Alumni Eligibility

Your access to Handshake has already been extended. Alumni will have ongoing access to Handshake for 5 years post-graduation. After 2 years post graduation, logging into Handshake with your CalNet ID will only work if you have claimed your xxx@berkeley.edu email at graduation. If you did not do that within 9 months after graduation, no worries - you can still request activation of your email through this website.

We strongly recommend that you secure your xxx@berkeley.edu email address. To register your email, go to the Cal Alumni Network.

If your CalNet login does not work, you can instead complete the Alumni Services Request Form so we can activate your Handshake as an Alumni.

You will be able to CalNet into Handshake for a full 24 months post-graduation, with no action necessary. In order to keep your access seamless, we strongly recommend that you secure your xxx@berkeley.edu email address, which will allow you to continue to CalNet in. To register your email, go to the Cal Alumni Network.

If you would rather not activate your @berkeley.edu email, please complete the Alumni Services Request Form to request access to Handshake, and allow 2-3 business days for processing. See question/answer below for more information.

Your CalNet will continue to work on the Handshake platform for 24 months following graduation. If you have graduated within the last 5 years, did not activate your xxx@berkeley.edu email, and can not access Handshake via your CalNet ID, you can complete the Alumni Services Request Form and allow for 2-3 business days for processing. Once your request has been processed, you will receive an email notifying you that your account has been “edited” and inviting you to “view your profile here”. Once you click on that link, you will be taken to the Handshake login page.

1. Click on the link that reads "You can also sign in with your email address" that appears below the blue box for UC Berkeley Student CalNet.
2. Enter the email address associated with your Handshake account, select Next and follow the instructions.
3. If you have not yet established a “Handshake” password (or have forgotten it), click on the “Forgot your Password?” link.

All recent Cal graduates will have access to services up to five years post-graduation, which includes access to Handshake job postings, workshops, employer information sessions, career fairs, and interviews.

Thanks to support from UDAR we are able to pilot extended access to 1:1 counseling to alumni beginning with our May '22 grads: 1:1 counseling services will expire two years after your graduation date, however all other services remain in effect for the full 5 years. For Dec '21 grads and earlier, 1:1 counseling is limited to 1 year post graduation.

Please see Alumni Services for more information on available services.

*We occasionally archive Alumni Handshake accounts after six months or more of inactivity. If that occurs, please complete the Alumni Services Request Form to regain access and allow for 2-3 business days for processing.

After five years from your graduation month you are no longer eligible. Our services are designed to meet the needs of current students and recent graduates. Alumni who are more than five years out are better served utilizing other career resources designed to serve individuals who are beyond their initial employment experience. You can view some of these options on our Career Services Available to the Public page including links to the Cal Alumni Association (CAA) Career Services.