Selecting Your College

When you apply to UC Berkeley as an undergraduate either as a Freshman or Transfer student, you will be required to select a college in which to enroll.

Freshmen Applicants

For Freshmen applicants, if you need more time to decide which of our nine majors is best for you, you may select the Rausser College of Natural Resources' undeclared option.  The Rausser College offers the following majors:

The benefit of applying directly to one of our majors is that once you are admitted and have accepted your offer of admission, you will start your first semester under the department you wish to graduate in. Declaring your major will not give you any special advantage in terms of admissions.  All students who apply to UC Berkeley and select a major within the Rausser College are evaluated based on their application, not on the particular major they select.

With proper planning, you can change majors within Rausser College relatively easily after you complete your first semester. Changing to a major outside of Rausser takes a bit more work, since the various colleges and majors have different requirements.  

Transfer Applicants

Transfer students are required to apply directly to the Rausser College of Natural Resources and their major of interest. This is because the pre-requisite courses have will have to be completed or nearly completed by the time of application submission. More information on what this process looks like can be found here. 

International Applicants

International students can refer to the Berkeley Admissions website for International Applicants for more detailed information about the application process and requirements.  The Berkeley International Office and UC Education Abroad Program may also provide additional useful information about opportunities available.

Want a Student's Perspective?

Rausser College Peer Advisors are also available to offer personal viewpoints and experiences to current and prospective Rausser students in order to ease the transition to UC Berkeley, provide a support network for the undergraduate experience, and promote the many opportunities available at the College to help create the most fulfilling undergraduate experiences possible for others.

You can review more information about Rausser College's PAL Program here or contact them via email with specific questions.

Admissions Information

Undergraduate admission is directed by Cal's Office of Undergraduate Admissions based on campus-wide admission criteria. The Rausser College of Natural Resources itself does not review the files for freshmen admission.

For the best guidance on Berkeley Admissions, please review the following information carefully: