Welcome Back to Berkeley

Peg Skorpinski photo

As Fall 2002 classes begin, more than 32,000 students will call UC Berkeley home this year, building a campus community rich in diversity.

On Telegraph Ave., Jenna Brown, a volleyball recruit from Houston talks with Rob Benson, a basketball recruit from San Diego. Peg Skorpinski photo.

Whether you're a freshman or a returning grad student, this Web site will help you get plugged in to Cal, while also providing details about changes and summer developments on the Berkeley campus.

Students
Undergraduate enrollment at Berkeley is expected to be down slightly this fall, while transfer student admissions will rise by an even smaller amount; the changes result in part from state and city initiatives. In the Graduate Division, the most competitive year ever for applications will yield the largest graduate student class since 1986. Read more...

Classes
Echoes of September 11 continue to sound in the classroom, with new courses covering a wide range of perspectives on the response to terror. Other noteworthy classes include Berkeley's first completely online course – studying gems – and a primer for understanding nutrition news. Distinguished Berkeley faculty teaching freshman courses this fall include former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Hass and internationally-known geologist Walter Alvarez. Read more...

S. McConnell photo

Housing
The cooling economy and the debut of new campus and private housing units, including the College-Durant apartments (left), have combined to make this the best fall for Berkeley house-hunters in recent memory. And more housing and dining choices are on the way, scheduled to open later this school year. Read more...
 
Construction
The historic Hearst Memorial Mining Building is one of several campus buildings reopening this fall after major seismic retrofits. Other seismic work will continue to cause the displacement of some departments, while campus visitors will notice improvements outside Haas Pavillion and inside Memorial Stadium, plus a bolder, brighter Campanile. Visually impaired students can navigate campus this fall with the help of a tactile, 3D model of UC Berkeley. Read more...

Tuition
For the eighth year in a row, California residents attending UC Berkeley will see no increase in most fees for the 2002-03 academic year. Inflation, plus slight fee increases to expand student health insurance and transit access, will raise the typical cost of two semesters at Berkeley by $750 this school year. Read more...