CS Major Lower Division Degree Requirements
Admissions to the CS Major is Changing
In the coming years, the admissions process to enter the CS major will drastically change. You can read more about the new High Demand Majors Policy from the College of Letters & Science (L&S), and the Undergrad FAQ from the College of Computing, Data Science, and Society (CDSS). Please read the following carefully as the pathway into the major depends on several factors. If you’re unsure about which pathway applies to you, please book an appointment to speak to an advisor.
Terms:
Applied High Demand Computer Science: Admitted Fall 2023 students who select “Computer Science” on their UC Berkeley application.
CS-intended: Admitted Fall 2023 students who did not select “Computer Science” on their UC Berkeley application.
GPA/Prerequisites to Declare the CS Major
Students must meet a GPA requirement in prerequisite courses to be admitted to the CS major. Prerequisite and GPA requirements are listed below.
| Term admitted | Prerequisites required | GPA required |
| Fall 2022 or earlier | CS 61A, CS 61B, CS 70 | 3.30 overall GPA in CS 61A, CS 61B, & CS 70 |
| Fall 2023 (Frosh-applied High Demand Computer Science) | CS 61A, CS 61B, CS 70 | 2.0 overall GPA in CS 61A, CS 61B, & CS 70 |
| Fall 2023 (Frosh-CS intended) | TBD | Subject to Comprehensive Review |
| Fall 2023 (Transfer-CS intended) | CS 61A, CS 61B, CS 70 | 3.30 overall GPA in CS 61A, CS 61B, & CS 70 (completed by the end of summer 2024) |
Major Declaration Policies
- Per campus policy, students can retake and earn credit for a class in which they received a grade of D+ or lower. Beginning Spring 2017, prerequisite courses which have been retaken will be averaged to calculate the major application GPA (For example: CS 61A = D; CS 61B = A-; CS 61A = A-; CS 70 = A; averaged GPA = 3.1).
- If a student receives an NP in a pre-req, it will be factored as an F (0.0 grade points) when their CS major application is reviewed.
- If a student completes equivalent courses to our prerequisite courses (CS 61A, CS 61B, CS 70) at another institution, at least one course must be completed at UC Berkeley to calculate the major application GPA.
- Students who do not meet the minimum prerequisite and GPA requirements for the Computer Science major, may choose to appeal the major declaration decision after they have submitted an initial application to the major. Find our more about the Major Declaration Appeal Process.
Lower Division Requirements
All courses taken for the major must be taken for a letter grade. Students must complete all the lower division course requirements with a passing letter grade to graduate.
Students admitted to UC Berkeley Fall 2017 or later:
- Math 1A (Calculus I) *can be satisfied with at least a “3” on the AP AB or BC Calculus exam, at least a “5” on the IB Math Higher Level, or at least a “B” on A-Level Math
- Math 1B (Calculus II) *can be satisfied with a “5” on the AP BC Calculus exam or at least a “B” on A-Level Further Math
- EECS 16A (Designing Information Devices and Systems I) or Math 54 (Linear Algebra and Differential Equations) or Math 56 (Linear Algebra [Math 91 Fall 2022])*
- CS 61A (Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs)
- CS 61B/BL (Data Structures)
- CS 61C (Machine Structures)
- CS 70 (Discrete Mathematics and Probability Theory) *Math 55 is accepted for math/cs double-majors, but CS 70 is recommended. Math grade will be used in the GPA calculation. Students need to be declared in math first.
*effective Fall 22 EECS 16B is no longer a requirement