For transfer students admitted fall 2023 and after
Starting fall 2023 transfer students who are offered admission to L&S, and have selected one of the majors below on their application, will be directly admitted into the major. These students will not have to go through an additional process to apply or officially declare their major because they will have already been admitted (or declared) into their major.
Which L&S majors are participating in the direct admission program?
Berkeley Letters & Science has 36 majors that are participating in the program:
| Ancient Greek & Roman Studies | Dutch Studies** | History of Art | Social Welfare^ |
| Applied Mathematics | Environmental Earth Science | Interdisciplinary Studies Field (ISF) | Sociology |
| Art Practice^ | Gender & Women’s Studies | Mathematics | South and Southeast Asian Studies |
| Atmospheric Science | Geography | Marine Science | Theater and Performance Studies |
| Cognitive Science | Geology | Music | Celtic Studies** |
| Greek and Latin** | Geophysics | Planetary Science | Greek** |
| Dance and Performance Studies | History | Physics |
Latin** |
| French** | Media Studies** | American Studies** |
Molecular & Cell Biology** |
| Integrative Biology** | Neuroscience** | African American Studies** |
Anthropology** |
^ Indicates L&S high-demand major participating in the Direct Admission Program.
** Indicates a major that has been added to the program beginning fall 2026.
Why is L&S making this change?
This program is designed to improve the transfer student experience. Traditionally, Berkeley Letters & Science (L&S) transfer students select their intended major on the UC application. After students are offered admission to L&S, they officially declare their major (in accordance with department application procedures, policies and requirements) during their first semester on campus. The declaration process can be complex and time-demanding, resulting in a stressful introduction to the L&S student experience. Transfer students will be better served when they have been directly admitted to their major of choice, upon making their selection on the UC application. This program enables the College to shift the student’s advising conversation from focusing on declaration to focusing on graduation. This process, which aligns with how transfer students are currently admitted to other colleges and schools on campus, is also expected to foster a more diverse and sustainable student enrollment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What if the transfer student’s intended major is not included in the admission-to-major program?
Transfer admission and major declaration procedures will not change for majors that are not participating in this program. Students should refer to assist.org and the major’s website for more information on how to prepare for and declare their intended major.
Q: Can transfer students change their major after being directly admitted into a major?
The process for changing from a direct admission major to a non-direct admission major depends on the student’s new major and whether it is a high-demand or non-high demand major:
- Changing to a non high-demand major: Non-high-demand majors will accept new students who wish to change to their major. As always, it is in the best interest of the student to complete as many major preparation requirements as possible prior to transferring to UC Berkeley to ensure that students can complete their degree within the unit ceiling.
- Changing to a high-demand major:
Important: If you are interested in a high-demand major, we strongly recommend that you select the high-demand major as your primary major on the UC application for the College of Letters & Science.
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- Before admission to Berkeley Letters and Science: Applicants can request to change to their majors on the UC application before the January 31st deadline for major change requests. Applicants can request a major change through their MAP@Berkeley portal.
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- After a student is offered admission to Berkeley Letters and Science: Students can contact the adviser in their intended major to inquire about the application process. Due to limited capacity in high-demand majors, not all high-demand majors will accept transfer students after they have accepted their L&S offer of admission. Since admission to a high-demand major is not guaranteed, students may be subject to a comprehensive application review which includes quantitative and qualitative criteria, academic and personal accomplishments by the student along with consideration of the context of those accomplishments and opportunities afforded to the student. Admission to high-demand majors based on these criteria is overall a more fair and equitable process instead of the current criterion of the student’s major prerequisite GPA.
Q. Will L&S accept an alternate major at the time that a student submits their UC application?
Students can select a primary major and an alternate major. Berkeley only guarantees the review of the primary major at this time.
Q. What happens if incoming transfer students do not have all of the major preparation requirements completed prior to transferring to L&S?
Students should complete all major preparatory courses listed on assist.org for their intended major. If the major does not have all major preparation courses articulated on assist.org, the student should plan to take any remaining courses during their first semester on the Berkeley campus. The student should work with their undergraduate major adviser to create a program plan that will allow them to complete all of their remaining major requirements within the unit ceiling.
Q. What if the transfer institution does not offer articulated courses for the student’s intended major?
Students are still eligible for the major, but students that have all major preparation courses completed will be better prepared for the major, and more competitive for admission to L&S.
Q. What if the transfer institution offers articulated courses for the student’s intended major, but the courses were not completed? Will students be ineligible if they don’t complete major preparation coursework?
Students might be eligible for the major. Students should plan to complete all of the articulated major preparation courses before they transfer to L&S. Students that have all major preparation courses completed will be better prepared for the major, and more competitive for admission to L&S.
Q: How will non-CCC transfer students know if they have all of their major preparation courses completed?
Students will need to find and complete comparable major preparation courses at their current college. Students should use the course descriptions in the Berkeley Catalog (undergraduate.catalog.berkeley.edu) to help them find similar courses at their college.
Q: Where can students find information about changes to admission requirements for Berkeley Letters & Science?
Assist.org: Information was added about the direct admission-to-major transfer program for all participating majors under the “Program” or “Requirements” section of the assist.org agreements.
The Admissions website: Information by College: Review the content under the “College of Letters and Science”.
Updates about the direct admission to major program will be made on this page.
The L&S Prospective Students Website: Review the New Policies for Transfer Students webpage.
The L&S admissions application: For majors participating in the direct admission program, a notation was added to the L&S admissions application with information about the Direct Admit to Major Program.