CED Summer Programs Application + Admissions

Thank you for your interest in applying to the College of Environmental Design (CED) Summer programs. We encourage all eligible students to apply, including minorities, first generation college students (or first-generation college-bound high school students), and international students.

Specific requirements for the CED Summer programs are listed in the table below.

CED Summer Programs are full-time programs and require a high level of engagement and commitment. Therefore, we require you to formally apply and show your qualifications and interest. To apply to one of our programs, you must submit an application via the SlideRoom application portal. You may only submit an application for ONE of the programs. If we receive more than one application from a student, we will only read the first one.

To be considered for a CED Summer program you must submit the following with your online application:

Read the online application prompts carefully and follow each instruction. We will only review complete applications.

Students accepted into one of the CED Summer programs will receive further instructions in their admissions email. You need to read all instructions in this email carefully, as you will not be enrolled automatically. You will need to complete several steps by the respective deadline to finalize your enrollment.

If you applied for financial support, a notice about your award will be part of this email. Please note that due to limited funds, we are not able to award stipends to all students who apply for financial support. More information see Deadlines + Fees page, toward the bottom of the page.

Step 1: Intent to enroll — make sure to email us back by the deadline provided in your admissions email.

Step 2: Online Summer Sessions registration — you will need to pay a $25 registration fee; this step does not apply for UC Berkeley students and for students from other UC campuses.

Once the registration application is processed, Summer Sessions will send an email with instructions on how to create a UC Berkeley login (CalNet ID). Please allow 5-6 business days to receive email instructions. A CalNet ID allows a student to activate their CalCentral student account, enroll in classes, pay tuition on CalCentral, and provides you with many other UC Berkeley student benefits.

Step 3: Log in to CalCentral and complete all required tasks, including the Financial Agreement. This will allow you to enroll in your CED Summer Program.

Step 4: Program enrollment

Note: Once enrolled, you are responsible to pay your fees and tuition (minus a stipend or scholarship, if applicable). You will NOT automatically be un-enrolled for non-payment. If you wish to cancel your participation, you must notify your program by email and follow the instructions you will receive carefully. You will only receive a refund if you cancel before the respective deadlines, noted on our Deadlines + Fees page.

Step 5: Payment — Your complete fee assessment may take up to 24 hours. Check back into your CalCentral account and promptly pay all program fees and tuition.

International students will need to begin their visa application process as soon as possible and before the deadline — more detail below.

All applicants and admitted students need to adhere to the general deadlines posted on our Deadlines and Fees page as well as any deadlines provided in their admissions email. Please also note the important deadlines for withdrawal and cancellation.

Inquiries about disability accommodations should be directed to the Disabled Students’ Program (DSP) (510-642-0518; 510-642-6376 TTY). Since the CED Summer Programs are only four to six weeks long and fast-paced, we strongly advise you start the application process as soon as you can; otherwise, accommodations, if applicable, may not be provided in time before the program starts.

The University of California, Berkeley, reserves the right to add, amend, delete or otherwise modify its policies, information, rules, and regulations. This includes, but is not limited to, the modification of its summer programs; its rules affecting the admission of students, or the granting of credit and certificates; the academic calendar, course offerings or course content; and its fees, tuition and other charges, whenever it deems such changes desirable or necessary.

CED Summer Programs reserves the right to cancel any program for which there is insufficient enrollment and to withdraw or modify course offerings. In the unlikely event that this will happen, we will notify each affected student. Enrolled students will be offered a full refund for the fees and tuition they have already paid. In some cases, it might be possible to switch to another program — we would work with you to accommodate such a request.  

After successful completion of a CED Summer program, you can request paper or electronic transcripts through the UC Berkeley Office of the Registrar Transcript Ordering Service. Students will also receive a Certificate of Completion on the last day of the program.

CED welcomes and encourages international students to participate in the CED Summer Programs. 

Note: If you are a national from another country than the U.S., but are considered a U.S. resident (“green card” holder), you are considered a domestic student. Students who are already studying in the U.S. on an F-1 visa in spring and plan to return to their studies in the fall can transfer the I-20 to UC Berkeley and enroll in the CED Summer Program without an additional visa application. The instructions and links below will likely not apply to you. If you are not sure in which category you fall, refer to this link.

The CED Summer programs are demanding — on your time, your engagement, your creativity, and your ability to follow lectures and instructions and interact with your peers. To set our international students up for success, we require a minimum proficiency level of the English language. The higher you are above the minimum score, the better you will manage the requirements of the program. 

You will need to attach a copy of an acceptable English proficiency exam, taken within the last three years, to the CED Summer Programs SlideRoom application. If you are admitted to the program and start the registration process, you will be asked for (the same) proof of English proficiency again. You then must submit your proof of minimum English proficiency by the I-20 document upload deadline.

You are exempt from the English proficiency requirement if:

The CED Summer Programs (embARC, DISC, and Summer Institute) are full-time academic programs. To attend, international students must be issued an F-1 or J-1 visa. UC Berkeley Summer Sessions and Pre-CollegeScholars assists international applicants in acquiring the I-20 needed for the student visa. There is more information regarding visas on the UC Berkeley Summer Sessions website.

This process will take some time, so it is important that you apply to the program as early as you can, and at the very latest by the international student application deadline. If you miss the deadline, CED Summer Programs admissions will not be able to make the decision in time for you to adhere to the Summer Sessions deadlines for Session D — please particularly note the visa document submission deadline for the I-20 at the bottom of the page (Session D).

When you receive your admissions letter, you need to begin the registration process as soon as possible, and within the deadline that is given to you. Be prepared to submit certain documentation.

Also in the admissions letter, you will be instructed in which program to enroll so that you fulfill the unit requirements for student visa purposes — see Session D.

International students are required to purchase health insurance that covers the U.S. See this link for details.

You can also check this page for more information on the process, what to prepare, and what to expect when you arrive on campus. You will also receive communication from CED Summer Programs during the weeks before your program starts. For additional questions, please check the FAQ section of our website or contact us.

Still have questions? Read more about Applications & Admissions, Program Cost & Financial Support, Course Credit, How to Prepare, Housing & Transportation, Cancellation & Withdrawal, After the Program, embARC, embARC Housing, embARC studio on the Summer Program FAQ page.