UC Berkeley Media Studies Acceptance Rate

Last Updated on January 2, 2023

How to Get Into UC Berkeley: Admissions Data and Strategies - College  Transitions

UC Berkeley Media Studies Acceptance Rate

The University of California, Berkeley is a top-ranked public research university that has been recognized as a leader in academic excellence, innovation, and sustainability. The school was founded in 1868 and offers students more than 350 undergraduate degrees, 100 graduate degrees, and professional programs.

UC Berkeley has an acceptance rate of around 20 percent for its undergraduate applicants. The admissions process is considered “selective” by the U.S. Department of Education. Students who are interested in attending should be sure to complete all their application materials on time and meet deadlines for any supplemental applications or materials required by the school.

The following article explores what you need to know about UC Berkeley’s admissions process:

The acceptance rate of UC Berkeley Media Studies can be a little challenging to uncover. There are thousands of students who apply to this program annually and the acceptance rate of the program differs depending on the applicant. To determine whether or not you will be accepted into the UC Berkeley Media Studies program, keep reading for more details.

Here, at Infolearners, you’ll find out more about the major, including such details as the number of graduates, what degree levels are offered, ethnicity of students, average salaries, and more. Also, learn how UC Berkeley ranks among other schools offering degrees in communications.

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UC Berkeley Communications Rankings

UC Berkeley is in the top 10% of the country for communications. More specifically it was ranked #35 out of 523 schools by College Factual. It is also ranked #6 in California.

Ranking TypeRank
Best Communication & Media Studies Colleges for Veterans64
Best Value Colleges for Communication & Media Studies272

Popularity of Communications at UC Berkeley

During the 2017-2018 academic year, University of California – Berkeley handed out 291 bachelor’s degrees in communication and media studies. Due to this, the school was ranked #55 out of all colleges and universities that offer this degree. This is an increase of 21% over the previous year when 240 degrees were handed out.

UC Berkeley Media Studies is one of the most selective universities in the country, with an acceptance rate of just 9.1%.

UC Berkeley Media Studies is one of the most selective universities in the country, with an acceptance rate of just 9.1%.

The university offers a wide range of programs and majors, including a Bachelor of Arts in Film & Digital Media, a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature, and a Bachelor of Arts in English Language & Literature.

Students who want to major in media studies can choose between two different concentrations: film studies or digital media studies. Students who want to study digital media can choose from three different specializations: information design (ID), digital storytelling (DS), or interactive design (IDx). Students who want to study film studies can choose from three specializations: documentary filmmaking (DF), screenwriting (SW), or film production management (FPM).

Students will have access to some of the best equipment available at any university in the world. They’ll also have access to some of the best faculty members as well. The school has been recognized by U.S News & World Report as one of America’s top 25 public universities every year since 2000—and it’s always ranked among the top five public research universities in California

How Much Do Communications Graduates from UC Berkeley Make?

FAQ – Media Studies

$43,800BACHELOR’S MEDIAN SALARY

Salary of Communications Graduates with a Bachelor’s Degree

Communications majors who earn their bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley go on to jobs where they make a median salary of $43,800 a year. This is higher than $31,700, which is the national median for all communications bachelor’s degree recipients.

UC Berkeley accepts 15.1% of applicants. What does it take to get in?

The University of California, Berkeley, fondly known as UC Berkeley or Cal, is the flagship college of the University of California system. Located in Berkeley, California, and just a 25-minute drive from San Francisco, the campus has a lot of exciting things to offer undergraduate students. Consistently ranked the #1 public university, UC Berkeley is one of the largest and most prestigious undergraduate research institutions in the country.

Your chances of getting into UC Berkeley depends on a variety of factors, including your residency status and the major you’re applying for. Getting admitted into UC Berkeley is fairly competitive overall, however. For a quick summary on applying to UC Berkeley and what it takes to get in, read on.

Want to learn what UC Berkeley will actually cost you based on your income? And how long your application to the school should take? Here’s what every student considering UC Berkeley needs to know.

UC Berkeley’s Acceptance Rate

The UC Berkeley Admissions website reports its undergraduate acceptance rate from 2018 at 15.1%, down from 18.3% in 2017. However, this acceptance rate fluctuates a bit depending on residency status.

If you are a CA resident, the acceptance rate is significantly higher, at 17.1%. If you are an out-of-state applicant, the acceptance rate is only a bit higher, at 15.4%. If you are an international student, the acceptance rate is a much lower 8.3%.

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UC Berkeley Admissions Requirements

UC Berkeley has a holistic review process, which means that they do not screen applicants for certain scores or traits, nor do they value one part of your application over another. Rather, they consider your application as a whole. One thing to note is that because affirmative action is banned in California, there will be no bias against or for certain races in the admissions process.

In order to apply to this prestigious institution, there are a few minimum requirements:

  • You must have completed the preliminary course requirements in high school. If you attend high school in the United States, you should have met all of these requirements if you’ve taken all mandatory courses at your high school. However, if you’re homeschooled or have attended a private school, you should check these course requirements to make sure that you are eligible to apply to Berkeley.
  • You must have at least a 3.0 GPA in the aforementioned courses taken in 10th and 11th grade. (This GPA requirement rises to 3.4 for non-California residents).
  • You must take either the SAT or ACT.

Once you have fulfilled the minimum requirements, it’s time to apply! To apply to UC Berkeley, you will need to fill out the UC application, the online application used at all UC schools.

In this application, you must provide your academic information, your personal demographic information, and a few “Personal Insight” questions (think of these as college essays). You are allowed to submit two letters of recommendation, but UC Berkeley does not require them. In addition, you must send the university your standardized test scores separately for your application to be considered.

Applying to the Major

What advice do you have for students transferring to the major from other colleges or universities?

Students who wish to become Media Studies majors are urged to apply to Berkeley in the Fall U.C. application process. (Prospective students apply in November for admission the following fall.)

Questions about applying to the University should be directed to the advisers at the Office of Undergraduate Admissions (510-642-3175). They can inform you whether you have completed the minimum requirements for transfer to the College of Letters and Science.

If you have completed freshman/transfer requirements and you meet the University’s admission standards, you may be offered admission to the University as an intended Media Studies major. This, however, is not a guarantee that you will ultimately be admitted to the Media Studies program. Because we are a group major, our resources are restricted, and we can only accommodate a limited number of students.

PLEASE NOTE: Admission to the department is an entirely separate process that follows admission to the University. Although University admissions tries to select students that appear to have a strong chance of successful application to the major program, admission to the University does not guarantee admission to the major. Admission to the major is by special application, made to the department after your admission to Berkeley and your arrival on campus.

How can a student obtain approval for a transfer course to be applied toward the Media Studies major?

Please note: Effective Fall 2018 and implemented in Fall 2020, all students planning to declare the Media Studies major will be required to complete Media 10 or N10: Introduction to Media Studies at UC Berkeley.

In our experience, we have found that most introductory media studies courses at community colleges do not meet our requirements. Those that currently satisfy our requirements are listed on our web page under Declaring / Prerequisites. If you have completed an introduction to media studies course that you believe fulfills our requirements, please provide a copy of the course syllabus for the faculty adviser, Jean Retzinger, to review.

Most of our other prerequisites may be satisfactorily completed at 2-year or other 4-year institutions. To check if you have completed one of these courses at a California community college, log on to http://www.assist.org. This web site is a reliable source of information for transfer courses.

If you took a course other than at a California community college, you will need to have its equivalency determined by the faculty adviser: Jean Retzinger, 239 Evans Hall. In order for a course to be reviewed, you must provide a copy of the course syllabus.

Can AP units substitute for one (or more) of the prerequisites?

No. The prerequisites for the major must be satisfied with approved (articulated) classes taken for a letter grade.


Can I retake a prerequisite course for a higher grade?

The acceptance rate at UC Berkeley for Media Studies is very high, with about 20% of applicants being accepted. This makes it a great choice for students looking for a school that will accept them. This is especially true if you are considering applying to other schools with lower acceptance rates and want to go somewhere that will accept you as well. The school has a small campus, but it does have an online component if you need to study remotely in order to finish your degree.

Courses taken at UC Berkeley can only be repeated if you received a grade of D+, D, D-, F, or no pass (NP) in your first attempt of the course. Students who receive a C- or better in a prerequisite course may not repeat that course. You can only repeat a course one time to replace a grade.

For transfer coursework, if you take transfer courses that are judged to be equivalent, you will only receive unit credit for the first course taken.

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About the Program

Bachelor of Arts (BA)

The Media Studies major integrates perspectives from liberal arts, social sciences, and humanities and offers an interdisciplinary framework to understand the essential role that media plays in economic, social, political, and cultural life. It weds traditions from communication, history, anthropology, sociology, and political science with critical theories and cultural studies to analyze the role and meaning of media in our societies. Our emphasis in this major is historical and theoretical, examining media systems, institutions, technologies, policies, and practices. We offer students the analytical tools available to investigate media—old and new, local and global—from textual to visual and digital cultures, and from TV to Film and social media. The Media Studies major offers three areas of concentration: Digital Studies, Global Cultural Studies, or Media Law and Policy.

Declaring the Major

Students planning to declare a major in Media Studies are advised to read the Media Studies website in its entirety and then contact a student academic adviser as early as possible to discuss their academic program plans. Visit the program’s website for application instructions and deadlines.

Students who wish to declare the major in Media Studies:

  • Must have completed at least 30 units of college coursework before applying to the program.
  • Must have completed at least three of the major prerequisites, including MEDIAST 10 or MEDIAST W10.
  • Must be currently enrolled in any remaining prerequisites at the time of application (see the list of approved major prerequisites on the Major Requirements tab).
  • Must have a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.2 in courses relevant to the major. This includes the lower division prerequisite courses and the equivalency of transferred coursework as well as any lower or upper division courses already completed for the major.
  • Must have earned a grade of B- or better in MEDIAST 10 or MEDIAST W10. (Beginning fall 2020, Media Studies 10 or W10 must be taken at UC Berkeley.)
  • Should declare the major no later than the semester in which they complete the 70th unit if they were admitted to Berkeley as a freshman. Junior transfers should declare the major no later than their second semester at Berkeley and should contact a Media Studies student academic adviser concerning their eligibility and the equivalency of transferred coursework.
  • When applying to the major, students will need to note their area of concentration–Digital Studies, Global Cultural Studies, or Media Law & Policy–on their application. See the Major Requirements tab for areas of concentration information.

Students who meet the above criteria are eligible for admission to the major. Students who do not meet the above criteria but wish to declare Media Studies as their major should submit a letter of appeal with a completed application during designated application periods in the fall and spring.

More information regarding declaring the major is available on the Media Studies website. The application dates and a link to the application are available on the home page.

Honors Program

To be admitted to the honors program, a student must have attained at least a 3.5 grade-point average (GPA) overall in the University and a 3.5 GPA in the major. In order to be granted honors, a student must write a thesis which in the judgment of the thesis adviser is characterized by superior distinction. The honors program includes two courses: MEDIAST H194 and MEDIAST H195. For further information on the honors program, please see the program’s website.

Minor Program

There is no minor program in Media Studies.

About the author

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