UC Berkeley's acceptance rate by high school varied more than any other UC campus's in fall 2025. Overall, Berkeley admitted 12.7% of California high school applicants (9,102 of 71,750) -- noticeably higher than UCLA's 8.9%. Among schools sending at least 100 applicants, the rate reached 27.7% at Mira Loma High School in Sacramento -- and a handful of those schools had almost no admits at all. Even among the state's biggest feeder schools (200+ applicants), it fell as low as 6.7%. Berkeley High School sent the most admits: 73.
All figures are fall 2025 freshman applicants from California public and private high schools, from the University of California Information Center's "Admissions by source school" dashboard (updated March 12, 2026). Admit rates are our calculation; GPAs are UC's weighted, capped 10th-11th grade GPA.
The high schools with the most Berkeley admits
| High school | City | Type | Applicants | Admits | Admit rate | Admitted avg GPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berkeley High School | Berkeley | Public | 319 | 73 | 22.9% | 4.24 |
| Santa Monica High School | Santa Monica | Public | 259 | 67 | 25.9% | 4.22 |
| Diamond Bar High School | Diamond Bar | Public | 299 | 54 | 18.1% | 4.24 |
| Troy High School | Fullerton | Public | 299 | 52 | 17.4% | 4.23 |
| Arcadia High School | Arcadia | Public | 371 | 51 | 13.7% | 4.23 |
| Mira Costa High School | Manhattan Beach | Public | 271 | 47 | 17.3% | 4.23 |
| Carlmont High School | Belmont | Public | 288 | 45 | 15.6% | 4.21 |
| Dougherty Valley High School | San Ramon | Public | 542 | 44 | 8.1% | 4.17 |
| Orange County School of the Arts | Santa Ana | Public | 192 | 44 | 22.9% | 4.18 |
| Mission San Jose High School | Fremont | Public | 316 | 43 | 13.6% | 4.25 |
| Lowell High School | San Francisco | Public | 363 | 42 | 11.6% | 4.19 |
| Palos Verdes Peninsula High School | Rolling Hills Estates | Public | 236 | 42 | 17.8% | 4.22 |
| Palo Alto High School | Palo Alto | Public | 285 | 41 | 14.4% | 4.25 |
| Dublin High School | Dublin | Public | 435 | 40 | 9.2% | 4.22 |
| Gunn High School | Palo Alto | Public | 261 | 40 | 15.3% | 4.22 |
| Palisades Charter High School | Pacific Palisades | Public | 265 | 38 | 14.3% | 4.21 |
| Valley Christian High School | San Jose | Private | 223 | 37 | 16.6% | 4.24 |
| Long Beach Polytechnic High School | Long Beach | Public | 165 | 37 | 22.4% | 4.22 |
| Bishop O'Dowd High School | Oakland | Private | 139 | 37 | 26.6% | 4.21 |
| Cupertino High School | Cupertino | Public | 294 | 36 | 12.2% | 4.28 |
Highest Berkeley admit rates (schools with 100+ applicants)
| High school | City | Type | Applicants | Admits | Admit rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mira Loma High School | Sacramento | Public | 101 | 28 | 27.7% |
| Bishop O'Dowd High School | Oakland | Private | 139 | 37 | 26.6% |
| Calabasas High School | Calabasas | Public | 121 | 32 | 26.4% |
| Santa Monica High School | Santa Monica | Public | 259 | 67 | 25.9% |
| Orange County School of the Arts | Santa Ana | Public | 192 | 44 | 22.9% |
| Berkeley High School | Berkeley | Public | 319 | 73 | 22.9% |
| El Cerrito High School | El Cerrito | Public | 119 | 27 | 22.7% |
| Long Beach Polytechnic High School | Long Beach | Public | 165 | 37 | 22.4% |
| San Ramon Valley High School | Danville | Public | 105 | 23 | 21.9% |
| Palos Verdes High School | Palos Verdes Estates | Public | 117 | 25 | 21.4% |
Lowest Berkeley admit rates (schools with 200+ applicants)
| High school | City | Type | Applicants | Admits | Admit rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archbishop Mitty High School | San Jose | Private | 210 | 14 | 6.7% |
| Amador Valley High School | Pleasanton | Public | 302 | 21 | 7.0% |
| Castro Valley High School | Castro Valley | Public | 225 | 16 | 7.1% |
| American High School | Fremont | Public | 348 | 25 | 7.2% |
| Foothill High School | Pleasanton | Public | 239 | 18 | 7.5% |
| Dougherty Valley High School | San Ramon | Public | 542 | 44 | 8.1% |
| Canyon Crest Academy | San Diego | Public | 346 | 29 | 8.4% |
| Los Gatos High School | Los Gatos | Public | 207 | 18 | 8.7% |
Berkeley vs. UCLA from the same school
At most big feeder schools, Berkeley admitted a larger share than UCLA -- Santa Monica (25.9% vs. 11.2%), Berkeley High (22.9% vs. 9.3%), Diamond Bar (18.1% vs. 9.6%). But not everywhere. At Canyon Crest Academy (8.4% Berkeley vs. 11.6% UCLA) and American High School in Fremont (7.2% vs. 10.0%), UCLA came out ahead. Don't assume one campus is uniformly "easier" -- check both for your school in the UCLA breakdown.
Concentration is similar to UCLA's: of 1,268 California public high schools with Berkeley applicants, 823 (65%) had at least one admit, and half of Berkeley's public-school admits came from 165 schools.
What this means for you
- Berkeley's statewide edge over UCLA is real but uneven. Check your own school's rates at both.
- Admitted GPAs cluster tightly -- 4.16 to 4.27 at the 10th to 90th percentile of schools -- so grades alone rarely separate admits from rejects. See UC admitted GPA by high school and Berkeley accepted vs. rejected applicants.
- For every campus's statewide rate, see UC acceptance rate by high school, and the UC Berkeley college profile.