UC Berkeley admissions SAT score?

Hi all, I'm considering applying to UC Berkeley next year. Does anyone know what kind of SAT score I would need to be a competitive applicant? I'm a bit stressed about it, so any insights are welcomed!

You might be relieved to hear this, but for the 2024-2025 application cycle, UC Berkeley along with all other UC schools, is completely test-blind. This means that they will not consider SAT or ACT scores in their admissions decisions at all, and you do not have to submit them. Instead of stressing about your standardized test scores, focus on other parts of your application like your grades, extracurriculars, and essays, which hold a lot of weight in the admissions decisions. For example, spend time refining and developing your Personal Insight Questions (PIQs) to best showcase your unique experiences, motivations, and strengths.

If you're curious about what kind of academic profile typically gets admitted, bear in mind that applicants usually have strong GPAs and course rigor. UC Berkeley's admissions rate is highly competitive, with a very high percentage of admitted students earning GPAs of 4.0 and above. In terms of course load, most successful applicants are those who've taken a lot of AP or IB classes, showing they can handle a rigorous academic challenge.

Furthermore, consider your extracurriculars. UC Berkeley looks for students who have demonstrated leadership in their activities and passion for their interests. These can be anything from school clubs, volunteer work, internships, or even personal projects and hobbies. They apply something called the 4 Tiers of Extracurriculars in their assessment, so it's worthwhile understanding the difference among the various tiers and striving for quality involvement, ideally with a few activities in the top two tiers, which signify impactful leadership and achievement.

I hope this answer provides you with some clarity and helps alleviate your stress a bit!