Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. You can enroll in an R&C Part B course for next semester. If you pass COLWRIT R1A at the end of this semester with a C or better, you are allowed to take the R&C Part B course that you enrolled in. If you don’t pass COLWRIT R1A at the end of this semester, you are not allowed to take the R&C Part B course that you enrolled in, and you will have to drop yourself from the course.

If you're enrolled in COLWRIT R1A in the spring semester and want to enroll in an R&C Part B course during the summer, contact us if you have problems enrolling.

If the course you want to take is COLWRIT R4B, then yes, you absolutely must fulfill the prerequisite first semester of R&C before enrolling in the course.

For courses other than COLWRIT R4B, the answer is almost always yes, you must fulfill the prerequisite. You may contact the instructor to ask for an exception, but expect to be told that you need to fulfill the prerequisite before taking the course. Even if CalCentral allows you to enroll in the course, the instructor will likely drop you if you haven’t fulfilled the prerequisite.

Each student's portfolio is read by a College Writing lecturer that is not the student's instructor. It is marked as passing or not passing according to scoring guidelines developed by College Writing Programs. 

You will receive a detailed statement from your rater as to why your portfolio didn't pass. If you disagree with this, you should speak to your own instructor. We do not release the names of raters to students. 

In order to pass R1A, you must receive a C or better. While a C- is a failing grade in this course, if you receive a C- you must repeat the course but cannot replace the C- grade. With a D+, you still need to retake the course, but your new grade will replace the D+ in your GPA. 

UC Berkeley offers courses in a wide range of departments that fulfill the second half of the R&C requirement (see, for example, COLWRIT R4B). Check the Schedule of Classes to find out which courses are currently being offered.

The Berkeley Writing Assessment is a 2-hour timed reading and writing activity done online. It is made up of a reading passage and questions that you will write an essay in response to, without the assistance of outside readings, books, websites, ChatGPT, or other people. You will also complete a survey that tells us about your experience with writing and writing classes.

If you do not have a qualifying exam score at this time, or a C or higher in an English Composition course completed before starting Berkeley, you should  consider taking the next available assessment.

The advantage of taking the upcoming assessment is to guarantee you will have the results in time for fall semester enrollment in mid-July to best determine if you will take COLWRIT R1A or qualify for enrollment in a Reading and Composition course that satisfies Part A. The Assessment is not required for enrollment in COLWRIT R1A, you can always enroll directly into the course. COLWRIT R1A completed with a letter grade of C or higher satisfies both Entry Level Writing  and Reading and Composition Part A.

If you are a newly admitted first-year student who has accepted the offer to attend Berkeley, you will be assigned a Task in your CalCentral Dashboard to complete an Entry Level Writing Evaluation form. If you are a continuing  Berkeley student, there is a registration link on this page.

You may take the Berkeley Writing Assessment only once.

Each student essay will be read by two raters, working independently, to assign it a score from 1-6. The two scores are combined for the final score.

This is not an exam in the traditional sense. The Assessment doesn't have passing or failing grades. Instead, it will tell you which composition class is best for you given your skills and experience. If you receive a combined final score of 8 or higher, you will be recommended to take a 4-unit Reading and Composition Part A  course in the department of your choice, including College Writing Programs. If your score is lower than 8, you will take College Writing (COLWRIT) R1A, a 6-unit course which satisfies both the Entry Level Writing and Reading and Composition Part A requirement.

Upon completing the BWA, a $196 fee will be charged and applied to your Billing Summary account under My Finances in your CalCentral dashboard. Payment is due by Friday, May 30, 2025. If you previously qualified for the UC Application fee waiver, an automatic fee waiver will be applied.

Fee waivers for the Berkeley Writing Assessment are only granted to students who qualified for the UC Application fee waiver. The Berkeley Writing Assessment fee waiver will be automatically processed if you have already qualified for the UC Application fee waiver.

Yes, the Berkeley Writing Assessment will be offered two times each year: the May administration (primarily for incoming students) and once during the fall semester. Note that you may take the Assessment only once. If you do not receive a qualifying score the first time you take the Assessment, and you have no other qualifying scores or acceptable transfer course completed prior to stating Berkeley, you should enroll in COLWRIT R1A

No, you may enroll directly in COLWRIT R1A without an assessment score. Many students appreciate taking the course as a way to improve their reading and writing skills in a small class environment (College Writing classes have only 14 students per section). The class is designed to set you up for success with your future writing assignments at Berkeley.

It generally takes around 3 weeks for your essay to be scored and for the score to be submitted before it appears in your records. You can find your BWA scores on your Cal Central dashboard under the "My Academics" tab.

A list of accepted tests and scores is found on the University of California Entry Level Writing Requirement page.

No, unfortunately the digital SAT has not yet been approved to meet the Entry Level Writing Requirement (ELWR).

There are two types of ACT scores: a score on English Language Arts (ELA) which is given if you complete the optional Writing test; and another score on English + Reading if you do not complete the optional Writing test.

If you have an ELA score, you will need a 30 or better to meet the ELWR.

If you have an English + Reading score, you will need a combined score (a sum of the English and Reading scores) of 63 or better to meet the ELWR. The combined score must be from a single sitting, in other words, from the same exam. You cannot combine scores from multiple exam attempts to meet the 63 exam score minimum.

If you intend to use an exam score to satisfy the ELWR, you must request that your official scores be sent to Berkeley via the testing agency's website as soon as all of your scores are available to make sure they're received in time. Be sure to use the college code 0444 for the ACT and 4833 for the SAT.

No, not for the Entry Level Writing Requirement. TOEFL, IELTS, or DET scores may be used to demonstrate English language proficiency, but are not acceptable for the ELWR.

You can see which exams may be used to satisfy the ELWR on the UC ELWR website.

No. The Smarter Balanced score is used by some campuses as an additional piece of information for placement into courses. UC Berkeley does not currently use the Smarter Balanced Assessment.

If you are interested in enrolling in an Reading and Composition course during the fall semester, then satisfaction of Entry Level Writing must be confirmed before the start of enrollment in mid-July. It may be to your advantage to take the Assessment in the annual May date as a back-up in case you do not receive the minimum score needed on your AP or IB exam. 

If you decide not to take the Assessment in May, and you do not receive a qualifying AP or IB exam score, you can still take a make-up Assessment during the fall semester and postpone enrollment in a Reading and Composition course. Alternatively, you can bypass the Assessment and enroll directly in the COLWRIT R1A course in the fall or spring semester. COLWRIT R1A completed with a letter grade of C or higher satisfies both Entry Level Writing and Reading and Composition Part A.

No, an AP or IB course alone will not satisfy the ELWR. You must have an acceptable score on these exams to meet the ELWR. You can view acceptable exam scores on the University of California ELWR website.

A California Community College course that is published on ASSIST under the General Education/Breadth agreement as articulated to ENGLISH R1A or ENGLISH R1B will satisfy Entry Level Writing. You must earn a grade of “C” or better for the course to meet ELWR. Follow the steps below to determine if your California Community College course articulates to ENGLISH R1A or ENGLISH R1B:

• Visit ASSIST.org

• In the box labeled “Search below for transferable courses” select:

• Academic year: the year you completed the course. Academic year encompasses Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer. For example academic year 2023-2024 encompasses Fall 2023, Winter 2024, Spring 2024, and Summer 2024

• Community College: select the institution where you completed the course

• Select "UC Transfer Admission Eligilibity Courses"

• Click on View Transferability Lists

• On the next page View Transferable Courses by selecting “UC Transfer Eligibility Area”

• Click on UC-E -English Composition from the populated list

• Scroll down until you see the list of courses under UC-E -English Composition

• If your course is listed, it satisfies the UC ELWR .

• If the course you completed is not listed, it does not satisfy the ELWR.

If you have taken an English composition course at another college or university, outside of the California Community College System, it may have been pre-approved to satisfy Reading and Composition. Consult Transfer Courses for Reading & Composition to see if the course is listed. If the course is noted as satisfying ENGLISH R1A, ENGLISH R1B, or “one half," it will meet the Entry Level Writing Requirement.  

If the course is not listed on the Transfer Courses for Reading & Composition website, it can still be reviewed for Entry Level Writing. To request an evaluation, open a Cal Student Central case (select ‘Registrar’ and ‘Transfer Credit’) and be sure to attach the syllabus for the course. Course syllabi can be submitted at any time and will be reviewed within 10-14 days, so be mindful of upcoming Berkeley Writing Assessment dates and class enrollment deadlines. For the Berkeley Writing Assessment on May 10, plan to submit your course syllabus for evaluation by Friday, April 18 to ensure that your course is reviewed in time for you to complete the "Entry Level Writing Evaluation" Task assignment in Cal Central by May 1, 2025 should you need to register for the Assessment.

College level coursework must be posted on an official college transcript to be considered for meeting the criteria listed for College Courses and satisfying ELWR. If the college level course you completed is posted on your high school transcript only, it will not satisfy the ELWR.

Yes, you can complete a college level English course if it meets the qualifications for a College Course. If you choose to complete a college level English course in the summer, you may need to wait until the spring term to register for the next course in the Reading & Composition requirement since your college credit likely won’t be posted in time for fall class registration. If you complete a college level English course in the summer and don’t receive a C grade or better, you may choose to complete the Berkeley Writing Assessment (BWA) on a make-up day, or register directly for COLLEGE WRITING R1A

The Summer English Language Studies office is located in 119 Wheeler Hall(link is external).

The SELS office is open in-person from July to mid-August, Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 5:00pm. Feel free to stop by during open hours with questions, concerns, or company.

If you need assistance before the term starts, please contact us via email(link sends e-mail).

If your question is not addressed below, please review Berkeley Summer Sessions’ International Student FAQs(link is external) for additional information.

Most students can make schedule changes online. UC Berkeley students can make changes via CalCentral. Visiting international students: please visit the Berkeley Summer Sessions Enrollment Changes webpage(link is external).

The Summer English Language Studies office cannot answer specific questions about visas. After referring to the visa webpage(link is external) on the Berkeley International Office site, direct all visa questions to biosummer@berkeley.edu(link sends e-mail).

The Summer English Language Studies office cannot answer specific questions about registration or fees.  After referring to the registration webpage(link is external) on the Berkeley Summer Sessions site, direct all registration and fee questions to summer@berkeley.edu.

Most of our classes and activities are designed for high school graduates and students over 18 years old. But we also welcome high school students who enroll via the Berkeley Summer Sessions Pre-College Scholars program(link is external).

If you would like to visit California and take summer ESL classes, please see our page for high school students.

If your meet the English language proficiency requirements, you are welcome to register for UC Berkeley’s Pre-Collegiate program(link is external).

Yes, students who wish to enroll in a SELS course and another non-SELS course may do so. Please keep in mind that all UC Berkeley courses are conducted in university-level English, unless noted. The rigor and expectations outside of the Summer English Language Program is intensive and based on English proficiency. The university requires that students demonstrate English language proficiency(link is external) in order to take non-SELS courses.

For international students, courses cost $550 per unit (as of the Summer 2020 term). The courses(link is external) in Summer English Language Studies vary in unit amount, but the course fees for international students (NOT including additional Summer Sessions fees(link is external)) are as follows:

College Writing 5 (3 units): $1650
College Writing 6 (2 units): $1100
College Writing 7 (1 unit): $550
College Writing 8 (4 units): $2200
College Writing 9 (3 units): $1650
College Writing W3 (2 units): $1100

Note: Please refer to the international fee website(link is external) for complete registration fees. The International Service fee will be refunded or removed from your account for 2020, as no visas are required for all-online classes.  For domestic, non-international students, refer to the registration fee website(link is external).

A unit (or unit of credit) represents the amount of work in a course.  Each unit represents approximately 30-45 hours of work by the student, including both class attendance and preparation. So if you are taking a 2-unit class in the summer, you can expect the total amount of work in the class to take you 60-90 hours/term. See https://summer.berkeley.edu/student-services/units-grades for more information.

Yes — if you are over 17, a senior in high school in your country, and have traveled outside of your country before. Please note, however, that you will be in classes with adults!

All high school students MUST register via UC Berkeley’s Pre-Collegiate program(link is external).

Summer students must use the transcript service TranscriptsPlus(link is external) to obtain copies of their transcript.  Please refer to this post(link is external) for further details on how to order your UC Berkeley transcript.

If you have additional questions or concerns, please refer to the Office of the Registrar’s webpage(link is external) on transcripts.

We recommend waiting to buy all of your textbooks until coming to class. Different instructors require different books, and for many classes, you will not know which section you will place into. Also, many instructors create course readers, which are books specifically for the course that contain numerous readings, pictures, and articles required for the class. Readers are class-specific and only available in Berkeley at a local copy shop. Please refer to your course syllabus during the first day of class to find out which readers/textbooks are required.

All Summer English Language Studies courses require a basic understanding of reading, writing, and speaking in the English language. All classes are taught entirely in English. Although there is no language proficiency requirement, students are expected to be able to come to the program with some prior experience with the English language.

Summer English Language Studies does not offer beginning-level English language courses at this time.

We will be offering a three-week Academic Test Preparation course from late July to mid August.  Please see the course website(link is external).

The homework level varies course by course. A general rule to follow is that courses with higher unit levels (for example the 4-unit College Writing 8 courses) have more homework than do courses with lower unit levels (for example the 1-unit College Writing 7 courses). Also, College Writing 5 and 9 courses all have a fieldwork component that requires an additional 5 hours of homework each week.  Consult your instructor and course syllabus for a complete list of homework assignments. Instructors do keep in mind that it is summer, and try to incorporate class trips and ways to explore California into homework assignments.

Students should expect to bring something to take notes on (i.e. laptop, notebook, etc.) for each class meeting. Students should do all class readings as assigned. Outside of class, instructors may require students to type homework or papers. If students do not have a laptop, there are numerous computer labs(link is external) on the UC Berkeley campus at your disposal.

Attendance is mandatory in all classes. Because the Summer 2020 session is short, it is crucial that all students attend every single class lecture. Also, students with visas must attend 90% of classes to stay in good status. If there is a conflict or trip you plan going on during a long weekend, please consult your course’s instructor before making any definite purchases or plans so that you can make academic arrangements.

Attendance is mandatory on the first day of class. If a student is not present during the first class lecture of the Summer term, their grade will be negatively affected. It is the responsibility of all students to coordinate their flights and housing arrangements to be in Berkeley before the date of their first class.

Enroll in the class you are interested in signing up for, and choose any section you would like. For example, if you would like to sign up for College Writing 9C, there are four different sections. Choose any section; we will move you into the appropriate section on the first day of class.

It is definitely not necessary to have a car in the San Francisco Bay Area. Check out the local public transit options(link is external), such as AC Transit(link is external), BART(link is external), MUNI(link is external), and Amtrak(link is external).  The Bay Area also offers ride-sharing services such as Lyft(link is external) or Uber(link is external). There are so many options in the Bay Area to get around without having to use a car. Many students also decide to purchase bicycles during their time in Berkeley.

If you decide to invest in a bike, please remember to be careful and lock your bike up at all times, as bike theft is common in Berkeley.

In addition, depending on where your housing is during the summer term, all of your classes will be walking distance. Many students also decide to not invest in any car, bike, or other means of transportation and go on foot!

Check out the Berkeley Summer Sessions housing website(link is external) to see compiled information on University residence halls, student cooperative housing, and other options. Many students in the Summer English Language Studies program decide to live in International House(link is external), housing that caters to international students from all over the world. If you have housing-specific questions and/or concerns, please contact summer@berkeley.edu(link sends e-mail).

Yes!

This is very important.  According to the Health services center on campus: “All students enrolled in UC Berkeley Summer Sessions may use the Tang Center for medical services. Students will have to pay for services at the time of service and submit a claim to their insurer for reimbursement.”

Some resources:

• More information about summer students and health insurance(link is external)
• More information about the U.S.’s incredibly complex health care system