UC Berkeley CS Failure Rates Hit Five-Year High, Doubling Department Benchmarks

UC Berkeley recorded 35.3% failure rates in introductory CS 10 and 10.6% in CS 61A during spring 2026—a sharp reversal from sub-10% failure rates in prior years. Both courses posted 2.3 GPA averages, well below the EECS department's 2.8–3.3 target. Upper-division EECS 127 hit 16.8% failures, triple its typical benchmark. Professors attribute the surge to increased AI tool reliance and inadequate mathematical preparation among students.