University of California--Berkeley

The University of California - Berkeley, or Cal, is located on the banks of the San Francisco Bay. In general, at Berkeley, 95 percent or more of incoming freshmen prefer to reside on campus. There are almost 1,000 student organizations on campus, ranging from political organizations to hang-gliding clubs and everything in between. With dozens of fraternity and sorority chapters, Berkeley boasts a vibrant Greek community. Berkeley's athletic teams, the California Golden Bears, compete in the Pac-12 Conference and are noted for their long-standing rivalry with Stanford University.

Berkeley includes 14 colleges and institutions, including several graduate and professional schools such as the School of Optometry and the Graduate School of Journalism. Graduate programs in the highly regarded Haas School of Business, Graduate School of Education, College of Engineering, and School of Law are also available.

Berkeley is well-known for being a hotbed of liberal student activism, with the Free Speech Movement — a 1964 student protest at Berkeley in response to the administration's prohibition on political activities – gaining national notice. Former US Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren, Olympic gold medalist Jonny Moseley, and actor John Cho, best known for his role in the "Harold and Kumar" movie, are among the notable graduates. Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer, who served as the scientific head of the Manhattan Project during World War II and worked on the development of the atomic bomb, was a professor at Berkeley.

Year Founded: 1868
Contact: 510-642-6000
Website: https://www.berkeley.edu/