Welcome to the Office of Planning & Analysis

At the Office of Planning & Analysis (OPA), our purpose is to create decision support that helps Berkeley better fulfill its teaching, research and public service mission and live up to our campus goal of promoting access and excellence. Our core values that define how we contribute to the campus community include creativity, integrity, collaboration, excellence and stewardship. And our goal is to transform OPA from a standard institutional research office to one of the most trusted, innovative, and influential advisory groups on the campus.

Planning & Analysis Highlights

Setting the Record Straight

Recent media articles state that as Berkeley increased our out of state and international population, our underrepresented and low income undergraduate populations have declined. But our recent briefing note - UCB Maintains Diversity Amid Increase in Nonresidents - shows that contention to be false.

Come to Cal

High school seniors and community college graduates will begin to receive admissions letters to UC Berkeley. We know that students have a choice on where to attend. So we have pulled together our top ten reasons we think students should come to Cal and why we think it is a sound financial investment.

Undergraduate Graduation Rates

The 2013-14 California Governor’s Budget Summary cited graduation rates as a key metric for the UC and CSU systems. At UC Berkeley, these rates have increased significantly over time and continue to be among the highest of any public university in the United States. Read more in our recently completed Undergraduate Graduation Rates briefing note.

Fall 2012 Survey of New Students

OPA has just released Curricular Decisions, the third briefing note highlighting response from our Fall 2012 Survey of New Students. This briefing note highlights new undergraduate satisfaction accessing courses, strategies used and guidance received on selecting courses, and advice provided on using Advanced Placement (AP). In addition, we also have posted our Affordability Perspectives and First Impressions, along with detailed survey responses for new freshmen and transfers on our website.

Fall 2012 Data on Berkeley Students

Check out OPA’s Data Visualizations website where you can find the most recent information on Berkeley students, including interactive charts on enrollments by unit and two different visualizations on ethnicity and gender reporting. In addition, the Snapshot of Berkeley Undergraduates, highlighting who Berkeley students are demographically, the financial aid support that they receive, and their academic success, is now available. The 2012 snapshot is an updated and condensed version of some of the highlights from the Profile of New Students, the Undergraduate Profile, and the Financial Aid Fact Sheet.

OPA – Making Campus Decisions Better