How to Apply to Economics at UC Berkeley: Economics Sits in the College of Letters and Science, You Enter the University First and Then Apply to the Major After Six Prerequisite Courses, with Admission Routes and Prerequisites for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Economics at UC Berkeley is taught by the Department of Economics, in the College of Letters and Science; the admissions office’s majors list places Economics among the College’s Social Sciences. The admissions page on transfer requirements by college states that the College of Letters and Science awards a B.A. You choose Berkeley and your intended major on the UC application, but the Economics Department adds a second step: being admitted to the university does not by itself put you in the economics major; you complete prerequisites on campus and then apply to the department. Here is what the official pages say for fall 2027 entry, for US domestic applicants, international applicants (including those from China) and transfer applicants.

1. How admission works: university first, then the economics major

• Choosing a major on the application: the admissions office says applicants may list a primary and an alternate major, but only the primary major is guaranteed review and the alternate major is not reviewed; “undeclared” is allowed and, according to the office, does not hurt your chances.
• The economics major is admission-based: the department says declaring the major requires meeting the grade requirement, completing the prerequisites and applying within your eligibility window. Students who complete the prerequisites are guaranteed admission; students who do not meet the criteria are denied, so the department encourages everyone to plan an alternate major.
• Change since summer 2024: the department says Economics is no longer a High Demand major, so students no longer go through comprehensive review, and the prerequisites were revised to be more straightforward.
• Eligibility window for first-years: apply by the end of your fifth semester (summers and withdrawn semesters do not count) or before reaching 80 units (high school units excluded, units in progress included), whichever comes second.
• Decision timing (for the internal major application; dates on the page carry no year, so check they apply to your entry): fall applicants hear in mid-January, spring applicants in mid-June and summer applicants in mid-September, after grades are posted.
• Related majors: the admissions majors list shows a separate Political Economy major in Social Sciences and an Environmental Economics and Policy major in the Rausser College of Natural Resources. This guide covers economics only; see our business guide for business degrees.

2. Prerequisites and first- and second-year courses

• High school: the UC baseline is the A-G subject pattern. The pages I read do not state extra high school math requirements for economics; this is not published there, so ask the department at ugrad@econ.berkeley.edu.
• Six prerequisites for first-years (all for a letter grade, at least a C, that is 2.0, in each taken at Berkeley, and an average of at least 2.0 in prerequisites taken elsewhere; C- or lower does not count):
  • one Introduction to Economics course: ECON 1 or 2 (at Berkeley these cover micro and macro in one course);
  • two calculus courses: MATH 51 (formerly 1A) or 16A, and MATH 52 (formerly 1B) or 16B;
  • one statistics course: STAT 20, STAT 21, STAT W21, STAT 88/DATA C88S or DATA 89, or an upper-division course (STAT C131A, STAT 135, or STAT/DATA C140);
  • two of the three intermediate core courses, from different areas: microeconomics (ECON 100A or 101A), macroeconomics (ECON 100B, 101B or UGBA 101B) and econometrics (ECON 140 or 141). UGBA 101A cannot be used as a prerequisite, with no exceptions.
• What must be taken at Berkeley: at least one math or statistics prerequisite, and the intermediate theory prerequisites. You may apply while courses are in progress, but no decision is made until grades are available.
• Repeats: one prerequisite with a deficient grade (C- or lower, or P/NP) may be repeated once; repeating more than one means denial; a course with C or higher cannot be repeated, and a different course cannot replace it.
• The major itself (12 courses): ECON 1 or 2; two calculus courses; one statistics course; ECON 100A/101A, 100B/101B (or UGBA 101B) and 140/141; and five upper-division economics electives. At most two courses may come from outside the department (UGBA 101B counts toward that limit). The “math intensive” 101A, 101B and 141 require higher-level math first.
• Exam credit accepted by the department:
  • AP Calculus AB 3, 4 or 5 equals MATH 16A or 51; AP Calculus BC 3 or 4 equals MATH 16A or 51, and a 5 equals MATH 52 and fulfills the calculus prerequisite;
  • AP Microeconomics and Macroeconomics, a 4 or 5 on both exams, equals ECON 1;
  • A-Level Mathematics A, B or C equals MATH 51 and 52; A-Level Economics A, B or C equals ECON 1;
  • IB Higher Level: Mathematics 5, 6 or 7 fulfills the calculus prerequisite; Analysis & Approaches 5, 6 or 7 fulfills MATH 51 or 16A and a 7 fulfills 51 and 52; Applications & Interpretations 5, 6 or 7 fulfills 16A; Economics 5, 6 or 7 equals ECON 1;
  • STAT 20/21/W21 cannot be satisfied by exam credit. Exam credit can fulfill prerequisites, but if you take the equivalent course at Berkeley its grade enters the review.
• STEM: the department’s FAQ says that in June 2019 Berkeley’s economics undergraduate and graduate programs were approved as STEM-related disciplines.
• Honors: an overall UC GPA of at least 3.3, at least 3.5 in upper-division major work, and an honors thesis; from fall 2025 there are one-semester and one-year thesis tracks. The department says about 5 to 10 percent of majors write an honors thesis.

3. Rounds, deadlines and materials

• Berkeley has no early admission or early decision. The UC application opens August 1, is submitted October 1 to November 30, and the deadline is November 30; late applications are not accepted.
• First-year decisions are posted at the end of March (exact dates come in your confirmation email and portal); a small number of Regents’ and Chancellor’s scholarship nominees hear in February, which the office says is not early admission; students cannot apply to be admitted early. The reply deadline is May 1.
• Review: holistic review looks mainly at weighted and unweighted GPA in 10th and 11th grade UC-approved courses, planned 12th-grade courses, grade patterns, rigor (AP, IB, honors) and personal qualities. Berkeley is test-free: SAT/ACT scores are not used in admission; scores you submit are used only for placement or subject credit after admission. AP and IB results are used as value added.
• Essays: personal insight questions; the page I read does not give the number of questions, so follow the UC application. Recommendations: only invited applicants may submit up to two letters, due January 10; unsolicited letters are not accepted and not having one is not a disadvantage.
• Fee: UC’s international applicants page states $95 per campus, with $80 possibly available to international students enrolled at a US institution. The domestic fee is not on the pages I read; check the UC application site.
• After admission: do not send transcripts unless asked; your conditions of admission list the official documents required.

4. US domestic applicants

• Minimums: complete the A-G courses with at least a 3.0 GPA in A-G courses in 10th and 11th grade, 3.4 for non-residents of California. The office says meeting the minimum is often not enough to be competitive.
• The office notes that a nonresident under 24 whose parents are not California residents will most likely remain a nonresident for the whole undergraduate career.
• Testing: SAT/ACT not used. For aid, the FAFSA or California Dream Act application opens October 1 and its deadline is March 2.
• Transfer requirements are in section 7.

5. International applicants (including those from China)

• Academic record: finish secondary school with a certificate that admits you to a university in your home country. UC’s requirement for international first-year applicants is 15 year-long academic courses with a 3.4 GPA: 2 years of history, 4 of composition and literature, 3 of college-preparatory mathematics, 2 of science, 2 of a second language, 1 of visual and performing arts and 1 more course. Enter grades exactly as on your records and do not convert them; there is no pre-approved course list for schools outside California.
• English proficiency (to be met by January 31; the page prints no year, so check it applies to fall 2027 entry; scores valid for two years from the enrollment date):
  • TOEFL 90 (written “90/4.5” on the page), IELTS 6.5 or Duolingo 115;
  • AP English Language or Literature 3, 4 or 5; IB Standard Level English (Language A) 6 or 7, or Higher Level 5, 6 or 7;
  • ACT English Language Arts 24 or higher; SAT Writing and Language 31 or higher;
  • or three or more years of English as the language of instruction; mixed languages of instruction do not count.
  The office also says it offers no alumni or admissions interviews but accepts optional InitialView materials from international applicants (received by November 30); they do not replace a required English exam.
• Financial documentation: handled after admission by the Berkeley International Office, with a Non-immigrant Information Form (NIF) and a sponsor’s guarantee of first-year funds before the visa document is issued. International students on a visa cannot be classified as California residents.
• Aid and scholarships: Financial Aid & Scholarships says international students are not eligible for federal, state or need-based university aid and points to outside scholarships and department awards. The admissions international page also links to “Scholarships available for International Students”, which I did not read.

6. Applicants from China

• UC’s country page says that if you follow the Chinese national curriculum, you list all courses and marks from grade 9 through grade 12 exactly as on your official records, and if admitted you submit your upper middle school graduation certificate and official lower and upper middle school records (grades 9–12).
• If you follow IGCSE/GCSE/GCE you must complete at least five IGCSE/GCSE/GCE O-Levels and at least three academic A-Level exams; IB students have separate instructions.
• Whether the Gaokao is used: neither UC’s country page nor Berkeley’s international page mentions Gaokao scores; this is not published there, so ask Berkeley Undergraduate Admissions.
• English, funds and aid are covered above. I found no separate page for applicants from China on the Berkeley admissions site.

7. Transfer applicants

• Fall entry only, applied for October 1 to November 30 on the UC application; the January 31 Transfer Academic Update is the priority deadline for updated grades; decisions come by the end of April and the reply deadline is June 1. Transfer applicants cannot submit letters of recommendation.
• University level: the College of Letters and Science asks for at least 60 semester UC-transferable units, a 3.0 GPA in transferable coursework, the major preparation courses on ASSIST.org and the UC 7-course pattern. IGETC or Cal-GETC is no longer required. Up to 70 semester units of lower-division credit are granted; more than 80 semester units generally means denial for Letters and Science.
• What the Economics Department wants from transfers: before arriving, complete a full year of calculus and Introduction to Economics (equivalent to ECON 1, possibly a mix of exam score and transfer credit); take statistics (at least one math or statistics prerequisite must be done at Berkeley) and one intermediate theory course (micro, macro or econometrics, also taken at Berkeley, at least a C). That makes five prerequisites. For California community colleges, check courses on assist.org; economics courses from four-year or out-of-state schools go through a course equivalency petition, and at most two upper-division courses can transfer.
• Two statements on declaring the major: the department’s transfer and admissions pages say that starting fall 2027, transfer students who select Economics on their UC Berkeley application are automatically declared and need not apply again, with any unfinished prerequisites completed before graduation. Another paragraph on the same transfer page still says new transfers must apply to the major in their first semester or be denied, and the admissions office’s list of 30 majors in the Letters and Science direct-admission program does not include Economics. Confirm with the department.
• International transfer applicants meet the same requirements; completing the 7-course pattern satisfies English, so TOEFL or IELTS is not required. The admissions office notes that few non-US institutions will meet the 7-course pattern and describes how to check transferability of international coursework.

8. Costs, research and internships

• 2026-27 fee schedule (Registrar, per semester, 2026-27 cohort):
  • tuition $7,101, student services fee $693, campus fee $936, transit fee $236, instructional resilience and enhancement fee $141, health insurance fee $2,533;
  • continuing-student totals are $11,640 for California residents and, with $19,635 nonresident supplemental tuition, $31,275 for nonresidents; new students add a $250 document management fee ($11,890 and $31,525).
• Admissions cost page (2026-27 estimate; it does not say which residency it reflects): tuition and fees $18,214, living expenses in a residence hall $23,640, student health insurance $5,066, direct costs $46,920, and a total cost of attendance including personal expenses of $54,674. Amounts may change. I found no college surcharge for economics.
• Research: the department runs the Economics Undergraduate Research Assistantship Program (E-URAP), open to all Berkeley undergraduates, through Econ 199 units (up to three per semester, not usable as a major elective), alongside campus URAP, independent study and honors theses. Internships: declared majors may earn credit through ECON 197.

Checklist

US domestic applicants:

• Submit the UC application October 1–November 30 (no early admission); 3.0 GPA in A-G courses (3.4 for nonresidents); SAT/ACT not used
• After enrolling, complete Intro Economics, two calculus courses, statistics and two intermediate theory courses with C or better and apply to the major by the end of your fifth semester; plan an alternate major

International applicants (including those from China):

• Enter grades exactly as on your records, with all of grades 9–12 for the Chinese national curriculum; show English proficiency by January 31 (TOEFL 90, IELTS 6.5, Duolingo 115 and so on; check the year)
• No university need-based aid; submit the NIF and sponsor guarantee after admission; ask admissions whether the Gaokao is used

Transfer applicants:

• Fall entry, apply by November 30; 60 semester units, 3.0 GPA, the 7-course pattern; finish a full year of calculus and Introduction to Economics first
• The department says fall 2027 transfers who select Economics are automatically declared, but another page still says to apply in the first semester; confirm before you enroll

Sources: UC Berkeley and the University of California, Economics: applying to the major; Economics: first-years; Economics: transfers; Economics: admission policies; Economics: FAQ; Economics: major requirements; Economics: honors; Economics: research; Admissions: first-year applicants; Admissions: first-year policies; Admissions: international students; Admissions: dates and deadlines; Admissions: transfer students; Admissions: transfer information by college; Admissions: majors; L&S direct admission to major (transfers); Admissions: application FAQs; Admissions: cost; Registrar: 2026-27 fee schedule; Financial Aid: international students; UC: international applicants; UC: additional information by country. Information is for fall 2027 entry (costs are 2026-27 rates). Check UC Berkeley for the latest details.