How to Apply to UC Berkeley’s Public Health Major: A Single BA in the College of Letters and Science, Select Public Health on Your Application to Keep a Seat, Finish the Prerequisites and Declare by the End of the Fifth Semester, and the Path for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

The University of California, Berkeley is a public university in California. The undergraduate public health program is run by Berkeley Public Health, and its pages say the school offers one undergraduate degree: the Bachelor of Arts in Public Health, awarded through the College of Letters and Science (L&S). The pages also call Public Health a “high-demand major” in L&S. This guide summarises Berkeley’s published information for fall 2027 entry for U.S. applicants, international applicants, applicants from China and transfer students. A separate guide covers Berkeley’s life-science and health-related majors in general; this one is about public health only.

1. Degree and program

• Degree and tracks: BA in Public Health. The curriculum page says the undergraduate program has no concentrations; students choose 10 elective units by theme or interest. Whether it is STEM-designated was not on the pages we read; not published there.
• Structure (curriculum page): one lower-division course (Data C8, Foundations of Data Science, 4 units), five foundational core courses, one capstone course and ten elective units, not counting L&S or university requirements. Major coursework must be taken for a letter grade, with limited exceptions.
• The five core courses: PB HLTH 142 (Introduction to Probability and Statistics in Public Health, 4), 150A (Introduction to Epidemiology, 4, spring only), 150B/N150B (Human Health and the Environment in a Changing World, 3), 150D (Introduction to Health Policy & Management, 3) and C150E (Urban and Community Health, 3, spring). They can be taken in any order except that 142 must come before or with 150A.
• Capstone: taken for a letter grade in the senior year (the final two semesters at Berkeley). The page says capstone options change each year and some require certain core courses; honors thesis students use PB HLTH 155A.
• Electives: 10 units, at least 4 of them upper-division. Most Public Health department courses count, except field study or internship units (PB HLTH 197), student-run DeCal courses (198) and independent research (199); other courses need an elective petition, decided in 3–4 weeks.
• Practicum or internship: the curriculum page does not list a required practicum or hours. It does say that department credit for an internship or research (197/198/199) needs a Berkeley Public Health faculty sponsor, with 1 unit equal to 45 hours.
• Honors Thesis: a two-semester senior-year project (fall to spring). Eligibility: declared major; overall GPA 3.5 or above and upper-division-in-the-major GPA 3.5 or above at the end of junior year; PB HLTH 142 and 150A completed by then; a research mentor with a doctorate who is Berkeley faculty. To finish the program you need an overall GPA of at least 3.3 and an upper-division major GPA of at least 3.5. Successful students receive “Honors in Public Health” on the transcript. Systematic reviews are not allowed.
• “4+1” MPH: only Berkeley Public Health undergraduate majors graduating in 2017 or later who finish all requirements before August of the application year are eligible; the three participating programs are Epidemiology/Biostatistics, Food, Nutrition and Population Health (FNPH), and Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health (MCAH). Students apply in fall of senior year; the priority deadline is “usually in the first week of December”; space is limited. The page does not say whether international students are eligible; not published there, so ask sphug@berkeley.edu.
• Minor/certificate: Berkeley Public Health also offers a summer minor in Global Public Health, which non-Berkeley students can complete for a non-degree certificate.
• Pre-health and graduate school get one line here: the curriculum page links sample plans for fitting pre-health requirements around the major; anything else about pre-health was not on the pages we read.

2. How you get into the major, and the bar

• Select Public Health when you apply, and the school says a seat is guaranteed: its declaration page says first-year students who select Public Health on the Berkeley application appear as “Applied HD Public Health” (L&S High-Demand Majors policy for first-year students). They are “guaranteed a seat in the major” if by the end of the fifth semester they: (1) earn a 2.0 GPA in the prerequisite courses with at least C- in each; (2) earn a 2.0 GPA in the semester they declare; (3) hold a 2.0 cumulative GPA; (4) submit the Declaration Form in a declaration window. The school warns not to declare another major first, which would remove the “Applied HD” status. The admissions office’s L&S High-Demand Major page agrees in substance: select the major as your primary choice, and if admitted to L&S you are guaranteed the major subject to finishing prerequisites, good academic standing and filing a declaration form.
• Everyone else (first-years who did not select it, and transfers): the school’s page lists the same four criteria, by the end of the fifth semester (the end of the first semester for transfers). The admissions office’s High-Demand page instead says that first-years who try to change into a high-demand major after arriving get one opportunity, through a review rather than a minimum GPA alone, must have a back-up plan for a non-high-demand major, and chances are “extremely limited”. The two pages do not read identically, so confirm with a Public Health undergraduate advisor.
• Declaration windows: two cycles a year: fall, 17 December to 1 January; spring, 17 May to 1 June. Submissions are not reviewed on a rolling basis; decisions can take up to 6 weeks. The pages print no year, so check the one for your term.
• Prerequisites (each C- or higher, finished before declaring):
  • Biology: two courses from BIOLOGY 1A, 1B, MCELLBI 32, 38, 50, 55, NEU C61/PSYCH C61, MBN 10.
  • Math: a full year, one course from Part I (MATH 51, 10A or 16A) and one from Part II (MATH 52, 10B or 16B).
  • Social science: two courses from two different areas (psychology, sociology, economics, anthropology, political science; the page lists course numbers).
  • Data C8 is a major requirement but need not be finished before declaring; the school strongly encourages taking it early because seats are limited, and Data C8 reserves seats for new first-year and new transfer students.
• AP/IB credit (as listed): biology, AP Biology 4 or 5 counts for one biology course and IB is not accepted at this time; math, AP Calculus AB or BC 4 or 5 for Math 51, BC 5 for Math 51 and 52, IB Math Analysis and Approaches HL 5–7 for Math 51 or 16A (a 7 for 51 and 52), IB Applications and Interpretations HL 5–7 for Math 16A and 6–7 for 10A; social science, AP Psychology 4 or 5 and IB Psychology HL 5–7 for Psych 1 or 2, AP Micro and Macro both at 4 or 5 for Econ 1 or 2, IB Economics HL 5–7 for Econ 1 (both areas needed), AP Comparative or U.S. Government 4 or 5 for political science courses. If you have both an exam score and the college course, only the college course grade is used.
• After declaring: core courses reserve seats for declared majors, so you may be waitlisted at first; students planning to graduate early should note that 150A runs only in spring and the capstone must be in the last two semesters.

3. High school preparation

• High school math, biology and other specific requirements for Public Health: not stated on the public health pages we read. Berkeley’s first-year minimum is the UC A-G subject requirement with a 3.0 GPA in A-G courses in the 10th and 11th grades (3.4 for non-residents); the page stresses that meeting the minimum is often not enough to be competitive.
• Review looks at weighted and unweighted UC GPA, planned 12th-grade courses, the pattern of grades, the number and rigor of college-preparatory, AP, IB, honors and transferable college courses, and AP/IB exam scores, with “no pre-assigned weights”.

4. Rounds, deadlines and materials (fall 2027)

• One round: Berkeley says it does not offer early action or early decision. The UC application opens 1 August; Berkeley’s dates page gives a filing period of 1 October–30 November with a 30 November deadline. It prints no year; the UC dates page lists the fall 2027 filing period closing 30 November, so check your term.
• Later dates: receipt confirmation by early December; FAFSA and California Dream Act applications open 1 October and close 2 March (U.S. citizens and eligible non-citizens); first-year decisions at the end of March (UC’s page says March, some campuses earlier); deadline to accept the offer 1 May; final official transcripts 1 July and official AP/IB results 15 July (UC pages).
• Testing: Berkeley is “test-free”: it does not use SAT or ACT scores anywhere in the process; submitted scores are used only for placement or credit after admission. AP, IB and similar non-required exams are considered.
• Letters of recommendation: only invited applicants may submit them, up to two, at least one from a core-subject teacher; they are voluntary, unsolicited letters are not accepted, and they are due 10 January.
• Essays: the UC Personal Insight Questions; the number and word limit were not on the Berkeley pages we read, so see the UC application.
• Interviews: no alumni or admissions-officer interviews; international applicants may submit optional InitialView materials by 30 November.
• Application fee: UC’s application page says the fee can be waived from your family information, covering up to four campuses; the amount was not on the pages we read.
• Transcripts: not collected with the application; admitted students submit official transcripts.
• Separate application for Public Health? The pages we read do not mention one; the described route is to choose the major on the UC application and declare it after enrolling (section 2).

5. Three kinds of applicants

U.S. (domestic) applicants

• In-state and out-of-state tuition: the Registrar’s fee schedule is per semester; for new students in 2026-27: tuition $7,101, Student Services Fee $693, Berkeley Campus Fee $936, Transit Fee $236, Instructional Resilience & Enhancement Fee $141, Health Insurance Fee $2,533 and a $250 Document Management Fee. California residents pay $11,890 per semester; nonresidents also pay Nonresident Supplemental Tuition of $19,635, for $31,525 per semester. The admissions “Cost” page also gives a 2026-27 estimate for living in a residence hall: tuition and fees $18,214, living expenses $23,640, student health insurance $5,066, total direct costs $46,920 and a total including personal expenses of $54,674 (the page does not say whether this is for residents or nonresidents).
• Residency: a nonresident undergraduate under 24 whose parents are not California residents will “most likely” stay nonresident for the whole degree. Berkeley says about two-thirds of students receive some aid and 38% pay nothing out of pocket for tuition because of grants and scholarships.
• A Public Health program surcharge: not shown on the fee schedule or cost page we read; not published there.

International applicants

• Can you study Public Health? The pages we read give no restriction or special note for international students on this major; not published there.
• Eligibility: finish secondary school and earn the certificate that allows admission to a university in your country. Berkeley says to report grades exactly as on your records, not to convert them, and that there is no pre-approved course list for schools outside California. Students who have only completed IGCSE/O-Levels have not yet met the requirement; they need the two-year A-Level program with at least three academic exams, the IB Diploma or something similar.
• English: any one of TOEFL minimum 90 / 4.5 (new scale), IELTS 6.5, Duolingo 115; AP English Language or Literature 3–5; IB SL English (Language A) 6 or 7 or HL 5–7; ACT English 24; SAT Writing and Language 31; or 3+ years of English-medium schooling (mixed language of instruction does not count). English proficiency must be met by 31 January, and scores must be valid for 2 years. Whether Public Health requires more is not stated. ETS code 4833.
• Proof of funds: handled by the Berkeley International Office after admission. Before a U.S. consul grants a visa you must prove sufficient funds and their source; every admitted international student completes a Non-immigrant Information Form with the sponsor’s guarantee for the first year, after which the document needed for the visa application is issued.
• International scholarships: federal and state aid is generally unavailable. Admitted international undergraduates are automatically considered for the institutional scholarships they are eligible for, with no separate application: the Regents’ & Chancellor’s Scholarship (first-year and transfer), the Robinson International Scholars Program (refugees or stateless students, or secondary-school graduates from Sub-Saharan Africa and developing nations as defined by the UN), the International Leaders Scholarship (need-based; priority for students of Peruvian residence) and the Swaniker Scholars Program (African students nominated through ALX and African Leadership Academy).
• Work or internship limits for international students: not stated on the pages we read.

Applicants from China

• Transcripts: UC’s country page says students following the Chinese national curriculum should list all courses and marks from grade 9 (year 3 of lower middle school) through grade 12 exactly as they appear on official records, and be ready to submit the upper-middle-school graduation certificate and official lower and upper middle school academic records if admitted. Students on IGCSE/GCSE/GCE need at least 5 IGCSE/GCSE/O-Levels and at least 3 academic A-Levels; IB students follow a separate set of instructions.
• Gaokao: how it is used is not stated on the pages we read; contact Berkeley’s undergraduate admissions office.
• Huikao materials: not stated on the pages we read.
• China-specific notes from Berkeley: none beyond the UC China entry; the international requirements page adds that every UC campus has an International Admission Specialist who knows other countries’ education systems.

6. Transfer students

• General requirements (admissions transfer page): fall term only; at least 60 UC-transferable semester units (90 quarter units) by the end of the spring term before enrolling; at least a 3.0 GPA in all transferable coursework (3.5 for Engineering); lower-division major preparation. L&S applicants need the UC 7-course pattern for eligibility; IGETC/Cal-GETC is no longer required for L&S. California community college applicants have priority.
• Unit limits: up to 70 semester (105 quarter) units are granted for lower-division work; once units earned at UC campuses are added, applicants whose total exceeds 80 semester (120 quarter) units are ineligible; AP, IB and A-Level units are not counted in the limit. AP 3 or higher and IB HL 5 or higher can earn credit.
• Into Public Health: the school says transfer students must declare by the end of their first semester at Berkeley on the same criteria as others (2.0 in prerequisites, 2.0 term GPA, 2.0 cumulative GPA); those who finish the prerequisites before arriving can declare the semester before they matriculate. Coursework from California community colleges is checked on assist.org; for other four-year or out-of-state colleges you contact the relevant Berkeley department with a syllabus. Data C8 can be met by listed California community college equivalents. Whether transfer applicants can select Public Health as their major on the UC application is not stated on the pages we read.
• Dates: same 1 October–30 November filing period; Transfer Academic Update (TAU) 31 January (priority); decisions near the end of April; deadline to accept 1 June.
• International transfers: same requirements as others; TOEFL/IELTS are not required because the 7-course pattern shows English proficiency. A foreign school must be recognised by its ministry of education or a U.S. regional accreditor; only courses similar to those taught in the UC system are considered, and remedial courses (such as ESL or high-school math) do not transfer.

Checklist

U.S. applicants:

• Select Public Health as your major on the UC application, due 30 November; no SAT or ACT
• By the end of the fifth semester finish two biology courses, a year of math and two social science courses from different areas, keep a 2.0 in them and a 2.0 cumulative GPA, and submit the declaration form in the December or May window

International applicants (including China):

• Same UC application and post-enrollment declaration route (no separate international route was on the pages we read); show English with TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo, or SAT/ACT sub-scores, AP/IB English, or 3+ years of English-medium schooling
• Chinese national curriculum: list grades 9–12 exactly as on your records; how the Gaokao is used is not published, so ask admissions
• Institutional scholarships are considered automatically after admission

Transfer students:

• 60 semester units, GPA 3.0 or higher, the 7-course pattern for L&S; declare Public Health by the end of your first semester

Sources: UC Berkeley, Public Health: Undergraduate Programs; Public Health major declaration; Public Health BA curriculum; Honors Thesis; 4+1 MPH; Dates and Deadlines; First-Year Requirements; First-Year Policies; L&S High Demand Majors Policy; Requirements for International Students; Transfer Students; Cost; Registrar fee schedule; Scholarships for international students; University of California, Dates and deadlines; Filling out the application; Requirements by country (including China). Information is for fall 2027 entry (costs are 2026-27 figures); check Berkeley’s website for the latest.