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University of California - Berkeley
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University of California - Berkeley - Athletics - Athletics - College ProwlerCollege Prowler4.62

Athletics

A
Where does this grade come from?View all Athletics rankingsReview this school to add your opinion

Comparable Schools' Athletics Grades:

Quick Stats

Athletic Association
  • NAA
  • NCAA
Athletic Division NCAA Division I-A
Athletic Conferences Football: Pacific-10 Conference
Basketball: Pacific-10 Conference
School Colors Blue and gold
School Nickname Oski the Golden Bear
Men Playing Varsity Sports 508 - 4%
Women Playing Varsity Sports 388 - 3%
Students Receiving Athletic Financial Aid Football: 93
Basketball: 31
Baseball: 31
Cross Country/Track: 65
Other Sports: 314
Graduation Rates of Athletic Financial Aid Recipients Football: 78%
Basketball: 50%
Baseball: 64%
Cross Country/Track: 80%
Other Sports: 80%

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

If it weren’t for its nationally ranked football team, UC Berkeley might feel like UCLA’s nerdy older brother. The Pac-10 Golden Bears cultivate a strong sense of school spirit in the student body—past and present—and game days are weekend-long events that make the school feel cool. New students can sign up for free tickets, and everyone else knows that they’re definitely worth paying for. For those who don’t enjoy football, it’s hard to resist the free barbecue food and beer at almost every fraternity house, which line the route to the stadium, each blaring a different song and cheering for Cal as fans walk to the game. The annual Big Game with Stanford is the centerpiece of Cal’s athletic calendar. The campus comes alive with blue and gold pride, and there are events throughout the week before the game, ending in the West Coast’s largest bonfire rally. Although football and basketball are the only consistently crowded sporting events, the student body normally gets excited every time Cal plays its across-the-Bay rival.

As for intramurals, most IM teams are made of student organizations, although some students choose to walk on as free agents. Most sports have leagues for multiple experience levels, so new players do not have to play against more-seasoned athletes. At the most competitive levels, you’ll find all of the high school athletes who stopped playing school sports after getting to college. Translation: The teams are pretty good, which makes it a fun, once-a-week commitment for people who want solid competition. Cal club sports are a bit more competitive than intramural sports, and club athletes travel to compete against other colleges and universities at a competitive level. Cal STAR is another school-sponsored program that matches physically disabled students and adults with student volunteer trainers.

 

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UC Berkeley Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Athletics at University of California - Berkeley

kunalroy

Computer Science '16

5.0
A+

Intramurals

There is a great intramural atmosphere here at berkeley with many fields that allow for people to play.

May 12, 2012

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Athletics at University of California - Berkeley

higno2

Mass Communications and Media '12

3.8
B+

Our Teams Are Okay

To be honest I don't go to many games because I don't have time or money. But our basketball team is pretty good.

Apr 05, 2012

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Athletics at University of California - Berkeley

katarz

Physics '12

3.5
B

Could Be Better

I don't follow sports at Cal very closely, but our football team didn't win the big game for the past two years, so I'm a bit disappointed. When it comes to water sports, such as water polo and swimming, we're much better.

Mar 27, 2012

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Page 1 of 14
User rating for University of California - Berkeley - Athletics is 4.6 out of 5 based on 42 user reviews.

Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

How popular are varsity sports on campus?

How popular are intramurals and club sports?

How would you describe the athletic facilities?

Facts

Men's Varsity Sports
  • Baseball
  • Basketball
  • Football
  • Golf
  • Gymnastics
  • Other sports
  • Rowing
  • Soccer
  • Swimming and diving
  • Tennis
  • Track and field
  • Water polo
Women's Varsity Sports
  • Basketball
  • Field hockey
  • Golf
  • Gymnastics
  • Lacrosse
  • Rowing
  • Soccer
  • Softball
  • Swimming and diving
  • Tennis
  • Track and field
  • Volleyball
  • Water polo
Intramurals
  • Basketball
  • Dodgeball
  • Flag football
  • Soccer (indoor)
  • Softball
  • Speed soccer
  • Tennis ladder
  • Ultimate Frisbee
  • Volleyball
Club Sports
  • Archery
  • Badminton
  • Ballroom dance
  • Baseball
  • Boxing
  • Crew (lightweight)
  • Cycling
  • Fencing
  • Figure skating
  • Gymnastics
  • Handball
  • Ice hockey
  • Lacrosse (men’s,women's)
  • Racquetball
  • Roller hockey
  • Rugby (women’s)
  • Sailing
  • Skiing
  • Soccer
  • Squash
  • Table tennis
  • Tennis
  • Triathalon
  • Ultimate Frisbee
  • Volleyball (men’s)
  • Water polo
Athletic Fields & Facilities
  • Cal Rec Club
  • Golden Bear Recreational Center
  • Outdoor Tennis Courts
  • Recreational Sports Facility (RSF)
  • Strawberry Canyon Fitness Center

Most Popular Sports

Football is, by far, the most popular, followed by men’s basketball. Cal’s nationally ranked crew, water-polo, and rugby teams are also well-recognized.

Most Overlooked Teams

Gymnastics (men’s), softball, tennis (women’s)

School Spirit

Cal spirit is really impressive during football season, but seems to disappear until Cal Day in the Spring. Students always show up to the football games decked out and blue and gold—if you show up in anything red (even a thin red trim to a navy hat), the crowd will yell at you to take it off. If you don’t, they will. During the season, the school often has small rallies in which the band plays either on campus or on the streets nearby. For Big Game Week, Cal goes all out with a week of “Go Bears” activities, and hundreds of students drive to Stanford whenever the game is away.

Getting Tickets

Freshmen who sign up early can get tickets for free but still need to pay about $30 for the important games, such as when the opponent is Stanford, USC, or UCLA. All of the students sit in the Student Section, and these tickets can only be purchased as season tickets. If you don’t want to spend the $180, buy regular single-game tickets and have a friend sneak you into the student section.

Best Place to Take a Walk

Fire Trails behind Strawberry Canyon, Marin Headlands, Tilden Park

Become a Contributing Author Learn more »

Most Recent Student Author View all

Name
Meegan Brooks
Hometown
Granite Bay, CA
Major
Political science

College Prowler is seeking talented student authors to assist with writing and updating the College Prowler guides to their schools. This is a great opportunity for a student to gain experience and tremendous exposure, utilize new media techniques, and share advice with high school students about what life is really like at your college.

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How do we get our information? Find out here or report an error here. The statistics on our site are from the National Center for Education Statistics IPEDS database.
We update this information twice annually, most recently in May 2012, but it may not be the most recent information available for a particular school.
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