Founded in the wake of the gold rush by leaders of the newly established 31st state, the University of California's flagship campus at Berkeley has become one of the preeminent universities in the world. Its early guiding lights, charged with providing education (both "practical" and "classical") for the state's people, gradually established a distinguished faculty (with 22 Nobel laureates to date), a stellar research library, and more than 350 academic programs.
In recognition of broad and deep excellence, respected sources have repeatedly ranked UC Berkeley at or near the top in fields ranging from engineering and the "hard" sciences to the social sciences, arts, and humanities. The National Research Council, in the most recent version of its highly regarded report on US public and private universities, ranked Berkeley number one nationally in the number of campus graduate programs (35 out of 36) among the top 10 in their fields.
In accordance with UC's "public" character, the University has long served talented individuals regardless of means. As early as 1897, financial aid was available for "needy and deserving" students. More than a century later, UC Berkeley combines outstanding teaching and research programs with broad access for students of all means — educating more federal Pell Grant recipients from low-income families than all eight Ivy League universities combined. Close to 25 percent of UC Berkeley freshmen are the first in their families to attend college.
Explore the campus, get to know students and faculty, discover life at Berkeley. Please note that UC Berkeley is a tobacco-free campus.