UC Berkeley Extension offers a variety of educational opportunities for a variety of student populations.
Online Study
If you are open to studying in an online, self-paced environment, you can check out our various part-time programs and courses through UC Berkeley Extension. These courses allow maximum flexibility because they are offered online and some can be completed asynchronously at your own pace, so you can study when convenient. Please keep in mind that these programs do not facilitate the F-1 Visa.
Full-Time In Person Study
If you are currently on an F-1 Student Visa or in need of a Form I-20 to apply for an F-1 Visa to pursue in-person studies, you will want to apply to one of our F-1 Visa-eligible programs, listed below:
Berkeley Global Access Program - Take courses on a space-available basis from variety of majors across the UC Berkeley main campus such as humanities, arts, engineering, math or social sciences. This is the most versatile program and allows you to study multiple academic subjects at once.
Berkeley Haas Global Access Program - This program is for students interested in Haas School of Business topics such as entrepreneurship, innovation, marketing, finance and more.
Berkeley Physics International Education Program - This program is for students exclusively interested in physics topics such as quantum mechanics, atomic physics, solid state physics, biophysics, string theory, cosmology, thermal and statistical physics, data science and more.
All of these visiting student programs listed above will facilitate the F-1 Visa.
Some certificate programs such as the BHGAP are eligible for OPT application if all immigration-related criteria are met. You can contact visiting-intl@berkeley.edu if you have more specific questions about your specific OPT situation and eligibility.
Please review our program webpages linked above to learn more, and contact us if you have questions about any of these programs.