Applications for the 2026-2027 Berkeley MEng program are now open. We seek candidates with strong technical foundations and demonstrated leadership potential.
After obtaining the checklist of instructions from the appropriate department, please visit the UC Berkeley Graduate Division for your online application.
Dan Himelstein’s Organizational Behavior course challenges your critical thinking. He pushes his students to go past being ‘good information gatherers’ to step into a critical mode by asking things like: why is this incomplete, what is missing in this analysis, what information are we lacking, what can we conclude from this?
— Laïla ZouakiMEng ’18 (ME)
Application Criteria
Applicants that hold a bachelor’s degree, or recognized equivalent, in engineering or a related science or mathematics discipline from an accredited institution OR students with a quantitative background and the prerequisites to be successful in graduate-level technical courses in their chosen engineering concentration will be considered for admission. In reviewing applications, we identify those candidates who are the best fit for our concentrated and accelerated program. The program welcomes recent college graduates as well as early-career technical professionals.
We accept applications once per year for a fall semester program start. Applications for Fall 2026 enrollment are due Wednesday, January 7, 2026. Most admitted students will be notified by mid-April.
Each semester begins with two units of engineering leadership courses that begin before the official start of each semester. Attendance is required for all MEng students. Applicants: Please be prepared to start the program from August (first two weeks) and January (first two weeks).
The online application is designed so that you can enter and update your information at any time before you submit your application. Click here to access the online application. For the Intended Program of Study section, you will be asked to choose which department, concentration, and enrollment option you would like to be considered for during the application process.
Applicants may only apply to one degree program per admissions cycle.
You are required to pay the application fee using a credit card. The application fee is non-refundable. If you are a US Citizen or current Permanent Resident, the application fee is $135; for all others, the fee is $155.
Applicants who identify as a U.S. citizen or current permanent residents may be eligible for a fee waiver through the UC Berkeley Graduate Division based on financial need or program participation. If an applicant has participated in select programs like the National GEM Consortium, American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES), National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), and Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) may be eligible to receive an application fee waiver from the Berkeley Graduate Division. See the UC Berkeley Graduate Division guidelines to view the the financial need conditions or full list of participating programs and request an application fee waiver.
You must hold or expect to hold, prior to the beginning of classes, a bachelor’s degree from a US school accredited by one of the AACRAO regional accrediting agencies. International applicants of recognized academic institutions outside the United States must hold a degree equivalent to a US bachelor’s degree.
Required records: Upload unofficial transcripts with the application for the departmental initial review. Unofficial transcripts must include at a minimum the name of the institution, your full name, and a chronological listing of all classes and grades. If your academic records do not include official evidence of the award of your degree, you must also submit additional documents that verify the degree conferral, such as a diploma or degree certificate
If your transcript is in a language other than English, then you must provide an official translation issued from your university or by certified members of the American Translators Association. Upload the original transcript and translation as one PDF.
If admitted: Physical copies of official transcripts of all college-level work will be required. Official transcripts must be in sealed envelopes as issued by the school(s) you have attended. Request a current transcript from every post-secondary school that you have attended, including community colleges, summer sessions, and extension programs.
Note: Any discrepancy between the uploaded transcript and the official transcript could result in the denial of your application or withdrawal of your offer of admission.
We are interested in learning about your academic, work, and experiential background. Please upload your most current resume or curriculum vitae. If applicable, please also include honors, awards, publications, presentations, languages spoken, and associations you belong to.
Applicants are required to complete two essays. Although we do not have a required minimum or maximum word count, the suggested length of each is around 1 to 2 pages single-spaced.
Statement of Purpose
This essay question was created to provoke honest, thoughtful responses to help us get to know you. The admissions committee is interested in learning how your professional and academic experiences and achievements equip you and motivate you to enroll in our program. At a minimum, the Statement of Purpose should indicate, with clarity and focus, your purpose for entering the Master of Engineering program and why this advances your professional and personal goals. We are especially interested in understanding both your experience in and your capacity to take full advantage of an intensive, fast-paced degree program.
Personal History Statement
Anything that can give reviewers a sense of you as a person belongs here; you can repeat information about your experiences in your Statement of Purpose, but any experiences that show your promise, initiative, and ability to persevere despite obstacles belongs here. If you have faced any obstacles or barriers in your education, sharing those experiences provides a deeper understanding of who you are as an applicant. If one part of your academic record is not ideal, due to challenges you faced, this is where you can explain that, and direct reviewers’ attention to the evidence of your promise for higher education.
Letters of recommendation provide the admissions committee with third party, qualitative accounts of your potential for success in our program. We require two letters of recommendation from all applicants with the exception of applicants applying to the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences who are required to submit three letters of recommendation.
Any applicant applying to Bioengineering, Industrial Engineering & Operations Research, Materials Science & Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering may submit up to three if you like.
We strongly prefer that letters of recommendation come from a current direct supervisor, former direct supervisor, faculty, or other individuals with whom you have had significant professional interaction. Please select individuals who know you well and who will take the time to write thorough and thoughtful letters on your behalf. The title of those you select is not important. What does matter is how closely your letter writers have worked with you and whether they can attest to your value as an employee or student, your professional accomplishments, and your personal qualities. We have found the most helpful letters to be recent, relevant, and written specifically for this application. We discourage letters of recommendation from subordinates, family, or friends.
When completing the online application, you will enter the email address of your recommender and click the appropriate box to have the recommender upload their letter. You are responsible for ensuring that letters of recommendations are submitted prior to the application deadline.
All applicants who have completed a basic degree in a country/region in which the official language is not English are required to submit official evidence of English language proficiency. This requirement applies to institutions from Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Latin America, the Middle East, Israel, the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asian countries, most European countries, and countries in Africa in which English is not the official language.
If you have completed at least one year of full-time academic course work with grades of B or better in residence at a recognized US institution, you do not need to take a standardized test. Instead, you must upload an unofficial transcript from the recognized US institution. The following courses will not fulfill this requirement: 1) courses in English as a Second Language, 2) courses conducted in a language other than English, 3) courses that will be completed after the application is submitted, and 4) courses of a non-academic nature.
To qualify for a TOEFL exemption you must:
Have a basic degree from a recognized institution in a country where the official language is English.
Have completed a basic or advanced degree at an institution, in the United States or a United States institution abroad, where the language of instruction is English and the institution is accredited by one of the United States’ regional accrediting agencies.
Have completed at least one year of full-time academic course work with grades of B or better at a regionally accredited institution within the United States.
There are two standardized tests you may take: the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), and the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
We will only accept TOEFL tests administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) and sent to us directly by the TOEFL office. We do not accept the TOEFL ITP Plus for Mainland China or Duolingo. For Fall 2023, tests taken before June 1, 2021 will not be accepted even if your score was reported to UC Berkeley. The institution code for UC Berkeley is 4833 for Graduate Programs. We do not accept MyBest Scores.
For purposes of admission, your most recent score must be at least 90 for the Internet-based test (IBT), and 570 for the paper-based format (PBT). Please contact individual academic departments for more information, as they may choose to require a higher score.
International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
You can also submit scores from the Academic Modules of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), which is jointly managed by the British Council, IDP:IELTS Australia, and the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations.
All IELTS scores must be sent electronically from the testing center, no institution code is required. Our address for identification purposes is: University of California, Berkeley, Graduate Division, Sproul Hall Room 318, MC 5900, Berkeley, CA 94720. Please do not mail any score reports to us.
For Fall 2025, tests taken before June 1, 2023 will not be accepted even if your score was reported to UC Berkeley. Please send your test score directly from ETS to the institution code for UC Berkeley: 4833 for Graduate Organizations. We do not accept MyBest Scores.
To register for the IELTS, consult the IELTS website to locate the office of the test center where you plan to take the test.
GRE scores are not required for all applicants except those applying to the Industrial Engineering & Operations Research (IEOR) department. GRE scores may help you demonstrate skills otherwise not present in your application. Please self-report your scores on the application and send the official results to UC Berkeley using institutional code 4833.
In addition to the requirements above, please visit the individual degree-granting departments website listed below for additional information on department specific admissions requirements and application instructions:
