Current Term Application (Fall 2026 - CLOSED)
The Fall 2026 Admissions Application is now closed. The deadline to submit this application was Friday, September 25th at 4PM (PST).
For applicants that qualify for Early Review, notifications will be sent before the Phase 1 enrollment period for Spring 2027. For Regular Review applicants, notifications will be sent out mid-January after Fall grades are made available.
Next Term Application (Spring 2027)
The Spring 2027 Admissions Application will open Friday, January 22, 2027 (first Friday of Week 1). The deadline to submit this application will be Friday, February 19, 2027. Please mark your calendars and plan accordingly!
Declaration of the Economics Major
Declaration of the Economics major is admission-based and students must meet specific criteria in order to be admitted. To declare the Economics major, students must meet the following requirements: grades/GPA, prerequisite courses completion, and apply within their eligibility window. Details below. Requirements differ for students who enter as First-Years and students who enter as Transfers. Please also review those respective pages for further details.
Starting Fall 2027, transfer students who select Economics on their UC Berkeley application are automatically declared and do not need to take any other action to join the major. Any remaining declaration requirement courses that are not completed prior to transfer must be completed to graduate. Please refer to the Direct Admission website here for more information.
GPA/Grade
| First-Year Students | Transfer Students |
|---|---|
| Minimum C (2.0) grade in each prerequisite course | Minimum C (2.0) grade in each prerequisite course |
Prerequisite Courses
| First-Year Students | Transfer Students |
|---|---|
Introduction to Economics - Econ 1 -or- Econ 2 Calculus - Math 51 -or- Math 16A [choose one] -and- - Math 52 -or- Math 16B [choose one] Introduction to Statistics - Stat 20, Stat 21, Stat W21, Stat 88/Data C88S -or- Data 89 - Stat C131A, Stat 135, -or- Stat/Data C140 Intermediate Economics Theory (Core Courses) - [Microeconomics] Econ 100A -or- Econ 101A - [[Macroeconomics] Econ 100B -or- Econ 101B -or- UGBA 101B^ - [Econometrics] Econ 140 -or- Econ 141 ^ UGBA 101B is considered outside the department. Economics majors are allowed to complete up to two courses from outside the department to count towards major requirements. | Introduction to Economics - Econ 1 -or- Econ 2 Calculus - Math 51 -or- Math 16A [choose one] -and- - Math 52 -or- Math 16B [choose one] Introduction to Statistics - Stat 20, Stat 21, Stat W21, Stat 88/Data C88S, -or- Data 89 - Stat C131A, Stat 135, -or- Stat/Data C140 Intermediate Economics Theory (Core Courses) - [Microeconomics] Econ 100A -or- Econ 101A - [Macroeconomics] Econ 100B -or- Econ 101B -or- UGBA 101B^ - [Econometrics] Econ 140 -or- Econ 141 ^ UGBA 101B is considered outside the department. Economics majors are allowed to complete up to two courses from outside the department to count towards major requirements. |
Eligibility Window
| First-Year Students | Transfer Students |
|---|---|
| Must finish prerequisite courses & apply by the 5th term at UC Berkeley. Summer terms prior to application term do not apply. | Must finish prerequisite courses & apply by the 1st term at UC Berkeley. Summer terms prior to application term do not apply. |
Prerequisites for the Economics Major
Prerequisites must be completed or in-progress at the time of application for admission. All prerequisites must be taken for a letter grade. Want to know how exam credit (AP/IB/A-Levels) fulfill these requirements? See the exam credit requirements at the bottom of this page.
GPA Requirement
Students must earn a minimum of a C (2.0) grade in each prerequisite in order to be admitted into the Economics major. A grade of C- or lower will not meet this requirement. Any additional core courses (ECON 100A/101A, ECON 100B/101B, and/or ECON 140/141) taken beyond the minimum requirements will be considered in the admissions review and must also be completed with a grade of C or better. Exam credit and transfer coursework may be used to fulfill prerequisite course requirements.
Eligibility Window
First-Years must apply for admission by the end of their fifth semester (does not include summers or withdrawn semesters) or prior to the accumulation of 80 units (does not include units earned in high school, but does include units in-progress at the time of application); whichever comes second. Transfers must apply for admission by the end of their first semester. Summer session prior to the academic year does not count as the first semester.
Admissions Notifications and Declaration Process
Admissions review is conducted after final grades are posted. Students are notified of their admission decision via email according to the schedule listed below.
- Fall applicants: notified mid-January
- Spring applicants: notified mid-June
- Summer applicants: notified mid-September
Students who meet the admission requirements as listed above are guaranteed admission into the major. Instructions for officially declaring the major will be provided in the admission notification.
Alternate Major
All students pursuing the Economics major are encouraged to plan for an alternate major. Information about majors can be found at http://guide.berkeley.edu/. We recommend meeting with an advisor in the College of Letters and Science to discuss alternate major options.
Have More Questions?
Please also review First-Year Admissions, Transfer Admissions, FAQs, Economics Undergraduate Admissions Policies, New 2024 Admissions Policy FAQs, and/or email us at ugrad@econ.berkeley.edu or meet with our Advising Team.