Berkeley, CA
September 11, 2025
Today, the University of California, Berkeley received the 2025 Higher Education Excellence and Distinction (HEED) Award from Insight Into Academia magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education. As a recipient of the annual HEED Award — a national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to academic excellence, belonging, and community-building across all levels of campus life.
UC Berkeley will be featured, along with 60 other recipients, in the October 2025 issue of Insight Into Academia magazine. This is the fourth consecutive year that UC Berkeley has been named a HEED Award recipient.
“At a time when our country is deeply engaged in conversations about access and opportunity, this recognition affirms our belief that academic excellence is inseparable from equity and transformation, " shares Fabrizio Mejia, interim Vice Chancellor of Equity and Inclusion. “UC Berkeley remains committed to our mission to provide every student — from every background — the opportunity to thrive, belong, and contribute meaningfully to our community and the world.”
“We take a detailed and somewhat holistic approach to reviewing each application in determining who will be named a HEED Award recipient. Our standards are high, and we look for institutions where academic excellence and belonging are woven into the work being done every day across their campus,” says Lenore Pearlstein, co-publisher of Insight into Academia magazine.
For more information about the 2024 HEED Award, visit Insight Into Diversity.
For more information about UC Berkeley’s Division of Equity and Inclusion, visit diversity.berkeley.edu.
About Insight Into Academia
Insight is the leader in recognizing inclusive excellence in higher education through its many prestigious awards, and in advancing best practices in inclusive excellence and belonging through their website and print magazine. Learn more at insightintoacademia.com.
