Transfer to UC-Berkeley CS for Second Baccalaureate?

[oldprogrammer]

According to the link at the bottom, Berkeley's College of Engineering accepts students for a second baccalaureate. My background is that I received a BA in Economics about 10 years ago and have since been working as a software developer. I've decided to go back to school to get a PhD in Computer Science, and I can't think of better preparation to get into a top program than attending Berkeley for a BS.

Does anyone have an opinion on the competitiveness/likelihood of this? I'm not a CA resident, but I'm hoping my age/background could help me because of the diversity I would add.

I'm also having a hard time understanding the cost of going to Berkeley. Is it about $25K in tuition plus another $8K in fees?



University of California - Admissions

[walt526]

Public universities (particularly in CA) are cutting back on admissions second BA/BS for budgetary reasons (they need all the spots to meet obligations to community college transfers). Factor in the fact that you are an out-of-state applicant and your chances of admission are very, very low given that you will be given the lowest admissions priority. Even if the program felt that your unique background would add something, it comes down to a numbers game that is heavily stacked against you. Given these circumstances, I think getting in to a lower tier UC would be a challenge, but Berkeley would be all but impossible.

Now by all means try. But I'd suggest having a backup plan or two.