Berkeley Graduate Student Profile
Rankings and other measures of excellence
Overall UC Berkeley rankings can be found here.
U.S. News and World Report
The new “Best Global Universities Rankings” of U.S. News & World Report placed UC Berkeley fourth in the world. Only Harvard, MIT, and Stanford ranked higher.
The University of California dominates the latest ranking of public universities from U.S. News and World Report, claiming six spots in the top 12 and seven in the top 30. UCLA and UC Berkeley joust for position at the top of the list, in first and second place among public universities.
In the new rankings, Berkeley’s graduate programs placed first in the world in biological sciences, computer science, economics, English, psychology, and sociology; second in chemistry, clinical psychology, earth sciences, and math. Six other subject areas ranked in the top 10.
| Place | Subjects |
|---|---|
| 1st | Biological Sciences, Computer Science, Economics, English, Psychology, Sociology |
| 2nd | Chemistry, Clinical Psychology, Earth Sciences, Math |
| 3rd | Engineering, Physics, Social Welfare |
| 4th | History, Political Science |
| 6th | Public Affairs |
| 7th | Business |
| 9th | Law, Public Health |
Academic Rankings of World Universities
New global rankings place UC Berkeley at the pinnacle of public universities on the U.S. and fifth overall in the world. The 2018 Academic Rankings of World Universities, an assessment of 500 top institutions around the globe by the ShanghaiRanking Consultancy.
Among 54 subject areas, Berkeley ranked first in the world in chemistry, second in physics, materials science and engineering, and statistics and third in electrical and electronic engineering, biotechnology and economics.
In addition, Berkeley ranked fourth in sociology, water resources and ecology, and fifth in computer science and engineering, nanoscience and nanotechnology, energy science and engineering and transportation science and technology.
The full rankings can be viewed here, and the full subject rankings are posted here.
Berkeley Stands Tall in World Reputation Rankings
For the fourth year in a row, UC Berkeley ranks sixth in the world when it comes to its reputation among its peers, according to new rankings from Times Higher Education.
The six “most powerful global brands” in the U.K. publication’s annual World Reputation Rankings vary little from year to year, with Harvard at the top, then MIT, Stanford, Cambridge and Oxford (tied) and then Berkeley.
Berkeley Again Shines as Top U.S. Public University in Forbes Rankings
New rankings this week, from the financial publication Forbes, again place Berkeley at the very top of the list of public universities in the United States.
On the new Forbes Top Colleges 2018 list, Berkeley is one of only two public universities among the top 25 schools overall. The other is the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, which placed 22nd overall to Berkeley’s 14th.
Graduate Alumni Satisfaction
Berkeley doctoral alumni, surveyed 5 to 45 years after graduation, report very high level of satisfaction with their graduate education and the value of their Ph.D.s:
- 90% overall (and 85% of those who pursued non-academic careers) say they were well prepared for their careers by Berkeley
- 95% overall (and 93% of those who pursued non-academic careers) would pursue a doctoral degree again
- 86% would select the same field of study
- 95% would choose graduate study at Berkeley if they could start again
The Berkeley Graduate Profile is produced by the Institutional Research and Communications units in the Graduate Division.
Additional Resources
Graduate Student Enrollment
Among the 40,894 students at Berkeley, nearly 28% are pursuing doctoral and master’s degrees in more than 100 disciplines.
The fall 2017 incoming graduate class of 3,998 students was selected from among 41,500 applicants.
| Term and Year | Applications |
|---|---|
| Fall 2007 | 32,289 |
| Fall 2017 | 41,500 |
| Enrollment (Fall 2017) | Doctoral | Master’s | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 5,335 | 6,000 | 11,335 |
| Incoming class | 897 | 3,101 | 3,998 |
| Applicant Age | |
|---|---|
| Average | 28 |
| Youngest | 18 |
| Oldest | 66 |
| Women | Underrepresented Minorities |
|---|---|
| 46% | 12% |
| Ethnic Diversity | Total |
|---|---|
| American Indian/Alaskan Native | 60 |
| Black/African-American | 393 |
| Chicano/Mexican-American | 490 |
| Chinese/Chinese-American | 847 |
| East Indian/Pakistani | 347 |
| Japanese/Japanese-American | 108 |
| Korean | 181 |
| Latino/Other Spanish-American | 414 |
| Other/Unknown | 882 |
| Pacific Islander | 11 |
| Pilipino/Filipino | 110 |
| Thai/Other Asian | 225 |
| Vietnamese | 136 |
| White/Caucasian | 4,110 |
| Total | 8,314 |
| International Graduate Students | Doctoral | Master’s | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 434 | 500 | 934 |
| India | 116 | 346 | 462 |
| Canada | 85 | 74 | 159 |
| Korea | 92 | 55 | 147 |
| France | 27 | 75 | 102 |
| Taiwan | 48 | 43 | 91 |
| Mexico | 32 | 44 | 76 |
| Germany | 47 | 15 | 62 |
| Brazil | 29 | 27 | 60 |
| Chile | 29 | 27 | 56 |
| Japan | 20 | 29 | 49 |
| Singapore | 19 | 29 | 48 |
| United Kingdom | 33 | 13 | 46 |
| Iran | 38 | 5 | 43 |
| Turkey | 25 | 13 | 38 |
| Thailand | 22 | 14 | 36 |
| Israel | 26 | 9 | 35 |
| Colombia | 18 | 17 | 35 |
| Italy | 20 | 14 | 34 |
| Australia | 20 | 13 | 33 |
| Spain | 15 | 14 | 29 |
| Peru | 13 | 16 | 29 |
| 84 other countries | 190 | 227 | 417 |
| Total | 1,398 | 1,623 | 3,021 |
Graduate majors (Fall 2017 Enrollment)
Berkeley offers 101 graduate majors (master’s and doctoral), 93 of which grant doctoral degrees.
| School/College | Doctoral | Master’s/ First Professional |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration | 67 | 1,507.5 | 1,574.5 |
| Chemistry | 454 | 36 | 490 |
| Education | 194.5 | 96 | 290.5 |
| Engineering | 1,332.5 | 797.5 | 2130 |
| Environmental Design | 77 | 327.5 | 404.5 |
| Journalism | — | 109 | 109 |
| Law | 69 | 1,163.5 | 1232.5 |
| Letters & Science (all divisions) | 2,528.5 | 101 | 2,629.5 |
| Arts & Humanities | 622 | 13 | 635 |
| Biological Sciences | 479 | 4 | 483 |
| Mathematics & Physical Sciences | 604.5 | 52 | 656.5 |
| Social Sciences | 823 | 32 | 855 |
| Natural Resources | 379.5 | 80 | 459.5 |
| Optometry | 41 | 288 | 329 |
| Public Health | 134 | 523.5 | 657.5 |
| Public Policy | 12.5 | 216.5 | 229 |
| School of Information | 19.5 | 579 | 598.5 |
| Social Welfare | 23 | 175 | 198 |
| Individualized Major | 3 | – | 3 |
| TOTAL | 5,335 | 6,000 | 11,335 |
Degrees Granted
| Degree Date | 2005 – 06 | 2006 – 07 | 2007 – 08 | 2008 – 09 | 2009 – 10 | 2010 – 11 | 2011 – 12 | 2012 – 13 | 2013 – 14 | 2014 – 15 | 2015 – 16 | 2016 – 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doctoral | 753 | 895 | 864 | 863 | 888 | 906 | 887 | 936 | 930 | 1,066 | 818 | 765 |
| Master’s/Professional | 2,337 | 2,351 | 2,406 | 2,385 | 2,397 | 2,481 | 2,506 | 2,552 | 2,045 | 2,764 | 3,084 | 2,991 |
Career Outcomes
Top 5 academic institutions that hire Berkeley Ph.D.s
- University of California System
- Stanford
- University of Michigan
- MIT
- Harvard
Long-term employment trends
(Based on a survey of Ph.D. recipients who graduated between 1968 and 2008)
- 57% of Berkeley doctoral alumni (and 78% arts and humanities Ph.D.s) work in 4-year academic institutions compared to 41.4% nation-wide
- 23% work in the private for-proft sector
- 13% work in the non-profit sector or for the state, local or national government
- 7% are self-employed or have other employment
Career placement of doctoral degree recipients
First positions of students who graduated between 2011 – 2016 (based on a survey conducted 12-18 months after graduation).
| Industry | Count | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Business (for profit) | 666 | 27% |
| College or university* | 1,377 | 55.7% |
| Government | 86 | 3.4% |
| Hospital/clinic | 13 | .5% |
| K-12 school | 33 | 1.3% |
| National laboratory | 115 | 4.7% |
| Self-employed | 25 | 1% |
| Other/unknown | 146 | 6.4% |
| Total | 2,462 | 100% |
*First positions taken by Berkeley Ph.D.s who went into academia
Sources of financial support for graduate students (2016 – 2017)
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Funding for Doctoral Study
University multi-year fellowships
Berkeley offers prestigious multi-year awards to the most highly qualified entering doctoral students, including those who will enhance the diversity of the graduate student population. Recipients are nominated by their departments and selected through a competitive process.
- 2 years of fellowship funding
- 2 years of departmental funding: combination of GSI (teaching) or GSR (research) appointments and/or fellowship
- 1 year of Doctoral Completion Fellowship*
Sciences/Engineering multi-year packages include:
- 2 years of fellowship funding
- 3 years of departmental funding: combination of GSI or GSR appointments and/or fellowship
Departmental multi-year funding packages:
Departmental funding offers often include funding from a variety of sources, including departmental fellowships, training grant awards,
GSI (teaching) appointments, and GSR (research) positions.
External multi-year fellowships, such as the NSF GRFP, NDSEG (DoD), Hertz, Ford, and others, are integrated into university and departmental funding packages.
*The Doctoral Completion Fellowship provides one year of fellowship funding to students in certain Humanities and Social Science disciplines, for use after advancement to doctoral candidacy.
Other Campus Funding Opportunities
- Conference Travel Grants
- Parent Grants
- Research Grants/Fellowships (from Institutes/Centers and others)
- Training Grant Programs