Eligibility

Home / Terms / Eligibility

Who is eligible for Berkeley Career Engagement services?

  • Currently registered UC Berkeley Students
    • Students in the following programs are currently not eligible for Handshake services:
      • Haas MBA
      • Berkeley Law – JD Program
      • UC Extension
      • UC Summer Session only (not a matriculated student)
  • UC Berkeley alumni (within 5 years of graduation)
  • Those who qualify for one of the following exceptions:
    • Postdocs & Visiting Student Researchers registered with the Visiting Scholars and Postdoc Affairs (VSPA) program
    • Students not currently enrolled but are:
      • On Filing Fee
      • Scheduled to graduate by the end of the current semester, but are enrolled at another institution (e.g., finishing up at a community college)
      • On an approved Berkeley Study Abroad program
      • Previously registered, approved to return to Berkeley for the next academic semester, and considered a student in “good standing and making satisfactory academic progress” by their college or school

How do I get access?

Most currently registered UC Berkeley Students

Log into Handshake using your CalNet Credentials.

Check the Registrar’s instructions to verify enrollment. If your CalNet Login does not work and you have verified your enrollment, please email cclogin@berkeley.edu with your full name and SID#.

UC Berkeley Alumni (within 5 years of graduation)

If your CalNet is no longer active:

  1. Navigate to the Handshake login page
  2. Click on the link that reads “You can also sign in with your email address” that appears below the blue box with the CalNet login link
  3. If you have not yet established a “Handshake” password (or have forgotten it), click on the “Forgot your Password?” link

If your Handshake account has been archived, please complete the Alumni Services Request Form and submit online.

For details on Alumni services and eligibility please see the Alumni Services page.

Note: Counseling services are limited to Cal Alumni who are within two years of their graduation date beginning with May 2022 grads

Qualifying Exceptions

If you are not registered and paying fees to UC Berkeley for the current semester, you cannot access Berkeley Career Engagement services (e.g., Handshake, counseling appointments, etc.). You may request an exception to access Berkeley Career Engagement services for that semester if you have one of the qualifying exceptions listed below.

Postdocs & Visiting Student Researchers

Log into Handshake using your CalNet Credentials.

Postdocs and Visiting Student Researchers must have:

  • been in residence at UC Berkeley for a minimum of three months
  • a “berkeley.edu” email address that has been reported to the VSPA office
  • that email address added to their Gateway record

If you have any questions regarding your eligibility for services, please send an email to the Visiting Scholars and Postdoc Affairs office.

Graduate Students on a Filing Fee

Graduate students on Filing Fee are eligible for all Berkeley Career Engagement services offered to Graduate/PhD Students for the length of the semester for which their Filing Fee has been approved. Register to request an exception to access Berkeley Career Engagement services for that semester by using our online Degree Verification/Filing Fee Registration process.

Students scheduled to graduate by the end of the current semester

Register to request an exception to access Berkeley Career Engagement services for that semester by using our online Degree Verification/Filing Fee Registration process.

Students studying abroad on a non-UC Study Abroad Program

Students studying abroad this semester, that have filed a Planned Leave of Absence form, and are unable to access Berkeley Career Engagement services with their CalNet login, can still access Berkeley Career Engagement services by completing the steps below:

  1. Register to request an exception to access Berkeley Career Engagement services for that semester by using our online Degree Verification/Filing Fee Registration process.
  2. For the section asking for your department/college advisor Information (shaded part at the bottom), enter:
    Full Name: Barbara Tassielli
    Department/College: Study Abroad
    Email: tass@berkeley.edu
    Phone: (510) 642-1356
  3. Once Berkeley Career Engagement has received confirmation from Study Abroad, you will receive an email with instructions on how to access Handshake. This process typically takes 2 business days so be sure to plan ahead.

Students registered to return for the next academic semester

Previously registered students registered to return to UC Berkeley for the next academic semester, and are considered a student in “good standing and making satisfactory academic progress” by their college or school. Register to request an exception to access Berkeley Career Engagement services for that semester by using our online Degree Verification/Filing Fee Registration process.