Explore Housing Options

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Launch Experience

UC Berkeley’s housing options are as varied as our students! Discover opportunities to form lifelong friendships, share ideas, and meet top students, scholars, and faculty from all over the world. Here’s a look at the living arrangements and resources available to members of the university community.

Find Your Community

When making decisions about your housing at Berkeley, consider where you’ll spend most of your time on campus — taking classes, teaching, or studying — and select a housing option nearby. Think about whether you want a traditional residence hall experience or the more intimate setting of a mini-suite or apartment. Do you want a room with students who share your culture, or need space for your family? See which options best fit your requirements. Soon you’ll have narrowed down your selection to three or four best options.

In the past five years, 96 percent of entering first-year students and over a quarter of entering transfer students have chosen university housing and the benefits that come with it.

Types of Housing

UC Berkeley offers housing to fit every type of need.

Explore your options (click link to jump to location on page):

Residence Halls On Campus – new and continuing undergraduate students
Apartments On Campus – continuing and transfer undergraduate students
Graduate Student Apartments – graduate students (single/without dependents)
Family Student Housing – students (undergraduate or graduate) and postdocs with families
Apartments Off Campus – students, faculty, staff, visiting scholars, and postdocs
Summer Housing at Berkeley – students and others needing summer housing

Residence Halls (on campus)

Although each location is unique, all Berkeley residence halls include live-in staff (providing both social and academic support), community centers, on-site laundry, easy access to transportation, and much more. Residence halls frame the boundary of campus on the north, east, and south sides. Residence Hall contracts include a standard Blue meal plan which can also be upgraded to another plan.

Consider joining our optional Theme Programs and be a big part of a small community within your residence hall. Eight Theme Programs bring together students with a shared identity, interest, or academic area into unique living and learning environments with all the benefits of a small, close-knit community. Activities center around the thematic connection and may include off-campus excursions, workshops, faculty dinners, study groups, social events, and other opportunities. You can indicate which of these Theme Programs you are interested in when you submit your housing application: African American (AATP), Bloom Asian American, Casa Magdalena Mora (Casa), Global Environment Theme House (GETH), Native American (NATP), South Asian, Southwest Asian, and North African Living Community Pilot Program, UNITY Theme Program (UNITY), Empowering Womxn in STEAM (WISE).

South Campus Residence Halls

Conveniently located one or two blocks from the south side of campus, these options provide a traditional residential hall experience in the urban heart of Berkeley. All-gender and single-gender floors are available.

Northeast Campus Residence Halls

These residence halls are located on the quieter, northeastern side of campus, nestled near the Berkeley Hills with ample access to green space.

Southeast Campus Residence Hall

A mini-neighborhood in a residential area located approximately six blocks southeast of the main campus.

Apartments (on campus)

Apartment housing options are conveniently located a few blocks from the south side of campus. Undergraduate apartments are only available to transfer and continuing students, not incoming first-year students. Meal plans are not included with apartment contracts, but may be purchased separately via Berkeley Dining.

Graduate Student Apartments (on campus)

Graduate students can apply for on-campus housing in one of these apartment complexes exclusive to Berkeley graduate students:

*Location is an affiliated property assigned by the university. On-site management is overseen by public-private partners.

Family Student Housing (on campus)

University Village is for undergraduate or graduate students and postdocs who are married, single parents, or domestic partners. The campus maintains 970 apartments in this family student housing site. University Village is considered on campus for financial aid purposes, and is located just north of Berkeley, in Albany, CA.

Apartments (off campus)

Explore Cal Rentals for off campus living options. The Cal Rentals service is available to undergraduate and graduate students as well as visiting scholars, post docs, faculty, and staff.

Summer Housing (on campus)

Whether you are a student enrolling in Summer Session courses, an individual coming to the Bay area for an internship, or are in need of short term housing during the summer, there are Summer Housing options for you! Summer housing has a separate application process and timeline.

Housing by User Type

Looking for your housing options? Select your cohort below to explore.

No Smoking Policy

UC Berkeley is committed to providing a healthy, smoke-free environment for students, faculty, and staff. Accordingly, no smoking is permitted in student rooms or inside buildings, including lounges, balconies and breezeways, and stairways. Smoking is only permitted outside in designated areas.

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