Congratulations on receiving your housing offer! We can’t wait for you to join our graduate student housing community.
If you’re still in the process of applying, head to our Housing Portal to finish your application. When your offer is ready, this page will guide you through what’s included in your housing offer, how to review it, and the next steps to secure your new home at UC Berkeley.
Click the links to jump directly to the section below.
- What your housing offer includes
- Abbreviations in your offer
- How to accept your offer
- How to decline your offer
- How to apply for housing accommodations
What your housing offer includes
Apartment location and housing type: Your offer email will let you know that a space is now available and which apartment you are being offered. You will see a “key code” and an explanation of the acronyms and abbreviations that act as descriptive signifiers. An example key code is MV-220A-1SD, which reads as follows:
- MV = Apartment location; in this example, Manville Apartments.
- 220A = Apartment number and floor designation; 200 = second floor.
- 1SD = Standard, unfurnished space; furnished spaces have an ‘F’ designation.
Start date: Lists the start date of your rental agreement, which is also the date your financial responsibility begins.
Rate information: Provides the monthly rent amount for your apartment. This section also outlines the payments required to accept your offer, such as the security deposit and first month’s rent. Rates apply to the entire contract period and are billed monthly.
Deadline date: Specifies the date and time by which you must accept your housing offer. Missing the deadline will result in the offer being rescinded and the apartment being offered to the next applicant on the wait list.
Housing agreement terms and conditions: The offer email includes a housing agreement pdf that clearly outlines the terms and conditions for residence in graduate housing. Students can view sample graduate housing agreements prior to applying for housing as well.
Abbreviations in your offer
If you see new or unfamiliar language in your housing offer, refer to the following list of abbreviations.
Building abbreviations:
- MV = Manville Apartments
- JH = Jackson House
- IN = Intersection Apartments
- AVA = xučyun ruwway Apartments
Additional abbreviations:
- FD = Furnished deck
- DK = Deck apartment
- CY = Courtyard apartment
- FC = Courtyard apartment furnished
- SD = Standard apartment
- FS = Standard furnished apartment
- FB = Furnished bay apartment
- BV = Bay apartment
- ASB = Apartment studio balcony
- BRL = Large bedroom
- JRB = Junior bedroom apartment with balcony
- BRB = Apartment with balcony
- AS = Apartment studio, in Intersection apartments only
- AS = Apartment single
How to accept your offer
Your offer email will include the deadline to accept the offer. Follow these steps to accept your graduate student housing offer:
- Log in to the Housing Portal.
- Click “Apply for Housing.”
- Scroll down and click on your Single Student Apartments Application for the upcoming academic year.
- Click “Save & Continue.” Complete this step at the bottom of each page.
- Provide emergency contact and FERPA information.
- Read and agree to the Terms and Conditions of your Housing Agreement. You will need to add your digital signature. Accept Terms and Conditions by checkmarking the two boxes and the date that you have accepted the Housing Agreement.
- Opt in or out of GradGuard College Personal Property Insurance.
- Pay the security deposit of $500.
- After payment is complete, you will be redirected to the Housing Portal where you click Save & Continue to reach the Accepted page.
When you reach the “Accepted” page, you have successfully accepted your housing offer.
Please note that this is a binding housing agreement. Once you have accepted this offer, you can not make any changes, so please read the cost and housing agreement dates carefully before you accept your housing offer.
If you do not complete the steps to accept the offer by the deadline, the housing offer will be rescinded, and the offer will go out to the next person on the wait list. To place yourself back on the wait list, log back into the Housing Portal and update your application status to Resubmitted.
How to decline your offer
If you decline your offer or miss the deadline, your application will be cancelled and you will not receive another housing offer for that application period. You will need to arrange other housing. If you decline, there is an option to resubmit your application in CalCentral, but there is no guarantee you will receive a second offer. If you declined your offer and wish to be placed back on the wait list, you can contact graduatestudenthousing@berkeley.edu.
To decline your graduate housing offer:
- Log in to the Housing Portal and view your housing offer.
- Select “Decline Offer” and complete all following steps.
How to apply for housing accommodations
To learn how to request an accommodation, visit Apply for Housing Accommodations. You must accept your current offer to be eligible for a room relocation accommodation. For additional questions, email housingaccommodations@berkeley.edu.