkeley major prerequisites.

Target major	College	Transfer requirements	Source
Computer science, data science	College of Computing, Data Science, and Society (CDSS)	Transferable GPA of at least 3.0; complete major preparation per ASSIST; admitted directly into the major	UC Berkeley admissions requirements by college; CDSS admissions page
Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, Mechanical Engineering, and others	College of Engineering	Transferable GPA of at least 3.5; must complete all major prerequisites and writing courses listed on ASSIST; major prerequisite form due in January; IGETC certification not accepted	Berkeley Engineering transfer page
Business (Business Administration)	Haas School of Business	Transferable GPA of at least 3.0; prerequisites must be completed by the end of the spring term before entry and be no more than 5 years old; supplemental application required	Haas transfer students page
Economics, psychology, molecular and cell biology	College of Letters and Science (L&S)	Transferable GPA of at least 3.0; complete the 7-course pattern and the major preparation listed on ASSIST	UC Berkeley admissions requirements by college

Two new rules deserve particular attention. First, the College of Letters and Science has announced that transfer students admitted from fall 2027 onward will enter directly into the major they selected on the application. Second, CDSS states that transfer students admitted from fall 2024 onward can no longer change into computer science. Both rules mean that the major chosen at application is essentially the final major. The College of Engineering also states that students whose overall GPA is below 3.5 but whose major GPA is above 3.5 may contact the college in January to confirm eligibility.

TAG

UC Berkeley does not participate in TAG. For the fall 2027 cycle, TAG is offered by only six campuses: Davis, Irvine, Merced, Riverside, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz. For TAG requirements and procedures, see Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG).

UC Berkeley’s own alternative resource is Community College Transfer Services (CCTS). Its website states that it is open to all California community college students and offers workshops, advising from current students, and UC application guidance. Participants must update the UC Transfer Admission Planner (UC TAP) every term. The website does not mention any admission priority or guarantee from CCTS.

Application Timeline and Materials

This section lists the key dates for fall 2027 entry and the materials specific to UC Berkeley. UC Berkeley and UC Merced use the semester system; the other UC campuses use the quarter system.

• October 1 to November 30, 2026Submit the UC application and complete the Personal Insight Questions (PIQ).
• January 31, 2027Priority deadline for the Transfer Academic Update (TAU), which updates fall grades and planned coursework.
• January 31, 2027Applicants to the Haas School of Business must submit the supplemental application, which includes self-reported grades, a short essay, an optional activities update, and a video interview; applicants who miss the deadline will not be admitted.
• January 2027Applicants to the College of Engineering must submit the major prerequisite form; applicants who do not submit it are not eligible for admission.

The UC Berkeley admissions requirements by college page states that the College of Letters and Science and CDSS do not require completion of IGETC or Cal-GETC but strongly recommend it. Both are general education transfer certifications for California community colleges, and Cal-GETC is the new version that replaces IGETC. The College of Engineering explicitly does not accept IGETC, so students should prioritize completing the major prerequisites listed on ASSIST.

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