You may apply to the two-year Haas Undergraduate Business Program as a transfer student if you:
- Are currently enrolled at another college or university.
- Have not been admitted to the College of Letters & Science or another non-business major at UC Berkeley.
- Have not earned a bachelor’s degree.
- Are on track to complete prerequisite courses by the end of the spring term prior to your anticipated start at Haas.
While the University of California gives California community college applicants priority over other transfer applicants, we also accept applications from those applying from institutions outside of the California Community College system.
What We Look For
We evaluate applicants based on the following factors:
- Grades & Coursework
- Essays
- Activities & Awards
How to Apply
Follow the steps below to apply to the Berkeley Haas Undergraduate Program as a transfer student.
You can begin working on the application as early as August 1 and must submit the application between October 1–November 30. Learn more about applying to UC Berkeley, including the transfer application requirements.
After submitting the UC application in November, you must also complete and submit the Haas supplemental application by January 31. The supplemental application will appear in your MAP@Berkeley Portal in early January.
The supplement includes:
- a self-reported academic record,
- an essay question,
- optional activities and awards update, and
- video interview upload
If you do not submit a complete Haas supplemental application by January 31, your admission will be denied.
These requirements must be completed by the end of the spring term prior to the fall term you’re applying for:
- Complete a minimum of 60 semester (90 quarter) units of transferable college credit. (Learn more about which courses are transferable to UC.)
- Complete all major prerequisites listed below with a letter grade of C- or higher.
- Prerequisite courses may not be more than five (5) years old.
- Each course must be worth a minimum of three (3) semester or four (4) quarter units.
If you repeated or took more than one course to fulfill a prerequisite, you must use the first attempt to satisfy the requirement if the first attempt is less than five years old. If you received a C- or higher for your first attempt, you should not repeat the prerequisite.
Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB) Higher Level, and GCE Advanced Level exam scores may satisfy some prerequisite courses.
Required Prerequisite Courses
- Principles of Business, Economics, and Statistics
- One introductory business course
- Lower division course(s) in microeconomics and macroeconomics
- One introductory course in probability and statistics
- Calculus
- Two (2) semesters or three (3) quarters/full series of calculus
- Reading & Composition (R&C) Requirement
- Two courses equivalent to R1A and R1B at UC Berkeley.
- Find pre-approved courses from California Community Colleges on ASSIST.
- Students at schools other than a California community college can use the Transfer Courses For Reading & Composition lookup tool to find a list of equivalent courses at your institution.
Applicants in any of the following circumstances are ineligible for admission:
- Failed to complete all of the required prerequisite courses as outlined on ASSIST
- Already earned a bachelor’s degree
- Completed fewer than 60 semester or 90 quarter transferable units
Admissions & Enrollment Timeline
| Date | Admission or Enrollment Event |
|---|---|
| August-November | UC Application process (due by November 30) |
| January | Haas Supplemental Application (due by January) |
| Late April | Admission decisions announced |
| June 1 | Deadline to accept offer of admission |
| End of Spring Term | Deadline to complete prerequisites |
| July-August | Haas Summer PreCore Program |
| Late August | New student welcome event and fall classes begin. See the UC Berkeley academic calendar for more details. |
Envision Haas Transfer Outreach Program
The Envision Haas transfer outreach program provides admissions information to our growing number of California Community College (CCC) transfer applicants. In partnership with the Haas Business Student Association (HBSA), we offer information sessions that include an admissions presentation and a transfer-student panel. Visit our Events & Advising page to learn more about upcoming events.
Transferring from Four-Year Colleges and International Institutions
Our admissions process is the same for students transferring from international and U.S. institutions but we rarely admit students directly from international institutions due to the admissions priorities listed above. International students interested in applying to our program typically complete admission requirements at a California community college and apply for transfer from that institution.
We do not require English proficiency exams such as TOEFL for admission. Instead, we require all international applicants to take English reading and composition courses.
While the University of California gives California community college applicants priority over other transfer applicants, we also accept applications from those applying from institutions outside of the California Community College system.
Prerequisite Coursework
We only have transfer agreements with California Community Colleges and cannot pre-approve coursework from other institutions. To get a general idea of which courses you should take to satisfy our admission requirements, compare the course descriptions or syllabi of our prerequisites with the courses offered at your school. If your school does not offer courses that satisfy our admission requirements, find a school in your area that offers the course(s). If you do not complete the required courses by the end of the Spring term prior to your anticipated start at Haas, you will not be eligible for admission.
UC Berkeley Reading & Composition Requirement
The Reading & Composition (R&C) requirement consists of two courses equivalent to English R1A and English R1B at UC Berkeley. Transfer applicants from outside of the California Community College system should use the Transfer Courses For Reading & Composition lookup tool to find a list of equivalent courses at your school.
UC Berkeley Breadth Requirements
Completion of breadth (general education) courses is not required for admission but you must successfully complete the seven required breadth courses to earn a bachelor of science (BS) degree from Berkeley Haas. A course cannot simultaneously be used to satisfy both a prerequisite and a breadth requirement for the business administration major.
Summer PreCore Program
If you’re admitted to the Haas undergraduate program as a transfer student, you’ll be invited to participate in our Summer PreCore Program, which consists of two six-week (three-unit) courses explicitly designed for newly-admitted transfer students.
This is a great opportunity to refresh the skills you’ll need throughout the two-year program, especially the rigorous coursework of the first semester. You’ll also get to attend weekly workshops with guest speakers on a variety of topics. All newly-admitted transfer students are strongly encouraged to enroll.