Experience Berkeley Program

for High School Students (EBHS)

The Experience Berkeley Program for High School Students (EBHS) is a free 10-month program that provides Black, Latinx, & Native American rising high school seniors with mentors, tools, and resources to complete a competitive UC college application and the opportunity to get a close, personal look at UC Berkeley. The program is primarily virtual, with optional in person events and opportunities to visit campus.

Learn more about the program

Applications for the 2026 Experience Berkeley Cohort are now closed. Admission decisions were sent out on Monday, April 27, 2026.

If you applied to the program, you should have received an email with your decision by now. Please make sure to check:

The email account you used when submitting your application
Your spam/junk folder
Promotions or other filtered inbox folders

If you still cannot find your decision email, please contact itcelia@stileshall.org for support.

Applications for the 2027 cohort will open in January 2027.

CLosed
Application is due March 28, 2026, at 11:59 pm.

Interested in bringing an EBHS informational session to your school? Submit a request, and we’ll do our best to accommodate an in-person or virtual presentation.

Request a Presentation Here

If you have any question please contact Itcelia@stileshall.org.

What will I do in the Program?Program QualificationsProgram Goals
Program Participants are paired with a UC Berkeley student, who will be their program mentor throughout their time in the program. Program mentors will guide program participants through each step of the program. During the program, participants will be expected to do the following:

  • Attend 1-on-1 and group check-ins hosted by your program mentor. Individual and group interactions will take place every month, virtually via Google Meet and Zoom, and are scheduled around the availability of the program participants.
  • Attend a 90-minute virtual workshop, one Saturday a month from June – November. Workshops typically take place on the 2nd Saturday from 10 am-11:30 am.
  • Participants will receive 1-on-1 support with their entire UC Application, including their UC PIQs (Personal Statements)
  • Program participants will receive 1-on-1 support throughout their college acceptance and admissions decision process.

The Experience Berkeley program receives private funding to specifically support students who meet the following criteria:

  • Must self-identify as Black, Latinx, and/or Native/Indigenous
  • Must be a rising senior (a high school junior who will be entering their senior year in Fall 2026)
  • Must currently attend a high school in California
  • Must consider UC Berkeley among your top 3 college choices
  • An unweighted GPA of 3.5 is competitive, but not required.
  • Priority is shown to students who identify as 1st generation and/or low-income

Our goals for each student in our program to:

  1. Understand How to Choose an Undergraduate Major, How to Write Strong Personal Statements, How to Secure Financial Aid for College, How to Submit a Competitive UC Application, and How to Create Opportunities for Themselves
  1. Attend the College/University that is the right fit for them. Fit is determined by several factors, including campus location and climate, financial aid package, the level of academic and professional development the institution offers
  1. Successfully graduates from college with the least amount of debt as possible
  1. Graduate college is in a better position than when they first enrolled AND is able to create opportunities for themselves in their desired career field.