Major Requirements

Declaration of the Psychology major is admission-based and students must meet specific eligibility in order to be admitted.

Guaranteed Admission

Effective Spring 2026, students must apply to the Psychology Major and meet the following requirements:

• Complete all prerequisite courses as outlined in Tier I Prerequisites (see below) with a letter grade; AND
• Maintain a minimum 2.0 average GPA in the prerequisite courses; AND
• Submit a complete and accurate application within their window of eligibility

Students who meet the admission requirements as listed above are guaranteed admission into the major.

Non-Guaranteed Admission

Students who do not meet the minimum prerequisite GPA and/ or window of eligibility are additionally required to submit the following:

• Provide a satisfactory program plan documenting intended completion of the major within the standard upper division 2-year window.*
• Provide a brief writing sample demonstrating persistence of goals towards major and future plans with Psychology.

Students who have not satisfactorily completed all of the prerequisites are not eligible to apply to the major.

Window of Eligibility

The window of eligibility differs for students who enter as First-Years and students who enter as Transfers.

• First-Year students: Apply as soon as eligible and by the first day of instruction of the 5th semester, or prior to the accumulation of 59 units or less, whichever comes second. Summer Sessions do not apply.
• Transfer students: Apply as soon as eligible and by the first day of instruction of the 2nd semester, or prior to the accumulation of 79 units or less, whichever comes second. Summer Sessions do not apply.

As of Spring 2026, students may still submit an application beyond the window of eligibility, as long as they have a feasible program plan that documents intended completion of the major by their Expected Graduation Term. However, admission is not guaranteed and application is subject to an exception review. This allowance from the policy may change contingent on space availability in the program.

Reduced Course load

For students whose prerequisite completion exceeds the semester range due to taking a Reduced Course Load, the window of eligibility is considered based on the accumulated unit count, including incomplete grades.

Admission Criteria Specific to First-Year Students Admitted to UC Berkeley in Fall 2023 through Spring 2024

Students who selected Psychology as the primary major on their UC Berkeley admission application and were admitted to the College of Letters and Science with a guaranteed spot in the major, should follow the High Demand Major declaration guidelines:

• Complete all prerequisite courses with a letter grade as outlined in Tier I Prerequisites with a letter grade
• Maintain a minimum 2.0 average GPA in the prerequisite courses
• Window of Eligibility does NOT apply

Students who are admitted without the High Demand Major in Psychology designation (i.e. with a “HD Psych” notation on CalCentral) must apply for declaration using the current application form. We strongly recommend that you apply for declaration as soon as possible and prior to the start of 5th semester or the accumulation of 60 units.

ALL courses taken for the major (both lower division prerequisites and upper division requirements) must be taken for a letter grade.

Students who use an AP exam or IBHL exam score to satisfy a prerequisite must still have a minimum of four letter-graded prerequisite courses. If you have more than one eligible exam score, you must choose one to use for the prerequisite and satisfy the other four prerequisites with letter-graded coursework.

Please review the course catalog for details on course information and credit restrictions.

Transfer students and UC Berkeley students who wish to complete prerequisites at California community colleges should consult assist.org for further information about the appropriate transferable coursework.

Students must take at least 8 upper division courses according to the guidelines below.

Tier II: Survey - A total of 5 courses with at least one in each area

Tier III: Electives - A total of 3 additional upper-division Psychology courses 

• Select three courses from upper-division psychology courses numbered 104-182 (except the 149 series). Each course must be at least 3.0 units.
• The Psych 149 series, Psych 149A-D, DO NOT COUNT for the major requirements. 
• Any excess Tier II survey courses will count towards Tier III.

Sample Psychology Major Schedule

The Psychology Major enforces all credit restrictions as stipulated for courses in the Berkeley Course Catalog.

Tier II Requirement Course Policy

1. Prior to Fall 2024 and again effective Summer 2025 - Psych 110/ N110 is credit-restricted with Psych/ NEU C61 (formerly MCB C61). Students who have taken Psych/ NEU/ MCB C61 or an equivalent course at another institution may not count Psych 110/ N110 toward the Tier II Biological Survey requirement. The enrollment system now enforces the credit restriction.
2. Effective Fall 2022 - Psych C111/ NEU C121: Human Neuroanatomy is eligible to count as a Tier II Biological Survey requirement.
3. Effective Spring 2022 - Psych C115C/ NEU C125 (formerly IB C147): Neuroethology: Complex Animal Behaviors and Brains is eligible to count as a Tier II Biological Survey requirement.
4. Effective Fall 2020 - Psych 124: The Evolution of Human Social Behavior is eligible to count as a Tier II Biological Survey Requirement.
5. Effective Summer 2025 - students will receive no credit for Psych 160 after completing Sociol 150. Effective Spring 2026, students will receive no credit for Social 150 after completing Psych 160. We advise students to take only one of these courses toward their Psychology major requirements.
6. Psych 130M: Psychopathology Across the Life Span is not the same as Psych 130: Clinical Psychology. Students who have taken both Psych 130 and Psych 131 should not take Psych 130M.

Upper Division Major Requirement Course Policy

Psych 102, H194A-B, H195A-B, 197, 198, and 199 do not count towards the Psychology major requirement, although students are encouraged to become involved in research and other professional development opportunities.

Students may count a maximum of two upper-division courses outside the department toward Tier II or III major requirements. See a list of courses that have been previously approved on our website here.

Courses taken in the summer with a "N" prefix or online with a "W" prefix can be used to satisfy the same requirements as the traditional course. For example, taking Psych N140 in summer is equivalent to taking Psych 140 in Fall or Spring.

COVID-19 Pass/ No Pass Grading Policy

As a general rule, students must take all prerequisites and all Tier II/III requirements for a letter grade.  However, during the remote learning period of Spring 2020, Summer 2020, Fall 2020, Spring 2021 and Summer 2021, the department has created an exception policy, as outlined below, regarding using courses which have been completed with a P grade to satisfy major requirements. 

Students must complete at least 4 prerequisites for a letter grade to be admitted to the major. The other prerequisite can be either a course passed on a  P/NP basis taken during the remote learning period(Spring 2020 through Summer 2021 ONLY), OR AP or IBHL credit.

We will include all letter-graded courses (minimum of 4) taken to satisfy requirements in order to calculate the prerequisite GPA.

Students must complete at least 4 Tier II/Tier III major requirements for a letter grade to satisfactorily complete major requirements. The other 4 Tier II or Tier III courses can be a combination of Pass grades taken during the remote learning period (Spring 2020 through Summer 2021 ONLY),  There is no restriction on which areas these courses may be in. 

 Students can take UCEAP courses, community college and other non-Berkeley courses, P/NP and we will accept them towards the major if a P grade is earned in the Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Spring 2021 and Summer 2021 semesters. Please note that we require that 4 out of the 5 psychology prerequisite courses be taken for a letter grade. NOTE: UCEAP/non-Berkeley course(s) must be approved to count towards the major. This applies to Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Spring 2021 and Summer 2021 courses only.

For more information about the process to declare the major, a link to the online application, and deadlines for major applications each semester, visit our Apply to the Major webpage. 

Grading
All prerequisite courses and upper-division courses that apply to the major must be taken on a letter grade basis and receive a D- or above.  Major requirements will not count towards the major progress if a course is taken Pass/No Pass (See COVID-19 Policy above for more info). 

Minimum Grade Point Average in the Major
The University requires that students maintain a 2.0 grade point average in all courses (lower and upper division) required in the major program, as well as a 2.0 grade point average in all upper division courses that apply to the major.  Any student who does not meet the minimum grade point average in the major will be placed on probation. 

GPA Calculator