General Information
Thank you for your interest in the Applied Mathematics/Mathematics PhD Programs! The Math Department admits new graduate students to the Fall Semester only. The graduate admissions application for Fall 2026 admission will be available Wednesday, September 10th, 2025. The deadline to apply is Monday, December 15th, 2025 at 8:59pm Pacific Time. Access the Graduate Division's Online Application. Please read the information on Graduate Division requirements and information required to complete the application.
Copies and "unofficial" transcripts are accepted via the online application system if the name of your institution and your name are on the transcript. Please do not mail original transcripts for the review process.
We require three letters of recommendation, which should be submitted online. We do not accept mailed letters of recommendation. Letters should be received online by the admissions deadline.
Admission to the Ph.D. Program
The Department of Mathematics offers 2 Ph.D. degrees, one in Mathematics and one in Applied Mathematics. Applicants for admission to either Ph.D. program are expected to have preparation comparable to the undergraduate major at Berkeley in Mathematics or in Applied Mathematics. These majors consist of 2 full years of lower-division work (covering calculus, linear algebra, differential equations, and multivariable calculus), followed by 8 one-semester courses including real analysis, complex analysis, abstract algebra, and linear algebra. These eight courses may include some mathematically based courses offered by other departments (e.g., Physics, Engineering, Computer Science, or Economics).
Applicants for admission are considered by the department's Graduate Admissions Committee. The number of students that can be admitted each year is determined by the Graduate Division. In making admissions decisions, the committee conducts a comprehensive review taking into consideration letters of recommendation, level of mathematics preparation, performance in courses, broader impacts (community contributions), research experience, etc.
A Note on the GRE Exams
The GRE Subject exam in Mathematics will be required for the Fall 2026 graduate admissions application. You may still submit other GRE results; however, only the subject test in Mathematics is required. Note: Your Math Subject GRE score will be one factor amongst many considered by the admissions committee. While we have no rigid rules on the weighting of these factors, it is very unlikely that an applicant with a low GRE score will be admitted. A score below the 50th percentile would be considered low.
To ensure timely reception of official score reports, we recommend you take both exams no later than October; official score reports are due by the admissions deadline. The Educational Testing Service will send your scores to the institutions you specify when you take the exams, please consult their website to see how long it takes for ETS to transmit score reports to institutions. The institution code for all graduate programs at UC Berkeley is 4833; there is no program/department specific code for reporting. Additional information about the GRE exams, and how to register, can be on the ETS website (hyperlinked)
A Note on GPAs
If your undergraduate institution does not use a 4-point grading scale please do not convert your GPA to match the 4.0 scale. Instead, leave the section blank, or write in 0.00. The faculty review committee will be able to see your true academic performance from your uploaded unofficial transcripts. For the "Advanced GPA," our program does not require a GPA calculation spreadsheet.
International Students
All applicants from countries in which the official language is not English are required to submit official evidence of English language proficiency. Please refer to the Graduate Division's admissions page for information on the English language requirement.
Application Fee Waivers
We will be unable to accommodate requests for application fee waivers for international students for the Fall 2026 admission cycle. Domestic students interested in an application fee waiver should refer to the Graduate Division website
The M.A. in Math
The Department of Mathematics no longer accepts applications for the Master's in Mathematics Program. If you are interested in graduate study at UC Berkeley, please apply for the Applied Mathematics or Mathematics Ph.D. program. The MA application is only available to current Ph.D. students at Berkeley interested in a simultaneous MA in Mathematics.
The Department of Mathematics no longer accepts applications for the Master's in Mathematics Program. If you are interested in graduate study at UC Berkeley, please apply for the Applied Mathematics or Mathematics Ph.D. program. The MA application is only available to current Ph.D. students at Berkeley interested in a simultaneous MA in Mathematics.
Current Ph.D students at Berkeley outside of the Mathematics department will need to adhere to the following deadlines:
Fall 2026 application: Monday, December 15th 2025
Spring 2027 application: Monday, May 18th, 2026
Decisions
We expect to make final decisions by the end of February.
Email Math Graduate Admissions
After reading the above material and our FAQ page, if you have further questions on admission to our program you can send an email to grads-math@berkeley.edu.