University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA · founded 1868 · 45,000 students · public research university · Pac-12

Known for: A world-renowned public research university, Berkeley is famous for its academic excellence, groundbreaking scientific discoveries, and its history as a birthplace of the Free Speech Movement and progressive activism.

Rankings

U.S. News national: #15
QS World: #10
Times Higher Education: #8
ARWU Shanghai: #5
Forbes: #2

Top programmes

Computer Science
Engineering
Business
Economics
Physics
Political Science

Notable alumni

Steve Wozniak — Co-founder of Apple Inc.
Jennifer Doudna — Biochemist, Nobel laureate for CRISPR gene-editing technology
Gordon Moore — Co-founder of Intel, formulated Moore's Law
Robert Reich — Former U.S. Secretary of Labor, economist, and author
Earl Warren — Former Chief Justice of the United States
Alice Waters — Chef, restaurateur, pioneer of the farm-to-table movement
Gregory Peck — Academy Award-winning actor
Shirley Temple — Film star and diplomat

Traditions

Big Game (vs. Stanford)
Cal Day (open house)
Lighting of the Campanile
Stanford Week pranks

If University of California, Berkeley were…

As a food: Chez Panisse's California cuisine — Like Alice Waters' revolutionary restaurant, Berkeley takes impeccable local ingredients (brilliant minds), applies rigorous technique (academic discipline), and serves it with ideological purity—changing how the world t
As an athlete: Billie Jean King — The fiercely competitive pioneer who combined elite performance with radical activism, fighting for equality while dominating her sport—always advancing the cause through sheer excellence and uncompromising principle.
As a person alive today: Larry Page — The brilliant Stanford PhD who built Google but whose actual worldview—techno-utopianism, data-driven solutions, and changing systems at scale—is pure Berkeley intellectual engineering.
As a historical figure: John Stuart Mill — The quintessential liberal intellectual who believed in rigorous debate, individual liberty, and utilitarian progress—but whose systems sometimes collapsed under their own logical weight when confronted with human messin
As a movie or TV show: The West Wing — Brilliant, fast-talking idealists in hallowed halls believing they can fix the world through sheer intellect and moral certainty, while occasionally forgetting that most people don't speak in perfectly crafted paragraphs
As a US president: Thomas Jefferson — The Enlightenment polymath who designed his own university, believed in educated citizenry, championed liberty in theory while benefiting from systemic contradictions, and left a legacy both magnificent and problematic.
As a city: Berlin — The intellectual capital where radical politics, cutting-edge art, and relentless debate happen in beautiful, slightly crumbling buildings—a place that takes its ideas as seriously as its parties.
As an element: Berkelium — The element literally discovered and named here—radioactive, synthetic, and created by bombarding other elements with particles. Unstable by nature, transformative by design, and impossible without the Cyclotron.
As a car: 1967 Porsche 911 — Brilliant engineering wrapped in counterculture cool—this Free Speech Movement birthplace combines Nobel-level performance with activist edge and Northern California nonconformity. It's the high-octane intellectual choic

Campus life

Berkeley has a vibrant, intellectually charged, and politically active campus culture. Social life revolves around academic pursuits, countless clubs, and the bustling city of Berkeley. There is a strong emphasis on social justice and diversity.