Checklist

Before You Opt-In:

  1. Be sure of your admittance and accept your offer of admission to UC Berkeley.
  2. Carefully read the Freshman Edge website and pay special attention to the courses, fees and financial aid sections. Read the Deadlines, Refund Policy, and Academic Policies sections of this website. Remember: Opting-in to Freshman Edge does not bind you to any course enrollments or fees, it simply activates your summer enrollment card so that you are able to enroll in summer courses as a newly admitted freshman. No penalty or follow up is necessary if after opting in via the CalCentral task, you decide not to enroll in any summer courses.
  3. Make sure you apply for BOTH the 2024-2025 AND 2025-2026 FAFSA or the California Dream Act by the designated deadlines.
  4. Enter UC Berkeley's school code 001312 on each FAFSA or Dream Act application. Review your messages in Cal Central for more information about your financial aid eligibility. For general information about the types of aid available, visit the Financial Aid website.
  5. Review UC Berkeley's general undergraduate graduation requirements so you are aware of what classes you need in order to graduate.
  6. Review the Courses tab on the Freshman Edge website for guidelines on selecting courses. Explore courses on the Berkeley Academic Guide, where you can filter results by Session, Major, Breadth Requirements, and Mode of Instruction.
  7. Remember when selecting courses, that, in order to be eligible for summer financial aid, you are required to take at least six units.
  8. Pick back-up classes in case the ones you want are full.
  9. Note the Course Number (5-digit number associated with each course) and the number of units for each course you would like to take.
  10. If you have questions regarding which class(es) to take and other academic matters, we strongly recommend you contact your specific college advisor to ensure you enroll in the appropriate course(s).

How to Opt-In:

1. Eligible students who have been admitted to UC Berkeley, accepted their offer of admission, and paid their admission deposit are able to opt into Freshman Edge through a task that will appear on their CalCentral My Dashboard Tasks tab. To opt-in to the program, click on the associated task and respond 'Accept/Join'.

2. Within 12 hours of opting into the program, you will receive email notification from the Freshman Edge office formally confirming your participation and providing helpful information for next steps.

After You Opt-In:

  1. After opting into Freshman Edge, your summer enrollment card in CalCentral will be activated within 12 hours. To check if your summer enrollment has been activated, log onto the My Academics page of your Cal Central account and see if the summer term appears. Once your summer enrollment card appears, you will be able to log into Cal Central and register for courses.
  2. After opting in, you should read over the Freshman/Transfer Edge Student Handbook. The Student Handbook includes instructions on how to enroll in your summer courses, explore campus resources, and a lot more helpful information to get your summer off to a smooth start. Under the Student Documents header you will also find the CalCentral Registration Guide, which includes helpful step by step instructions detailing how to enroll in summer courses via CalCentral.
  3. After you register for courses, you should log-in to CalCentral, and click on View Transaction under Billing Summary on the My Finances tab. There, you’ll see that your summer tuition and fees have been posted to your account following your registration, as well as the date the tuition and fees are due.
  4. Keep an eye out in your Berkeley email inbox for access to our Freshman and Transfer Edge Student Portal, hosted in bCourses, and important information about upcoming programming, including orientations, workshops, and socials.
  5. Begin classes!

Please Note: Eligible students that opt-in to Freshman Edge must remain matriculated at UC Berkeley to be eligible for the UC tuition and fee rates. If there is a change to your admission status, please contact the Office of the Registrar & Office of Undergraduate Admissions to understand how this may impact your summer tuition and fees, as well as other implications.