UC Berkeley and Student Life

This is an archived copy of the 2022-23 guide. To access the most recent version of the guide, please visit http://guide.berkeley.edu.

About UC Berkeley

The UC Berkeley Story

Founded in the wake of the gold rush by leaders of the newly established 31st state, the University of California's flagship campus at Berkeley is now one of the top-ranked universities in the world. Originally charged with providing education (both "practical" and "classical") to the state's people, Berkeley gradually established a distinguished faculty (with 31 Nobel prizes held by alumni) and overn 184 academic departments and programs.

This California institution became a catalyst of economic growth and social innovation — the place where vitamin E was discovered, a lost Scarlatti opera found, the flu virus identified, and the nation's first no-fault divorce law drafted. Scholars at Berkeley have conducted groundbreaking research on topics ranging from urban street gangs to basic human nutritional requirements. They have identified why wartime supply ships were failing at sea, invented technologies to build faster and cheaper computer chips, and imaged the infant universe.

In accordance with UC's "public" character, the university has long served talented individuals regardless of means. As early as 1897, financial aid was available for "needy and deserving" students. More than a century later, UC Berkeley combines outstanding teaching and research programs with broad access for students of all means — educating more federal Pell Grant recipients from low-income families than all eight Ivy League universities combined. Twenty-three percent of UC Berkeley freshmen are the first in their families to attend college.

For more information, visit the UC Berkeley gateway site and check out Berkeley: By the Numbers.

The University of California

The University of California is composed of 10 campuses, each with a distinctive character: San Francisco (established in 1873), Davis (1909), Los Angeles (1919), Riverside (1954), Santa Barbara (1958), San Diego (1960), Irvine (1965) Santa Cruz (1965), and Merced (2005). The University has five law schools, six medical schools, as well as schools of architecture, business administration, education, engineering, and many others.  Several hundred laboratories, extension centers, and research and field stations strengthen teaching and research while providing public service to California and the country.

Over 238,000 students attend the University of California and about 75 percent of them are California residents. For more information about the University of California, please visit the University of California website

Organization and Administration

Under the State Constitution, the government of the University is entrusted to the Board of Regents. The regents appoint the president of the University, and with the president’s advice, appoint the chancellors, directors of major laboratories, provosts, and deans who administer the affairs of the individual campuses and other divisions of the University. Authority in academic matters is delegated by the regents to the Academic Senate, which determines academic policy for the University as a whole.

The Board of Regents includes seven ex-officio board members and 18 members who are appointed by the governor for 12-year terms after consultation with an advisory committee. In addition, the regents appoint a student regent for a one-year term as a voting board member with full rights of participation. The chair and vice chair of the Academic Council serve as faculty representatives to the board and participate fully in all discussions. A constitutional amendment provides that “Regents shall be able persons broadly reflective of the economic, cultural, and social diversity of the State, including ethnic minorities and women.” They shall have “full powers of organization and government, subject only to such legislative controls as may be necessary to ensure compliance with the terms of the endowments of the University and the security of its funds.”

The president is the executive head of the ten-campus University system. The Office of the President, located in Oakland, is the University’s central administrative headquarters. There are eight divisions: Academic Affairs, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Business Operations, External Relations, Finance, General Counsel, Health Sciences and Services, and Laboratory Management. The Office of the President performs administrative functions for the University as a whole and supports all campus operations.

Each of the campuses has a chancellor as its chief administrative officer. The chancellor is responsible for the organization and operation of the campus, including academic, student, and business affairs. 

Officers of Administration

The Academic Senate is empowered by the Regents to determine academic policy, set conditions for admission and granting of degrees, advise the Chancellor on the campus budget, authorize and supervise courses and curricula, and advise the administration on faculty appointments, promotions, and budgets. 

Students participate in policymaking at both the campus and University-wide levels.

For more information, please visit the Board of Regents website