The student-led program Equal Access to Application Assistance (EAAA) is designed to ensure that all applicants to higher degree programs (MS/PhD) in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at UC Berkeley have access to guidance on the application process for advanced degrees. A current (or recent) graduate of the EECS department will provide feedback on application materials, resume, CV, and other application materials each fall prior to the higher degree application deadlines.
Applications for the 2026 edition of EAAA will open in September 2026.
Please note that we are a student volunteer organization, and we do not provide formal guidance about application requirements/deadlines, and can not provide application fee waivers.
Applications will open in September 2026. Check back in September.
Applications due: TBD (PST). Most likely in October.
The reviewer's feedback will be released TBD (most likely early November).
We have curated feedback from previous years' programs into these guidelines on how to write your research and personal history statements (along with extra resources)!
We are also curating a list of external advice on the graduate application process. These do not represent an official endorsement from UC Berkeley.
I have a question about the admission's process to UC Berkeley EECS.
EAAA is a student-run program to help to review application materials such as research statements and CVs; Admissions requirements (including English proficiency requirements), as well as the official admissions process are outside our jurisdiction. You may want to redirect your question to the EECS Graduate Admission Office and ask their advice on how to proceed: gradadmissions@eecs.berkeley.edu. Admissions requirement questions, including questions about TOEFL and English requirements, will not be answered by the EAAA coordinators.
Can I receive feedback or have a question about my application answered before the deadline (TBD)?
Unfortunately not; we do not prioritize any applications over others.
Is there any fee that needs to be paid for EAAA?
There is no fee. EAAA is a student-led program trying to promote a more equitable academic community at UC Berkeley.
Can international applicants also receive feedback?
International students can sumbit their application for feedback, of course. Some international students at Berkeley also review applications.
Is there any particular format for submitting documents?
The form includes instructions for a plain text submission of the statement of purpose (SoP) and the personal history statement (PHS). At the start of the review phase, we will create a Google document for you to interact with your reviewer.
Make sure to paste a complete, two-page SoP AND a complete, two-page PHS into the Google Form, NOT a Google Docs. Failure to input two complete essays may mean that we are unable to review your essays given the high demand of this program.
What degree program applications will EAAA give feedback for?
This program is intended to give feedback for Ph.D. or joint M.S/Ph.D applications only. The M.S. program within UC
Berkeley EECS is heavily intended for current UC Berkeley undergraduates, and the M.Eng. program is not specific to EECS.
Fall 2020: Nathan Lambert, Erin Grant, and Giulia Guidi
Fall 2021: Nathan Lambert, Erin Grant, and Giulia Guidi
Fall 2022: Catherine Chen, Michael Dennis, Ameesh Shah, and Alok Tripathy
Fall 2023: Catherine Chen, Ameesh Shah, Alok Tripathy, and Peter Wu
Fall 2024: Ameesh Shah, Alok Tripathy, Peter Wu, and Jessica Lee
Fall 2025: Peter Wu, and Jessica Lee
Fall 2026: Hanna Schlegel and Kalvin Chang