Students

Five UC Berkeley faculty members have launched an open letter urging the University of California to reinstate SAT or ACT math scores for applicants to STEM majors, arguing that campuses need a clearer way to assess whether students are prepared for college-level quantitative work.

The effort has drawn more than 1,450 faculty signatures as of June 11 and pushed a long-running admissions debate back into public view....

We would like to wrap up the 2025–2026 academic year by congratulating all of the current Cal Bears and recent alums who received nationally competitive scholarships and fellowships this academic year, as well as those who submitted strong applications for more than 30 scholarship and fellowship programs our office supports.

Christian Fernandez did not take a traditional path to UC Berkeley.

A first-generation, low-income student, who restarted his college career after taking time off, Fernandez arrived at Berkeley carrying experiences that would later shape both his academic path and his work helping at-risk youth. As a sociology major, he mentored students through Playing for Change, a Berkeley-affiliated program that uses games and emotional learning tools to help young people manage stress and build resilience.

Drawing from his...

History and ethnic studies senior Elizabeth Diaz has built her academic career around a central question: What does activism look like beyond protest?

That question became the foundation for her senior thesis, “Activism Beyond Protest in the Central Valley,” which examines how activism takes different forms among communities and often appears in everyday acts of advocacy, mutual support and organizing.

This week, Diaz will graduate from UC Berkeley with a bachelor’s degree in history and ethnic studies. Beyond the...