When it comes to the University of California system, an admissions cycle is more like a Beyoncé stadium tour: high schoolers line up in the hundreds of thousands to try to get in, but only a select few make it through and onto campus. Even though the data is still forthcoming for the Class of 2029 at the University of California, Berkeley, we at Ivy Coach have no reason to suspect this year will be any different. Let’s review what we do know about this new crop of recently admitted Golden Bears:

University of California, Berkeley Acceptance Rate and Statistics (Classes of 2029 — 2023)

UC Berkeley Class Year	Total Applications Received	Total Applications Accepted	Overall Acceptance Rate
Class of 2029	Not Yet Published	Not Yet Published	Not Yet Published
Class of 2028	124,242	13,701	11.0%
Class of 2027	125,910	14,677	11.7%
Class of 2026	128,210	14,522	11.3%
Class of 2025	112,835	16,295	14.4%
Class of 2024	88,064	15,390	17.5%
Class of 2023	87,398	14,268	16.3%

UC Berkeley Class of 2029 in Historical Perspective

Within months, we will all know how the Class of 2029 fared at UC Berkeley, as this data will be published in the school’s Common Data Set. But it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to look at the chart above and recognize that applications to Berkeley are on an upward trajectory while the acceptance rate is doing just the opposite: descending to record lows. Last year, for admission to the Class of 2028, Berkeley raked in an astounding 124,242 applications. This wasn’t even a record for this prestigious public research university — that was set by the Class of 2026, with 128,210 applications.

Last year, however, Berkeley broke another record with its 11% acceptance rate. So why are high school seniors just so drawn to this four-year institution? And what cues can other schools take from UC Berkeley to get their admissions statistics to reflect the same level of widespread popularity?

UC Berkeley is the College of the 21st Century

Okay, so UC Berkeley doesn’t hold the record for most first-year applications received by a four-year university. That designation goes to its sister school, the University of California, Los Angeles, which for the 2023-24 admissions cycle reported 146,276 hopefuls. However, the fact remains that Berkeley is setting the tone for popularity just as other schools — like some of the Ivy League institutions — struggle with their reputations amid PR scandals and internal power struggles. What’s Berkeley’s secret?

Well, for one thing, the vast majority of its applicants are students from California — 79% in this last cycle! These domestic applicants can save a bit on tuition and receive an admissions boost relative to their out-of-state peers. They likely grew up far more familiar with the University of California system and far less familiar with the many elite colleges that populate the Northeastern U.S.

Furthermore, Berkeley has distinguished itself among elite schools for its reputation as a leading innovator in STEM fields, combined with a strong civic campus culture where students are nurtured into compassionate scholars. It probably also doesn’t hurt that Berkeley’s 11% acceptance rate is less selective than many other schools of its caliber, like nearby Stanford, which reported a 3.9% acceptance rate for the Class of 2027 (the most recent available data).

Getting Started with Ivy Coach on the UC Berkeley Waitlist

Congratulations to the UC Berkeley Class of 2029. For those who have been waitlisted, your road doesn’t end here!

If you’re interested in optimizing your case for admission off the University of California, Berkeley waitlist with our team of former elite college admission officers, fill out Ivy Coach’s complimentary consultation form, indicate that you’ve been waitlisted, and we’ll contact you. We fully understand that time is of the essence.