How can I get a full scholarship to UC Berkeley?

Paying for College
1

I want to try and and get a full scholarship to UCB. I’m not from a low income family, so I was thinking of the merit based scholarships. What extra activities should I do for the rest of high school, and also requirements for tests grades/GPA to get one?

2

You can:
Work on your rushing and passing game so that you are a top draw recruit for football

Work in your passing and shooting game so that you are a top recruit to play basketball

3

You are entering your sophomore year in HS…right?

You wrote that in APRIL.

Are you instate for Cal? If not…getting accepted is your first hurdle. The school is highly competitive for admissions…even for instate students. For OOS…it’s not an easy admit.

You can’t get merit aid unless you get admitted. And merit aid is highly competitive. Your GPA would need to really improve…and your standardized test schores would need to be nearly perfect. Even with that…a FULL scholarship…would be a rarity.

Getting a full scholarship to Cal would be like hens growing teeth.

On previous threads, you say you want to be premed. Is that still the case?

You know,…you can go to almost any college…and take the requisite courses for med school applications. You can major in anything.

So…are you also looking at colleges that you can afford to attend?

4

As stated above, to get a full ride scholarship to UCB, you would need to be a recruited athlete or a high performing low income student, since the majority of UCB’s scholarships have a need component. Merit only scholarships will not be full rides.

http://financialaid.berkeley.edu/scholarships

5

Actually, there is a full ride scholarship without need or athletics, but it is limited to mechanical engineering majors and is highly competitive. An applicant with a 3.83 GPA may not even be admitted in the first place.

https://www.me.berkeley.edu/undergraduate/admissions/drake-scholarship

6

@ucbalumnus: Thanks for the info. I will be sure to note it next time this question comes up.

7

Why are you asking this question? A few months ago, you said that your parents would pay all costs?

8

i never said that, i said they “can afford all four years,” referring to paying for the dorms. didn’t know asking a question would offend you

9

im instate, and yes i’m still interested in the premed route. Even a partial scholarship would help. Thanks, just wanted to know how easy/hard it was to get a scholarship, and if it would be possible for me.

10

@ahr123

Right now…you don’t have sufficient information for anyone to give even an educated guess on ypur prospects of getting a scholarship at Cal. You haven’t taken the SAT or ACT yet…and you don’t have your grades from 10th or 11th grade.

You would need to be totally at the top of the admitted student pool to be considered for merit aid at Cal. A 3.8 GPA is likely way too low…and might not even gain you admission to the college.

So…at this point…take an aggressive and challenging course load, and get all A’s. Take the ACT and get a 35 or 36. Take the SAT and get well over 1500.

When you have those stats in hand…come back here and ask your question again.

11

Focus on getting in. I had a 4.0 UW and a 4.68 W and I got denied. I’m at UCLA with no scholarships. Not even at the lower UCs. Merit is almost impossible.

12

if you don’t mind me asking, was your SAT score low or did you not have many extracurricular activities? I’m asking bc I heard UCB looks a lot at ECs, and I want to know if it matters

13

@ahr123

You need a tippy top SAT or ACT score…and a tIppy top GPA to even be considered for Berkeley. Right now…you don’t have a tippy top GPA, and you haven’t even taken the SAT or ACT.

UCB does not even count your grades from 9th grade…so basically…right now as. 10th grade…you have no stats on which to base any kind of admission or financial aid prospects.

Please come back AFTER you have taken the SAT or ACT…and when you at least have 10th grade end of year final grades.

Until then…really no one can help you with your chances of admission or merit aid. NO ONE.

Oh…and ECs are the icing on the cake. With out superior grades and standardized test scores…your ECs won’t matter at all…unless you win an Olympic medal or something equally notable.

14

Okay, so ECs really don’t matter?

15

Frankly, I believe that most in state flag ships consider your in state tuition as a “merit scholarship” therefore leaving any actual merit scholarships to just a very few who they really want.

16

This is what UCB considers important in their application review:

  • Berkeley
    *
  •   Very important: Academic GPA, Application essay, Rigor of secondary school record, Standardized test scores

  •   Important: Extracurricular activities, Volunteer work, Work experience

  •   Considered: Character/personal qualities, First generation college student, State residency

  •   Note: Thorough review of academic performance; likely contribution to intellectual and cultural vitality of the campus; diversity in personal background and experience; demonstrated qualities in leadership, motivation, concern for others and community; non-academic achievement in the performing arts, athletics or employment; demonstrated interest in major.
  • LOR’s by invitation only as of 2017

Getting merit means you need stats in the top 1-2% of all applicants. Regents at UCB is only $2000/year.

17

thanks!