<p>***aah i just realized I accidentally typed “calculated” wrong. :(</p>
<p>Anyway. My UC GPA is 3.8</p>
<p>Has anyone ever heard of someone getting into Berkeley with a GPA this low? (Probably not, I’m sure) but I’m just curious.</p>
<p>Yes. It really depends on comprehensive factors. (That's why it's called 'comprehensive review' ;))</p>
<p>Depends on academic rigor of your classes, any personal challenges as factors in college efforts (financial, language, parental background, other factors), strength/accomplishment level of e.c.'s (such as level of awards, not just amount of awards); also # of a-g courses beyond minimum, as boost; also factor of standardized test scores. Also level of leadership.</p>
<p>But 2 huge make-or-break elements in the recent round (regardless of GPA, scores, etc) have been quality of, & message in, UC essay, + conviction of the applicant, communicated in the application, as to purpose of attending & what the student intends to bring & hopes to acquire by attending UC.</p>
<p>One could be eliminated on gpa & other factors, but those with equal gpa could be admitted over a student with lame personal statements, & this happens routinely for U.C. The more focused the statement(s), the better.</p>
<p>The AVERAGE GPA for Berkeley admits last year was only 4.18. I'm sure there were plenty of kids in the 3.7-3.9 range.</p>
<p>Admissions is holistic, so yes there are fair numbers of admitted students with UC GPAs below 3.8. However, that is below the midpoint and thus there would have to be compelling other factors. Essay, ECs, and high awards are examples of non-stat factors.</p>
<p>Very few applicants with a UCGPA under 4.0 are admitted to Berkeley. <a href="http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/undergrad_adm/selecting/camp_profiles/ucb_chart.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/undergrad_adm/selecting/camp_profiles/ucb_chart.pdf</a>
You'd need something really compelling to beat those odds.</p>
<p>kluge, that chart does not account for 44.2% of the admitted students, whose scores were "unavailable." Berkeley remains a reach for most people, for sure, but it is not quite as bleak as all that. In fact, it is especially the students below the 4.0 UW that tend to have the other factors that come into play, such as challenges. Or to put it another way, the way I would agree with you is the 'something really compelling.' However, that or those compelling factors can be among what I named. It is often legitimately difficult for students with significant personal challenges to make the 4.0+ cut.</p>
<p>Conversely, students who are middle class & upper, from intact families, non-immigrant, & with English as the first language, etc., do have a difficult time being admitted to Berkeley without at least an UW 4.0 & quite a strong record of advanced level classes. That's been true for awhile, but I particularly saw it this year among students I know, whose only common thread was the absence of personal challenge in their lives, as UC defines that, but who were admitted to other U.C.'s with a 3.7/3.8.</p>
<p>Epiphany, I'm not sure where you got the idea that the published statistics exclude 44.2% of the admitted students. The chart lists 47,016 applicants and 10085 admittees when you add up the numbers in the different GPA categories, which corresponds to 97% of the reported total in each case. There's only 302 admitted students for 2008 who are not represented in the GPA chart.</p>