revised for Summer Session 2026, Fall Semester 2026, and later terms to comply with revised stipulations of The Phi Beta Kappa Society
The selection process for invitation of seniors occurs twice per year. Transcripts are automatically reviewed. Invitations are sent in March to those who qualify based on their record through the previous fall semester (including Summer and December graduates) and in July for those who qualify based on their record through the previous spring semester (including Spring graduates). Invitations are sent by email. The homepage will include an announcement of when invitations are sent.
Criteria for Seniors
- Completion of first semester of senior status (this is to be understood as the completion of one’s seventh semester of college work, or the intention to graduate in the current semester).
- Minimum GPA (for those graduating in August 2026, December 2026, or May 2027): at least 3.93 [exact figure to be posted by September 15]
- Minimum units earned: 95 (excluding exam units, such as Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate, and in-progress courses)
- Minimum units earned in L&S courses: 90
In-progress course will be included in this total. L&S courses include both those offered by departments in L&S and approved courses offered by non-L&S departments that satisfy the L&S Seven-Course Breadth Requirement. - Minimum letter-graded units in L&S courses: 65
(These must be earned at Cal or another UC campus.) - Completion of the L&S 7-Course Breadth Requirement.
- Completion of the L&S Language requirement. See the L&S Language Requirement page for information on ways the requirement can be completed.
- Quantitative and mathematical reasoning: satisfaction of the L&S quantitative reasoning requirement.
- Behavior consistent with the highest standards and principles of the institution’s student code of conduct. Those invited will be asked to affirm their compliance with these standards during their college career.
The chapter’s selection process accepts the determinations of the College of Letters and Science as to which courses count as “L&S courses” and which courses satisfy criteria 7 and 8. For students outside L&S the algorithm used to produce a list of potential candidates applies a “what-if” query to the academic record, so that if the record contains the necessary courses for units and breadth, it will be included in the list as if the student were in L&S.
To learn more about the L&S 7-Course Breadth Requirement, please visit https://lsadvising.berkeley.edu/seven-course-breadth
To determine the eligibility of a course offered outside of L&S, use the search function of the Berkeley Academic Guide (https://classes.berkeley.edu) using the filter for Breadth Requirements; or search for the particular course, then click on the course name in the results to display its full information, which will show which (if any) breadth requirement(s) it satisfies.
NOTE for students in College of Engineering or College of Chemistry.
See the statement on the general eligibility criteria page.
The previous version of this page (for students graduating before Summer Session 2026) is available.
Criteria for TRANSFER students.