The University of California, Berkeley Haas School of Business was founded in 1898, making it the second oldest business school in the country.
Two of the Haas School of Business faculty members have received Nobel Prizes for their work in economics.
Additional attractions to the business school include its Executives in Residence program, which brings industry executives to Berkeley Haas to provide expertise to the school and students, and its Visiting Scholars program, which provides opportunities for collaboration with other scholars outside the university.
Among the 15 centers and institutes within the Haas School of Business are the Garwood Center for Corporate Innovation, Center for Growth Markets, and Center for Responsible Business. These research centers and the others in the business school attract students from all over the world to study at the institution.
The Haas School of Business’ Dean’s Speaker Series brings a range of business leaders to give talks at the school, providing insightful perspectives and encouraging discussions among listeners.
The school offers undergraduate programs of study, MBA programs, other graduate-level programs, certifications, and executive education programs.
The Haas School of Business has roughly 2,500 students across its six degree programs, and is one the two schools in the U.S. that is a member of the Global Network for Advanced Management.
Aspiring entrepreneurs and future executives alike are drawn from across the country and around the globe to study at one of the leading business schools in the United States.
Whether just beginning their studies at the undergraduate level or pursuing research at the graduate or postgraduate level, students at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business receive one of the best business educations in the world.
UC Berkeley Haas School of Business Acceptance Rate
For undergraduates, the Haas School of Business accepts about 15% of the applicants, depending on the year.
For the MBA program, the program’s acceptance rate is about 17%, depending on the year.
This number is derived from the 242 UC Berkeley students and the 114 transfer students who were admitted divided by the 552 applicants from within UC Berkeley plus the 759 eligible applicants who applied to transfer into the school.
The 2022 undergraduate class was ultimately composed of 236 students from Berkeley and 101 students who transferred into the school.
UC Berkeley students had an average GPA of 3.77 with a middle 80% range of 3.53-3.97, and transfer students had an average GPA of 3.93 with a middle 80% range of 3.82 to 4.0.
Berkeley Haas’ full-time MBA class of 2024 was made up of 247 enrolled students. These students had an average GMAT score of 729, and the middle 80% range of scores on the GMAT was 700-760.
Class of 2024 MBA students who submitted GRE scores had an average verbal GRE score of 161 with a middle 80% score range of 153-167. The average score on the quantitative reasoning portion of the GRE was 163, with a middle 80% score range of 155-169.
From these admission statistics, it is clear that Berkeley Haas is quite selective in admitting both undergraduate and graduate students.
UC Berkeley Haas School of Business Ranking
U.S News and World Report ranks Berkeley Haas highly, placing it at number 8 in its Best Business Schools list for graduate schools and at number 2 for its part-time MBA program.
U.S. News and World Report ranks UC Berkeley’s undergraduate business program even higher, placing it at number 3 in its Best Undergraduate Business Programs Rankings list.
The report ranks many of Berkeley Haas’ specialties among its top 10. U.S. News and World Report places Berkeley Haas in the top 10 for the business analytics, real estate, executive MBA, entrepreneurship, and finance categories, and the report lists the school at number 11 for its marketing category.
Topuniverisities.com similarly ranks UC Berkeley Haas highly, placing it at number 5 in its EMBA Rankings – North America category.
Rounding out the high rankings of the school are its places for the World University Rankings – Masters In Finance and EMBA Rankings – Global lists, coming in at number 6 and number 10, respectively.
Niche.com places the University of California, Berkeley at number 32 out of 1,243 for its Best Colleges for Business in America list.
Haas School of Business Requirements
As with many colleges and universities, applicants to the Haas School of Business are reviewed holistically. The school seeks to admit students who will both excel academically and meaningfully contribute to the school’s community.
The school evaluates continuing Berkeley and transfer undergraduate applicants based on the rigor of courses taken and the grades students received in these courses, their responses to the school’s essay questions, and their awards and activities.
An applicant’s academic performance makes up 50% of the weight of the application.
The remaining weight of the application is divided between essay responses and activities and awards, weighted at 35% and 15%, respectively.
Undergraduate applicants must complete all prerequisites with at least a C- by the spring before entering the business program.
Additionally, undergraduate applicants must have completed a minimum of 60 semesters or 90 quarter units, with all prerequisites carrying at least three semester units or four quarter units.
Graduate applicants to the school must submit transcripts from all institutions attended, two professional letters of recommendation with one from a direct supervisor, a resume, and standardized test scores.
Graduate applicants must submit either GRE or GMAT test scores as a prerequisite for admission, although the school does not have a minimum score for admission.
The Berkeley MBA application also requires students to respond to at least two essay questions designed to give an idea of an applicant’s personal qualities and goals.
Applicants will be invited to interview at the school and must do so as a requirement for admission to the Haas School of Business.
Along with the above requirements, graduate applicants are required to pay a $200 application fee unless they qualify for a waiver.
Notable Alumni of the Haas School of Business
As would be expected from graduates of such a prestigious university and its business school, alumni from UC Haas have seen success in various fields.
Paul Otellini graduated from the Haas School of Business with an MBA in 1974 and served as Intel’s CEO from 2005 to 2013, in addition to sitting on the board of directors for Google.
Arun Sarin, another leader in the tech business, served as the CEO of Vodafone from 2003 to 2008 after earning his MBA from Berkeley Haas in 1978.
Catherine Lesjak earned her MBA from Haas before becoming HP’s CFO and briefly serving as the company’s interim CEO. The current CEO, president, and chairman of Adobe, Shantanu Narayen, earned his MBA from UC Haas in 1993.
The school has also produced leaders in finance, with former COO and CEO of Citibank, Barbara Desoer, earning her MBA from the school. Additionally, Richard Blum founded Blum Capital Partners after earning bachelor’s and MBA degrees from Berkeley Haas.
Graduates from the school have seen success in politics as well. Norman Mineta served as the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury after his MBA at Berkeley Haas in 1953.
John Garamendi, a member of California’s delegation to the U.S House of Representatives since 2009, earned his bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Berkeley.
Should You Attend UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business?
With its nationally and internationally recognized business program, the University of California, Berkeley Haas School of business is able to draw some of the best and brightest candidates to apply for admission.
With such high acclaim, the school is quite selective in its admission process. Still, any student who can demonstrate academic, professional, and personal success would be wise to apply for admission to gain a world-recognized education.
Whether one aspires to succeed as a chief officer in a major multi-national business, as an entrepreneur bent on creating the next outstanding startup business, or as a leading figure in politics, studying at Berkeley Haas will prepare them well for success in their chosen field.
The school’s business program has even drawn pioneering astronauts to retire from space to study within Berkeley’s halls.
The school’s research centers and institutes continually push the envelope in all fields of business innovation and research while providing excellent educational opportunities to students at Berkeley Haas.
The Haas School of Business also draws leaders and pioneers from the business community to lecture at the school to further disseminate business expertise from some of the most successful people in the field.
Since it was founded in 1898, the Haas School of Business has provided fundamental skills and high-level expertise to every student accepted into the school.
With such a long-standing legacy of excellence in business education, Berkeley Haas will continue to provide the same excellence in business education to many more generations of aspiring entrepreneurs and leaders in the business world.
