Bright minds from throughout the world come to this urban academic oasis overlooking the San Francisco Bay. They enter a place known not only for top-notch facilities but also for plenty of activity outside the classroom. The university boasts more than 1,000 student organizations, and roughly 10 percent of undergrads go Greek. Lambda Chi Alpha’s Daffodil Festival has been a popular spring event since the 1940s when the beautiful yellow flowers first began being sold around campus to raise money for charity. But what often comes to mind when people think of Cal is its liberal student activism. Berkeley gained national attention in 1964 for The Free Speech Movement, a student protest in response to the administration’s ban on political activity. Since then, Cal students have been vocal about many causes, ranging from women’s rights to ending apartheid in South Africa.

From mystery fiction to biological psychology, UC Berkeley offers a variety of undergraduate classes online. Companies often turn to Cal to provide training for their employees in areas such as leadership, team facilitation, and sales. And if you want to earn a certificate in a field such as graphic design, drug and alcohol abuse studies, construction management, or teaching English as a second language, Cal likely has a professional program to suit your schedule.

Before Aaron Rodgers became a Green Bay Packer, he served as quarterback for the Golden Bears. But the sports program covers a much greater range than just football. As of 2015, Cal athletic history included 89 national team titles in 15 different sports. The rugby team has been a powerhouse since the 1980s with no signs of letting up in the 21st century. The outstanding swimming and diving program has produced the likes of Matt Biondi, Mary Meagher, Natalie Coughlin, and Missy Franklin. What gets the average Cal student most excited, though, are any contests against rival Stanford University.

Pick any academic discipline and Cal likely has been a player in its advancement. Credit Cal professors for discovering both Vitamin E and Vitamin K, drafting no-fault divorce law, setting up the Western Hemisphere’s first string of seismographic stations to monitor earthquakes, and inventing canned fruit cocktail. During World War II, physics professor J. Robert Oppenheimer directed the U.S. government laboratory at Los Alamos, New Mexico— site of the atomic bomb development. Today, the university continues to impact the world with its research, which spans from the role of copper in neuron signaling to the potential of using renewable energy technologies in urban areas.