Berkeley Law School Acceptance Rate
What Are the Requirements For Berkeley Law School?
The Berkeley law school acceptance rate is on par with the Ivy League law schools in the US. An unrivaled chance to study at one of the top schools for legal education and research in one of the most dynamic regions of the globe.
It is made possible by Berkeley’s location in the San Francisco Bay Area, just north of Silicon Valley. The pioneering Law & Technology program has held the top spot for more than a decade now. Berkeley Law established the first Environmental Law program in the country, which is today ranked top in the United States.
The school is the legal forerunner of the Green Movement. The International Law curriculum and research center are among the best in the world, and the Business Law program is ranked third in the United States.
Now, what are the requirements for Berkeley Law School? The application materials for JD degree at Berkeley Law include the items below:
- A bachelor’s degree from a college or university that is accredited. You can finish your undergraduate education while submitting your application. If you are a current senior, it is not suggested to wait until after your fall grades have been posted before applying. International students must possess a degree that is on par with an American bachelor’s degree.
- An LSAT or GRE score obtained within the previous five years and no later than the January exam (along with a recent writing sample) can be submitted unless you are qualified to apply with a GMAT score.
- Summary of your transcripts from LSAC. A Credential Assembly Service (CAS) report consists of transcripts from every institution you attended after high school, including community colleges and graduate programs, must be sent to CAS. As part of their service, CAS will review your college transcripts (even if you obtained your degree in another nation), compute your cumulative undergraduate GPA, and transmit copies of your transcripts and an academic synopsis to Berkeley. Graduate school grades are not considered when calculating GPA, despite graduate transcripts being necessary and sent along with CAS reports.
- Written components of the application, such as a personal statement (preferably four pages long and double-spaced), a resume (with no page restrictions), and optional or required addenda.
- Two to four letters of recommendation
- Completely filled-out online application form, available online via Law School Admission Council.
- A $75 application fee, which is non-refundable. Application processing for other law schools within the University of California System is not permitted with the usage of the fee.
How Many Years Is A Berkeley Law Degree?
How many years is a Berkeley law degree? A comprehensive, three-year curriculum leading to the Juris Doctor (JD) degree is available from the UC Berkeley School of Law. In addition to preparing students for legal practice, Berkeley Law also prepares them for the many different responsibilities that lawyers play in contemporary society.
The law school offers a rigorous academic program that transmits the knowledge and abilities needed for responsible, imaginative, and successful legal advising and representation.
To achieve this, Berkeley Law provides hundreds of courses in its constantly-evolving curriculum, including dozens in its top-ranked programs in intellectual property, international law, social justice, and environmental law.
One of the top 10 law schools in the country, Berkeley Law, offers two ways to get the same LL.M. degree: a standard nine-month track and a professional track that takes place over two successive summer terms. The Environmental Law Certificate and the Energy and Clean Technology Certificate are the two certificates it offers for traditional track LLM students who are interested in environmental and energy law.
No separate application for admission to the environmental law or energy law programs is required for interested students. The standard track curriculum’s final few weeks will be when applications for certificates are handled.
How Much Does It Cost To Go To Law School At Berkeley?
Apart from the Berkeley law school acceptance rate, students would probably worry about the cost. The Cost of Attendance (COA), sometimes known as a student’s “budget,” is an estimation of the costs associated with that student’s enrollment, which typically covers the full nine-month academic year.
It covers estimates for non-billed and billed expenses (tuition, fees, health insurance). Students should consider their personal expenditures as well as the potential for unplanned expenses. To answer the query “How much does it cost to go to law school at Berkeley?” let’s take a look at the figures below.
J.D. Estimated Expenses for Academic Year 2023-2024
For CA Residents (1L)
| CA Resident | Per Semester | Annual Cost |
| Professional Degree Supplemental Tuition (PDST) | $23,520 | $47,040 |
| Non-Resident Supplemental Tuition (NRST) | N/A | N/A |
| Tuition (formerly Educational Fee) | $6,132 | $12,264 |
| Class Pass Fee | $105 | $210 |
| Student Services Fee | $603 | $1,206 |
| Berkeley Campus Fee | $790.25 | $1,580.50 |
| Law Instructional Materials Fee | $15 | $30 |
| Instructional Resilience and Enhancement Fee | $118 | $236 |
| Document Management Fee (for 1L Students only) | $36 | $36 |
| Total Tuition & Fees | $31,282.25 | $62,566.50 |
| Rent & Utilities | $9,492 | $18,984 |
| Food | $4,650 | $9,300 |
| Personal (clothing, recreation, etc) | $1,576 | $3,152 |
| Transportation | $1,830 | $3,660 |
| Books and Supplies | $869 | $1,738 |
| Licensure Fees (Bar Exam Fees)** | $119 | $119 |
| Health Insurance (SHIP) | $3,078 | $6,156 |
| Total Living Expenses | $21,614 | $43,109 |
| Total COA | $52,896.25 | $105,675.5 |
For Non-CA Residents (1L)
| Non-CA Resident | Per Semester | Annual Cost |
| Professional Degree Supplemental Tuition (PDST) | $23,611 | $47,222 |
| Non-Resident Supplemental Tuition (NRST) | $6,123 | $12,246 |
| Tuition (formerly Educational Fee) | $6,132 | $12,264 |
| Class Pass Fee | $105 | $210 |
| Student Services Fee | $603 | $1,206 |
| Berkeley Campus Fee | $790.25 | $1,580.50 |
| Law Instructional Materials Fee | $15 | $30 |
| Instructional Resilience and Enhancement Fee | $118 | $236 |
| Document Management Fee (for 1L Students only) | $36 | $36 |
| Total Tuition & Fees | $37,497.25 | $74,994.50 |
| Rent & Utilities | $9,492 | $18,984 |
| Food | $4,650 | $9,300 |
| Personal (clothing, recreation, etc) | $1,576 | $3,152 |
| Transportation | $1,830 | $3,660 |
| Books and Supplies | $869 | $1,738 |
| Licensure Fees (Bar Exam Fees)** | $119 | $119 |
| Health Insurance (SHIP) | $3,078 | $6,156 |
| Total Living Expenses | $21,614 | $43,109 |
| Total COA | $59,111.25 | $118,103.5 |
**Starting from the 2023-24 academic year, the fees for the California Bar Exam will be included in the Cost of Attendance.
Berkeley Law provides the best array of financial aid options. In addition to a variety of federal and private student loans, the Financial Aid Office assists qualified students in obtaining grants, fellowships, and scholarships based on merit and/or need.
What Is the Acceptance Rate For Berkeley Law School?
With only 1,093 students, the School of Law has a very small student body compared to the rest of the university. Students who are thinking about going to law school have probably heard a lot about the esteemed Berkeley School of Law, or at the least, about UC Berkeley in general.
However, there are some very important details about each law school that applicants should be aware of before picking which one to go to, such as the Berkeley law school acceptance rate.
What is the acceptance rate for Berkeley Law School? In the most recent admissions cycle, the Berkeley law school acceptance rate was 12.5%. For the first-year class, the Berkeley School of Law got 6,722 applications this year. The number of candidates who were offered admission was 838, but only 278 individuals enrolled in Berkeley’s 1L program.
These statistics demonstrate how selective Berkeley Law is as a legal institution. In contrast, as of the fall of 2020, the typical American law school admits roughly 44% of all candidates. In other words, the typical application pool for Berkeley Law has a ratio of accepted students to rejected students that is one-third lower than the national average.
The acceptance rate for the School of Law has been decreasing through the years. In fact, the school’s admittance rate has decreased by around 8% since 2020 from 20.2%.
How Can You Increase Your Chances Of Getting Into Berkeley Law School?
Berkeley Law has a duty to train attorneys who will meet the legal needs of all societal members as a public institution. Berkeley Law aspires to enroll students whose qualities of mind and character indicate that they have the potential to enrich the learning environment of the law school and to stand out in serving the needs of the public through the practice of law, the creation of public policy, legal scholarship, and other law-related activities.
The institution places a significant amount of weight on numerical indicators when determining admissions selections (that is, undergraduate grade point averages and test scores). However, numbers do not speak for themselves. Earlier, we discussed the Berkeley law school acceptance rate, and now, you might wonder, “How can you increase your chances of getting into Berkeley Law School?”
For all applicants, the law school also considers other elements. For instance, letters of recommendation, graduate training, unique academic distinctions or honors, the difficulty of the academic program successfully completed, work experience, and noteworthy accomplishments in extracurricular activities or public service are all given important weight.
When analyzing an applicant’s prior performance and capacity to stand out in the study and practice of law and to contribute to the educational process and the legal profession, it will be taken into account if it appears that the applicant has faced disadvantages.
Berkeley Law looks for a student body with a diverse range of passions, experiences, and viewpoints. A law school needs to prepare its graduates to understand and interpret the law as well as to consider opposing points of view, make a compelling case in several forums, and create policies that affect a wide range of people.
In the past, Berkeley Law’s diverse student body has produced graduates who have benefited all facets of society and established themselves as leaders in a variety of legal disciplines, including business, family, environmental, criminal, intellectual property, and civil rights law.
The educational and professional development of the students depends heavily on their exposure to a wide range of concepts, viewpoints, and experiences. The law school works to identify candidates for admission who will uphold the greatest standards of professionalism and integrity and who will contribute drive, imagination, and dedication to their careers.
University of California-Berkeley was ranked as the tenth-best law school in the country by US News & World Report. These schools are rated based on how well they perform against a set of generally recognized measures of quality, including the Berkeley law school acceptance rate. Now, let’s learn a bit more about the Berkeley undergraduate school.
According to the 2022-2023 Best Colleges edition of U.S. News, UC Berkeley is one of the best universities in the country—#20, to be exact. It also came in at number one for top public schools, number two for computer science, number two for the best undergraduate engineering programs, and number three for undergraduate business programs. Students who are interested in STEM classes frequently choose to enroll at UC Berkeley because of the university’s stellar reputation in those fields.
The dedication of UC Berkeley to embracing people from different origins is one of its strongest features. Although the school is primarily liberal, agnostic, and autonomous, students of all religious backgrounds engage in cordial, thought-provoking conversations all day long. In other words, it is not typical for a student to experience prejudice due to their identification.
Whether you aim to apply to UC Berkeley or Berkeley Law, you need to consider a lot of factors starting from the preparation stage. AdmissionSight can assist you in crafting impressive application materials and help you get ready for the tough admissions process.
Do not hesitate to set up an appointment for an initial consultation to discuss some helpful programs and services from AdmissionSight.
