University of California–Berkeley often referred to as Cal, is a public institution that was founded in 1868. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 25,774 in its campus situated overlooking the San Francisco Bay.
Berkeley offers two years of housing for freshmen in a number of residence halls throughout the campus. There are more than 1,200 student organizations on campus, ranging from political groups to a hang gliding club and everything in between. Berkeley also has a blooming Greek life with more than 55 fraternity and sorority chapters. The California Golden Bears, Berkeley’s athletic teams, compete in the Pac-12 Conference and are known for their long lasting arch rivalry with Stanford.
Berkeley consists of 14 schools and colleges, including a number of graduate and professional schools such as the School of Optometry, Graduate School of Journalism and College of Environmental Design. Other graduate programs are the highly ranked Haas School of Business, Graduate School of Education,College of Engineering, School of Law, School of Social Welfare,School of Public Health and Goldman School of Public Policy . Berkeley is well known as a hub of liberal student activity: the Free Speech Movement—a 1964 student protest at Berkeley in response to the administration’s attempt to remove student political groups from campus—gained widespread national attention. Notable alumni include former U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren, Olympic gold medalist Jonny Moseley and actor John Cho of the “Harold and Kumar” films. Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer, scientific director of the Manhattan Project during WWII to develop the atomic bomb, was a physicist and professor at Berkeley.
Financial Aid
Berkley’s Financial Aid and Scholarships Office works closely with all students to make a priceless UC Berkeley education an affordable reality. At Berkeley, nearly everyone is eligible for financial aid–two-thirds of all undergraduates receive some form of aid. It is the type of aid that differs. The type of aid you are offered is based on your level of financial need:
Student Budget (Cost of Attendance) – Expected Family Contribution = Financial Need
Financial aid is either need-based or non-need-based. Need-based financial aid includes subsidized loans, grants, scholarships, and federal work-study. Non-need-based financial aid is made up of unsubsidized loans, parent loans, and private loans.
For more info on financial aid and school tuition go here.