University of California, Berkeley

Founded in 1868, the University of California, Berkeley is one of the world’s preeminent public universities, boasting a distinguished faculty (with 22 Nobel laureates to date), stellar research libraries, and more than 350 academic programs. At the heart of Berkeley’s excellence are its 1,582 full-time faculty members, dispersed among 130 academic units and 80 interdisciplinary research units.

Berkeley is home to more than 25,000 undergraduates and more than 10,000 graduate students — and produces more PhDs annually than any other American university. It ranks at or near the top in fields ranging from engineering and the core sciences to the social sciences, arts, and humanities. In 2010, the National Research Council awarded Berkeley the largest number of highly ranked graduate programs in the country. Of the 52 programs assessed, 48 were within the top 10 range.

Reflecting its public character and mission, Berkeley has long served highly qualified students regardless of means. The University educates more federal Pell Grant recipients from low-income families earning less than $45,000 than all eight Ivy League universities and Stanford University combined, and about one-quarter of Berkeley freshmen are the first in their families to attend college.