Apply for housing at UC Berkeley through our Housing Application portal:
How to Apply for Housing
All campus housing applications are handled through our Housing Application portal.
- Use your CalNet ID to apply for housing after you accept your offer of admission.
- Students may choose a Full Academic Year or Spring-only contract.
- Contracts are sent via email, so make sure your email address is up to date on your Cal Central profile.
- Summer housing options are available through a separate application.
- Most residence halls close over Winter Break.
For additional application resources, visit:
- How to Apply for Housing: New Students
- Housing Application Tutorials
- Dates & Deadlines
- ADA Accommodations & Identity-Based Needs
Housing Application Timeline
On average, students are offered housing three weeks to one month after the application deadline. Continuing students apply first, followed by new first-year students (along with Fall Program for First Semester students), and new transfer students.
Newly Admitted Students: First-Year, Fall Program for First Semester Students, Transfer, and Graduate Students
New students (undergraduate and graduate) must accept their offer of admission and create their Berkeley campus identification (CalNet ID) before they can access the housing application portal.
- First-year undergraduate students will usually be offered a contract for a triple room, the most common occupancy option.
- For a guide to the housing application process for undergraduates, see: How to Apply: New Students
Continuing Students
Housing is increasingly available for continuing students: most who apply with flexible preferences will receive an offer. Berkeley continues to actively expand campus housing, with new buildings opened in 2020 and opening in future years.
- Continuing students who apply for housing by the deadline are assigned a random lottery number. The Assignments Office uses these lottery numbers in conjunction with the student’s top five preferences to assign spaces to applicants. If your first choice is unavailable, we will look at your second, third, etc.
- In order to broaden your chances of receiving a housing offer, you will want to agree to consider an offer that is not among your top five preferences.
- More details related to applying for housing as a continuing student—including how to select a roommate—are covered in our Continuing Student FAQs
Students with Families
Family housing applicants who have not yet received CalNet credentials will need to self-register. Students applying for family housing should apply using their CalNet ID whenever possible.
New Tenured and Tenure-Track UC Berkeley Faculty
Applicants need to create an account through a self-register process.