Getting around
Bear Transit Shuttle
Free campus shuttle system connecting residence halls, parking garages, Downtown Berkeley BART, and hill areas.
Berkeley at a glance
33,068
undergrads
11%
of applicants admitted
97%
come back for year 2
94%
graduate
18 : 1
students per teacher
$100,212
typical pay 10 years in
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard.
What a year really costs
After grants and scholarships, by family income. Average: $14,538.
Under $30k $5,110
$30k–$48k $5,391
$48k–$75k $9,606
$75k–$110k $16,064
Over $110k $37,451
Tuition, in state
$17,198
Tuition, out of state
$54,800
Typical debt at graduation
$12,416
32% of students get a Pell Grant
Free stuff most students miss
Health & safety
BearWALK Safety Escort
Free evening safety escort service staffed by trained student employees. Walk with you to your destination on or near campus after dark.
Places
Sather Gate
Historic bronze gate marking the traditional entrance to campus, a gathering point and symbol of UC Berkeley's free speech heritage.
Places
Sproul Plaza
Central campus plaza famous for student activities, club tabling, and as the birthplace of the Free Speech Movement. The heart of campus life.
Eat
Dining halls, quick bites and coffee on campus.
Crossroads Dining Commons
Dining hall Flagship Berkeley Dining commons known for great flavor profiles and international foods, located between Unit 1 and Unit 2 residence halls.
2415 Bowditch St
Clark Kerr Dining
Dining hall All-you-can-eat dining hall inside the Clark Kerr Campus residence hall, offering a cozy community atmosphere.
2601 Warring St
Foothill Dining
Dining hall All-you-can-eat dining hall inside Foothill residence hall, serving the north side of campus near the hills.
2700 Hearst Ave
Cafe 3
Dining hall All-you-can-eat dining commons located inside Unit 3 residence hall, popular with southside residents.
2400 Durant Ave
The Golden Bear Cafe
Cafe Quick-service restaurant in Cesar Chavez Student Center on Upper Sproul Plaza, offering breakfast burritos, burgers, and lunch entrees.
2440 Bancroft Way
Brown's
Cafe Cafe in the Genetics and Plant Biology Building offering coffee, pastries, sandwiches, and quick bites between classes.
111 Koshland Hall Cafe
Yali's Qualcomm Cafe
Cafe Coffee shop outside Sutardja Dai Hall serving coffees, juices, smoothies, pastries, sandwiches, soups, salads, and bagels.
325 Sutardja Dai Hall
The Eateries at Student Union
Cafe Food court on the first floor of the MLK Jr. Building featuring multiple food vendors and quick-service options.
2495 Bancroft Way
Bear Market
Market On-campus convenience store offering snacks, beverages, produce, and grab-and-go meals. Accepts meal plan flex dollars.
2415 Bowditch St
Cub Market
Market Convenience store near Foothill residence hall with snacks, drinks, and essential items for hill-area residents.
2700 Hearst Ave
The Den
Market Convenience store at Clark Kerr Campus offering snacks, beverages, and everyday essentials.
2601 Warring St
Pizzeria 1868
Cafe Campus pizzeria offering made-to-order pizzas, slices, and Italian-inspired dishes. Named for the year UC Berkeley was founded.
2415 Bowditch StWhere to live
Residence halls, apartments and help finding a place.
Unit 2 Residence Hall
Residence hall Southside residence hall complex adjacent to Crossroads dining. Houses freshmen in traditional doubles and triples with common lounges.
2650 Haste St
Unit 3 Residence Hall
Residence hall Southside residence hall with Cafe 3 dining commons on-site. Features traditional rooms and suite-style living options for freshmen.
2400 Durant Ave
Unit 1 Residence Hall
Residence hall Large southside residence hall complex with traditional doubles and triples. Close to Crossroads dining and Telegraph Avenue shops.
2650 Durant Ave
Foothill Residence Hall
Residence hall Northside residence hall (Unit 4) nestled in the hills with Foothill dining on-site. Quieter location with scenic views and hiking trail access.
2700 Hearst Ave
Clark Kerr Campus
Residence hall Residence hall (Unit 5) on a self-contained campus south of main campus with its own dining hall, recreation fields, and a quiet community feel.
2601 Warring StGet around
Shuttles, parking and accessible rides.
Shuttle
Bear Transit Shuttle
Shuttle Free campus shuttle system connecting residence halls, parking garages, Downtown Berkeley BART, and hill areas.
UC Berkeley Public transit
AC Transit
Public transit East Bay public bus system. Students get unlimited rides with the AC Transit Student EasyPass included in fees.
UC Berkeley
Downtown Berkeley BART Station
Transit Bay Area Rapid Transit station at Shattuck Ave and Center St, a 5-minute walk from campus. Connects to SF, Oakland, and the wider Bay Area.
2160 Shattuck Ave Biking
Bike Facilities & Bay Wheels
Biking Secure covered bicycle parking on campus for UC affiliates. Bay Wheels bikeshare stations across Berkeley connect to Oakland, Emeryville, and SF.
UC Berkeley
Bay Wheels Bike Share
Biking Regional bike share with 37+ docking stations around campus. Hybrid e-bikes and classic bikes available. Student memberships through campus transit.
UC Berkeley Campus Parking
Parking & Transportation
Parking Campus parking services managing permits, garages, and visitor parking.
2150 Kittredge St, Suite 2BMajors that pay most at Berkeley
Typical pay 4 years after graduating. Top 6 of 47 bachelor's majors with published pay.
Computer Science $204,379
Electrical Engineering $200,543
Business Administration $144,599
Operations Research $138,883
Economics $135,050
Statistics $133,986
Source: College Scorecard, field-of-study data.
Your Berkeley checklist
5 things worth doing early
When you need help
5 things Berkeley freshmen figure out too late
Watch the video1 Some classes lock after week two
Most classes can be dropped well into the semester. Some cannot. The Registrar: "Some courses have drop deadlines earlier than the general deadline. Early Drop Deadline classes can be dropped only through the Friday of week two of the semester." Which classes are EDD varies by college and department, so check every class on your list before the end of week two — after that, getting out of an EDD class means a late-change petition, and those are limited.
2 In L&S, 12 units is not enough
Twelve units is the number most students assume is "full time." In the College of Letters & Science the range is "a minimum of 13 units" and "a maximum of 20.5 units" per fall or spring semester. Going under 13 needs a Reduced Course Load approval. Without one, the first time gets you a warning email; doing it again puts "a hold on future registration" until you meet with an adviser. If a drop would take you to 12, add a one- or two-unit class first.
3 Finish R1A and R1B by semester four
College Writing Programs: "All undergraduates must complete the R&C requirement in sequential order by the end of their fourth semester, or their enrollment will be blocked for the following semester." Part A comes before part B, so a late start pushes both. If you have not met Entry Level Writing yet, COLWRIT R1A with a C or better covers it and the first half of R&C at the same time — and "once you have started classes at Berkeley, you may not use a transfer course to satisfy Entry Level Writing."
4 Every Cal student takes American Cultures
The American Cultures requirement is the one course every Berkeley undergraduate has to pass to graduate, whatever the major or college. You satisfy it by passing an approved American Cultures course with a C- or better, or a P. Approved courses are offered in more than forty departments, and you can take one in any semester — but the campus urges you to do it as early as possible, before your schedule fills with major requirements.
5 Record the lecture — Gus makes the notes, flashcards and quiz
Gus is an AI college companion built around your actual classes. Record a lecture and it writes the notes, pulls out the key topics, builds a flashcard deck, and makes a practice quiz from what was actually said. The flashcards come back on a spaced-review schedule, so the thing you missed shows up again right before you would have forgotten it. It is free to try.
One more thing
New students can enroll in 17.5 units in Phase 1 — waitlists included
In Phase 1, new undergraduates are capped at 17.5 units, and the cap counts waitlisted units as well as enrolled ones. A long waitlist on one class can stop you from enrolling in another, so waitlist only for what you would actually take.
Student Information Systems — unit limitsGus is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the University of California, Berkeley. Tips checked against Berkeley's own pages in September 2026. Campus info last updated May 2026. Stats from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Something out of date? hello@meetgus.app · All campus guides