BESAP - Getting Started

Applying to BESAP

Once the decision has been made by your home institutions, the list of nominated students is sent to the Department of Economics.  We work with UC Berkeley, Extension to create a set of instructions for the application packet and letter of invitation. 

Students will submit the UC Berkeley, Extension online application with required documents. UC Berkeley - Extension will issue all the documents required to obtain a student visa from the American Embassy in the student's home country. UC Berkeley, Extension is very efficient at this. All required documents are issued within four weeks of receiving a complete application for admittance.  In particular, students will receive an I-20 as well as appropriate instructions and documentation from UC Berkeley - Extension about how to pay the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) fee and apply for an F-1 visa on-line.

Many questions about your VISA application, your student status,  and documentation can be found here: Concurrent Enrollment FAQs.

Housing

Housing assistance can also be found through UC Berkeley - Extension.  Application and housing options are listed here: International Housing.

Students might also be offered student housing at UC Berkeley or at International House at Berkeley (in double occupancy rooms).  Applications to the International House are available here: I-House Housing.  

Course Registration

A list of potential courses for the semester is located on our Program Information page.  Students will be able to build their schedules and enroll in courses they have selected up through the 4th week of instruction. 

Required Courses for BESAP Students

The program has two required courses, Economics 191 “Topics in Economic Research” and Economics 198.

1. Economics 191: 45 hours of lectures, 2 papers, and required weekly readings. This course discusses recent research and policy developments. The core objective is to expose students to different aspects of research in economics and how it influences policy. The course is taught jointly by a number of faculty members in the Economics department and discusses developments in public finance, labor economics, game theory, experimental economics, behavioral economics, finance, international economics and economic development..

2. Economics 198: Each student meets every week with an academic tutor to ensure regular academic progression as well as personal integration into the U.S. system of academic studies. The tutor will be available to answer questions about academic and social life and direct students to the appropriate resources on campus.

3. Two additional elective lecture courses in Economics during the Fall and/or Spring terms. In the UC Berkeley system the first lecture course (Econ 191) gives 4 credits, Econ 198 give 1 credit and two electives typically earned 3 to 4 units each. This totals 12 to 13 course credits per semester.

Transcripts and Grades

After completion of studies, each student will be able to review their course grades online.  Students may request an official transcript of grades from the UC Berkeley Extension office here: UC Extension Transcript.

UC Berkeley - Extension, Student Services

Additional information and support services through UC Berkeley - Extension can be found here: Student Services. We highly recommend that all students visiting the Department of Economics through the concurrent enrollment program familiarize themselves with the UC Berkeley - Extenstion, Student Services.