Admission

The filing period for undergraduate admission applications is November 1-30 for the fall semester of the following year.

Applicants must satisfy UC minimum eligibility requirements for admission to the University. See the General Catalog for details.

General questions regarding undergraduate admission should be addressed to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

The College of Chemistry admits students as beginning freshmen or in advanced standing at the junior level. 

See Applying to UC Berkeley for more information.

Admission as a Freshman. Students preparing for the major in Chemistry, Chemical Biology, or Chemical Engineering should include in their high school program: chemistry (one year minimum; AP Chemistry strongly recommended); physics (one year); mathematics (four years, preferably ending with introductory calculus); and a foreign language (two or three years).

Advice for Prospective Freshmen. Before you apply, please take some time to learn about our programs and make sure that the College of Chemistry is right for you!

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions. When you apply to the College of Chemistry as a Chemistry, Chemical Biology, or a Chemical Engineering major, you are officially declaring your major! You will be expected to enroll in courses that are appropriate for your major starting in the fall semester of your freshman year.

Your schedule will have room for electives in the humanities and social sciences, but you will be required to follow the basic program for your major, including courses in chemistry, mathematics, and physics.

You can prepare for medical, dental, or pharmacy school with a major in the College of Chemistry. Generally, medical schools do not favor any particular undergraduate major. See the UC Berkeley Career Center Web site for more information.

Admission to the College of Chemistry is as competitive as admission to the College of Letters and Science. You should not apply to the College of Chemistry if you don't believe that our program is right for you.

Is the College of Chemistry Right for You? Choosing your major is a big decision. If you're not sure what you want to study, you may prefer to apply to the College of Letters and Science, where you'll have time to explore several different areas before declaring a major.

If, however, you're ready to commit to a course of study in the chemical sciences, the College of Chemistry is a good choice. We are a small, collegial college within a large cosmopolitan university. Our 1000 undergrads have access to a broad array of research facilities and other resources, including a strong support staff.

[Freshman information coordinated by Maura Daly]

Admission As a Transfer Student (Advanced Standing).The requirements for entry to the University may be met by establishing a good record at another collegiate institution. Transfer applicants must complete at least 60 semester or 90 quarter units of UC-transferable course work by the end of the spring term before transferring to Berkeley. Students are encouraged to investigate the University-preparatory programs offered by the many community colleges throughout California. If admitted as a transfer student, only up to 70 UC-transferable semester units may be transferred from a community college.

Chemistry and Chemical Biology Requirements for Transfer Students

• Chemistry 1A-1AL-1B and 3A-3AL-3B-3BL
• Math 1A-1B-53
• Physics 7A (choice of 7A or 8A for chemical biology majors)
• English R1A-R1B

In addition, chemistry or chemical biology applicants are encouraged to complete Math 54 and Physics 7B (choice of 8B for chemical biology majors). Chemical biology majors are also encouraged to complete Biology 1A-1AL.

Completion of a year of organic chemistry (lecture and lab), with grades of B or better, will constitute satisfaction of UC Berkeley's Chemistry 12A-12B sequence. If you are admitted, and received below a grade of B in any of your organic chemistry courses, please consult with your adviser.

Completion of the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) is not required. However, when completed by the end of the spring term before transferring to UC Berkeley, IGETC is accepted in satisfaction of the English Reading and Composition Requirement and the Foreign Language Requirement. However, IGETC does not necessarily satisfy the entire breadth requirement.

Transfer applicants need grades of B or A in math and science courses to be adequately prepared to continue with the courses of the junior year. Please note that course work taken the summer before enrollment at Berkeley is not considered in the selection of applicants.

Chemical Engineering Requirements for Transfer Students

• Chemistry 1A-1AL-1B
• Math 1A-1B-53-54
• Physics 7A-7B
• English R1A*

Chemical engineering applicants are also encouraged to complete Biology 1A (General Biology Lecture), as well as CHEM 3A (Chemical Structure and Reactivity), CHEM 3AL (Organic Chemistry Laboratory), CHEM 3B (Chemical Structure and Reactivity), and CHEM 3BL (Organic Chemistry Laboratory).

Completion of a year of organic chemistry (lecture and lab), with grades of B or better, will constitute satisfaction of UC Berkeley's Chemistry 12A-12B sequence. If you are admitted, and received below a grade of B in any of your organic chemistry courses, please consult with your adviser.

Completion of the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) is not required. However, when completed by the end of the spring term before transferring to UC Berkeley, IGETC is accepted in satisfaction of the English Reading and Composition Requirement. However, IGETC does not satisfy the entire breadth requirement.

Transfer applicants need grades of B or A in math and science courses to be adequately prepared to continue with the courses of the junior year. Please note that course work taken the summer before enrollment at Berkeley is not considered in the selection of applicants.

[Transfer student information coordinated by Maura Daly]

The College of Chemistry currently considers applicants for a second bachelor's degree for the Chemistry and Chemical Biology majors only.

If you are a candidate for a second bachelor's degree, you will be considered for admission only if you need an entirely new major program for a valid educational purpose. To apply for this program, you must have earned an undergraduate degree with a record of superior scholarship (an overall grade-point average of at least 3.3) and must have completed all lower division requirements for your proposed major with excellent grades. Your proposed program must represent a definite change in field from your first undergraduate degree, and you must prove that you require the second degree for the stated purpose. In practice, the College of Chemistry admits very few students to the second bachelor's program each year.

If you are not eligible for the second bachelor's program, you may consider concurrent enrollment through UC Berkeley Extensionas an alternative. For more information, call (510) 642-4111.

Chemistry or Chemical Biology applicants for a second bachelor's degree are expected to complete, at a minimum, courses equivalent to

Chemistry 1A, 1AL, 1B, 3A, 3AL, 3B, 3BL
Mathematics 1A, 1B, 53
Physics 7A (choice of 7A or 8A for chemical biology majors), and
English R1A, R1B
In addition, chemistry or chemical biology applicants are encouraged to complete Math 54 and Physics 7B (choice of 8B for chemical biology majors). Chemical biology majors are also encouraged to complete Biology 1A-1AL.

Completion of a year of organic chemistry (lecture and lab), with grades of B or better, will constitute satisfaction of UC Berkeley's Chemistry 12A-12B sequence. If you are admitted, and received below a grade of B in any of your organic chemistry courses, please consult with your adviser.

Students who have NOT previously attended UC Berkeley during a regular semester can apply for fall admission for a second bachelor's degree during the regular application period (the month of November) by submitting a UC Application for Undergraduate Admission. 

Students who previously attended UC Berkeley during a regular semester as an undergraduate can apply for fall or spring readmission for a second bachelor's degree by submitting the following documents to the College of Chemistry:

• an Application for Readmission,
• a statement explaining why a second degree is needed,
• official transcripts for course work completed outside of UC Berkeley, and
• a list of courses in progress and planned prior to returning to UC Berkeley.

If you have additional questions contact:

Maura Daly
College of Chemistry
121 Gilman Hall
Berkeley, CA 94720-1460

[Second Bachelor info coordinated by Maura Daly]

See UC Berkeley Admissions Publications for more information.