Newly Admitted Students
Congratulations on your acceptance to the College of Environmental Design. Before choosing UC Berkeley, we invite you to visit the College of Environmental Design. Schedule a tour with an Undergraduate Admissions Ambassador to learn more about student and studio life.
New Student Orientation
After you accept UC Berkeley’s offer of admission, you will receive information about Golden Bear Orientation and Golden Bear Advising from New Student Services. You will also receive access to your bConnected portal for official university correspondence and updates.
Once complete, you will be able to enroll in classes using Cal Central, UC Berkeley’s course enrollment system.
Resources for Newly Admitted Students
- Admissions Communications
- High School Exam Credit
- Choosing your first math class
- Evaluation of Transfer Work
- UC Berkeley Transfer Student Center
- Student Services and Programs
All official communication from UC Berkeley and the College of Environmental Design will be sent to your Admit Portal. Please check this portal frequently. More general information here.
Students who have Advanced Placement, A-Level, and/or International Baccalaureate exam credit may have fulfilled some of CED’s major or breadth requirements and/or may be eligible to take more advanced math or reading and composition courses.
- Advanced Placement Exam Credit [PDF]
- A-Level Exam Credit [PDF]
- International Baccalaureate (IB) Exam Credit [PDF]
If you do not know your exam scores yet, estimate them and select your classes according to that estimated score. If your estimated score is incorrect, you may need to add or drop a class later.
The math department provides a useful guide to choosing your first math class at Berkeley. You can take the on-line placement exam to help you choose between Math 32 (pre-calculus), Math 16A (appropriate for most Architecture, SED, and Urban Studies majors), and Math 1A (appropriate for engineering, math and science majors).
If you have transfer credit from a California community college, check ASSIST to see whether it will be accepted in satisfaction of a CED course requirement. If your courses were taken at a college or university outside of the California community college system, our College Evaluator will need to review them. If this is the case, please send a copy of your transcript, a detailed course description, and the forms indicated in the Transfer Evaluation Guidelines [PDF] to:
Heather Grothjan
Office of Undergraduate Advising
College of Environmental Design
250 Wurster Hall #1800
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-1800
The Transfer Student Center serves a diverse population of students and is dedicated to providing programs and services in support of the academic and personal success of transfer, re-entry, and student parents. The transfer center offers a variety of services including:
- A one-unit orientation course designed just for you: Education 198 Strategies for Success at Cal for Transfer Students
- Mentorship and internship opportunities
- Advising
- Scholarships and prizes
- A community center for studying, reading, relaxing, and meeting other students
- Financial Aid Office
- Financial Aid Tutorial
- Educational Opportunity Program
- Undocumented Student Program
- Berkeley International Office (resources for international students)
- Berkeley Campus Life
- Centers for Educational Justice and Community Engagement
- Career Center
- CED Connects (LinkedIn Mentorship Program)
- Counseling and Psychological Services (information on academic, career, and personal counseling)
- Disabled Students Program
- Berkeley Programs for Study Abroad
- New Student Services
- Student Learning Center (information on tutoring, study groups, and workshops)
- UC Berkeley Transfer Student Center
- Re-Entry Student Program
- Student Parent Center
- Cal Veterans Services Center
- Berkeley Study Abroad