Our mission at the Haas School of Business is to develop leaders who redefine how we do business. The admissions committee selects individuals who demonstrate promise for academic success as well as demonstrate excellence in non-academic endeavors.
The goal of the admissions review process is to holistically evaluate an applicant’s overall fit for the program. Additionally, we seek applicants who embody the Berkeley Haas Defining Leadership Principles:
- Question the Status Quo
- Confidence Without Attitude
- Students Always
- Beyond Yourself
Characteristics of Successful Candidates
- Academic achievement including grades, course load, consistent academic excellence, and high academic performance in all required prerequisite courses.
- Consistency and impact in extracurricular activities
- Personal attributes and life experience suggesting leadership, maturity, ethical character, teamwork and goal orientation.
- Communication and analytical skills as demonstrated by responses to essay questions.
The following factors are evaluated and weighted as listed below for the Continuing UCB & Transfer Applicant Pools:
50% – Grades & Coursework
35% – Essays
15% – Resume
Admission Interviews
The information submitted as part of the written applications typically gives us the full picture of a student’s experience and aspirations. However in some cases, additional information is needed and Haas may invite you to interview with a Haas alumni or staff person. Interviews are by invitation only.
- Completion of all prerequisite courses for a letter grade of C- or higher by the end of the Spring term prior to your anticipated start at Berkeley Haas (courses may not be more than 5 years old). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, prerequisites taken during Spring 2020, may be taken pass/no pass. Taking prerequisites for pass/no pass during Spring 2020 will not affect your admission decision.
- Minimum of 60 semester or 90 quarter units.
- All prerequisite courses must carry a minimum of 3 semester or 4 quarter units
Required Prerequisite Courses
| Course Title | Continuing UC Berkeley Students <1> <2> | Transfer Students <2> <3> |
| Principles of Business | UGBA 10 | One introductory business course |
| Calculus |
Math 16A &16B or Math 1A & 1B or Math 1A & 16B or Math 53 or Math 54 |
2 semesters or 3 quarters of calculus |
| Introduction to Economics | Econ 1 or 2 | Lower division course(s) in macro and micro economics |
| Statistics |
Stat 20 or W21 or 131A or 134. A Foundations of Data Science course (STAT/DATA/INFO/CS/C8) plus a connector course (STAT 88 OR UGBA 88) may also fulfill the statistics prerequisite. |
One introductory course in probability and statistics for business. |
| English/Reading & Composition | English R1A (or equivalent) | You must satisfy this requirement by completing courses comparable to UC Berkeley’s English R1A. Students at schools other than California community colleges should refer to http://admissions.berkeley.edu/transfer_info for a listing of articulated courses. |
| English/Reading & Composition | English R1B (or equivalent) | You must satisfy this requirement by completing courses comparable to UC Berkeley’s English R1B. Students at schools other than California community colleges should refer to http://admissions.berkeley.edu/transfer_info for a listing of articulated courses. |
<1> Once at UC Berkeley, all prerequisites must be completed at UC Berkeley. If non-UC Berkeley college level course work was completed before admission into UC Berkeley, it can be used to satisfy prerequisite or breadth requirements (with the exception of Principles of Business (UGBA 10), which must be taken at UC Berkeley). If off-campus work was completed at a California community college, visit the Assist website, www.assist.org for courses at each school that fulfill the prerequisite or breadth requirements.
<2> If you repeated or have taken more than one course to fulfill a prerequisite you must use the first attempt to satisfy the requirement. If you received a C- or higher for your first attempt you should not repeat the prerequisite.
<3> California Community College transfer applicants consult Assist.org for exact courses offered. The assist.org web site has not been updated to reflect 2019-2020 articulation agreements. To view the most current articulation agreement go to assist.org and choose:
“Academic Year”: Select 2016-2017
“Institution”: Select your Community College
“Agreements with Other Institutions”: Select University of California, Berkeley
Click “View Agreements”
“View Agreement By”: Select Major
Select “Business Administration, Lower Division B.S”
You can then view or download the agreement
Students with exam credit may be exempt from certain admission requirements.
ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP)
| EXAM | SCORE NEEDED TO FULFILL REQUIREMENT |
UC BERKELEY COURSE(S) SATISFIED BY AP SCORE |
| ECONOMICS (MICRO & MACRO) | 4 OR 5 ON BOTH EXAMS | ECONOMICS 1 OR 2 |
| ENGLISH COMPOSITION & LITERATURE |
4 |
ENGLISH R1A |
| 5 | ENGLISH R1A & R1B | |
| ENGLISH LANGUAGE & COMPOSITION | 4 OR 5 | ENGLISH R1A |
| MATH BC |
3, 4 OR 5 |
MATH 16A OR MATH 1A (MATH 16B or MATH 1B or MATH 53 or MATH 54 still required to complete prerequisite) |
| MATH AB | 3, 4 OR 5 |
MATH 16A OR MATH 1A (MATH 16B or MATH 1B or MATH 53 or MATH 54 still required to complete prerequisite) |
INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE (IB) – Higher Level
| EXAM | SCORE NEEDED TO FULFILL REQUIREMENT |
UC BERKELEY COURSE(S) SATISFIED BY AP SCORE |
|
ECONOMICS
|
5, 6 OR 7 | ECONOMICS 1 OR 2 |
| ENGLISH A: LITERATURE* | 5, 6 OR 7 | ENGLISH R1A AND R1B |
| Beginning with students admitted to UCB in Fall 2018 – ENGLISH A: LANGUAGE & LITERATURE* | 5, 6 OR 7 | ENGLISH R1A AND R1B |
| MATHEMATICS | 5, 6 OR 7 | Math 16A or Math 1A (Students must take Math 16B or 1B or Math 53 or Math 54 to complete the calculus prerequisite) |
GCE ADVANCED LEVEL (A LEVEL)
| EXAM | SCORE NEEDED TO FULFILL REQUIREMENT |
UC BERKELEY COURSE(S) SATISFIED BY AP SCORE |
|
ECONOMICS
|
A, B OR C | ECONOMICS 1 OR 2 |
| MATHEMATICS | A, B OR C |
MATH 16A OR MATH 1A (MATH 16B or MATH 1B or MATH 53 or MATH 54 still required to complete prerequisite) |
*The IB Literature & Performance exam does NOT satisfy the R1A/R1B requirement.
Breadth is not required for admission but you must successfully complete the 7-course breadth sequence to earn a B.S. degree from the Haas School. Although breadth coursework is not required for admission, students are encouraged to spread breadth courses over 4 years. One course cannot be used to satisfy both a prerequisite and a breadth requirement for the business administration major.