UC Berkeley Housing is committed to equity, access, and inclusion. We strive to encourage a culture of care through the principles of inclusion, diversity, and social justice. As a vital part of this mission, UC Berkeley Housing works to provide reasonable accommodations or inclusive spaces to students based upon their disability, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religious or spiritual identity, and other identity statuses.
This page provides an overview of the accommodations available, the process involved in obtaining them, and other information to help you find campus housing that meets your needs.
Contact the Housing Accommodations Team
If you have further questions about accommodations or require assistance, please get in touch with the Housing Accommodations team.
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- Phone: 510-642-8772
- Email: housingaccommodations@berkeley.edu
Accommodations Resources
Learn all about housing accommodations at UC Berkeley. Click link to jump to location on page:
Types of Accommodations
Deadlines
How to Request Housing Accommodations
Room Relocation Requests
Appeals
Additional Resources
Policy Statements
Types of Accommodations
1. Disability (ADA) and Medical Accommodations
- Students may apply for housing accommodations due to a disability or medical condition, also known as American with Disabilities Act (ADA) accommodations. The ADA ensures individuals with disabilities have equal access to housing and other services. ADA accommodations are reasonable adjustments made to meet the specific needs of students with documented disabilities.
- Examples:
- Wheelchair-accessible bathrooms
- Rooms with fewer allergens
- Room with fewer roommates (double-occupancy bedroom)
- Substance-free environments
- Service dogs and emotional support animals (ESAs)
2. Gender-Inclusive & LGBTQ+ Affirming Housing (Identity-Based Requests)
- Gender-Inclusive Housing: Designed to provide safety and community for students who are transgender, genderqueer, non-binary, gender non-conforming, or otherwise outside of the gender binary. It is distinct from a mixed-gender environment that is not explicitly LGBTQIA+ affirming.
- Requesting Gender-Inclusive Housing indicates that you would be comfortable sharing your space with students of ALL genders. Your roommate(s) may not be of a gender identity that aligns with yours.
- Do not request gender-inclusive housing accommodations if you are not an ally or member of the LGBTQ+ community. If you are hoping to request a mixed-gender environment that is not specifically gender-inclusive, please denote this in the “Profile Questions” section of your housing application.
- LGBTQ+ Affirming Housing: Designed to provide safe spaces for LGBTQIA+ students and their allies.
- Students are placed with roommates who identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community or as aspiring allies.
- Students are typically placed with roommates of the same gender designation as shown on file with UC Berkeley, unless a Gender-Inclusive housing request is also made.
- LGBTQ+ rooms are integrated within broader floor communities, with some clusters of other Gender-Inclusive or LGBTQIA+ rooms for added belonging.
3. Religious & Cultural Requests (Identity-Based Requests)
- Accommodations related to religious or cultural beliefs
- Examples: Gender-specific floors, proximity to places of worship, prayer-friendly spaces such as a suite-style room
4. Dietary Needs
- Berkeley Dining offers vegetarian, vegan, halal, kosher, and allergen-free options for students with meal plans. See the Berkeley Dining Special Diets page for more details. In addition, residence halls are equipped with community kitchens for students to prepare their own food if desired. Campus apartments include full kitchens.
- For students in need of housing accommodation due to severe food allergies, who are impacted when in close vicinity to a food item, who require separate food storage, or other dietary-related issues, please submit a request for a Disability and Medical Accommodation.
Deadlines
Meeting deadlines is critical to ensure priority consideration for housing accommodations. Submit your housing application, accommodations request form, and any supporting documentation by the housing application deadline relevant to you:
- Incoming first-year students: May 2
- Incoming transfer students: June 2
- Continuing students: February 15
Accommodations requests submitted after the deadline will be processed on a space-available basis, which may result in limited options due to housing availability. While priority is given to students who provide documentation by the standard deadline, students may submit requests and documentation at any time during the academic year.
How to Request Housing Accommodations
- Submit Housing Application
- Complete the housing application on the Housing Portal, including paying the application fee.
- In the “Accommodations” section, specify your needs (e.g., disability or medical condition (ADA), gender-inclusive housing, dietary restrictions, etc.).
- Submit Accommodation Request Form
- Complete the form for the type of accommodation requested (also linked within the Housing Portal):
- ADA Accommodations Request Form: For accommodations relating to a disability or medical condition (including service dogs and emotional support animals)
- Identity-Based Request Form: For accommodations relating to religious, cultural, LGBTQIA+, or gender identity-based housing.
- Service Dog Acknowledgment and Emotional Support Animal Approval Application: For service dog and emotional support animal requests (should be filled out in addition to the ADA Accommodations Request Form above)
- Due to limited housing inventory, priority is given to students who complete their forms by the deadlines above. Requests made after the deadline will be considered on a space-available basis.
- Complete the form for the type of accommodation requested (also linked within the Housing Portal):
- Provide Supporting Documentation
Based on the type of accommodations you request, you may be asked to provide supporting information that establishes your need for accommodations in campus housing.- Submit documentation via the Secure Document Upload Portal (must be logged in to your UC Berkeley Google account). Examples of supporting documentation may include:
- Medical provider’s letter verifying disability or medical condition (see ADA Accommodations – Medical Professional Instructions)
- Medical provider’s letter for emotional support animal (see Emotional Support Animal Application Medical Professional Instructions)
- Rabies vaccination documentation for dogs and cats
- Documentation is typically not required for identity-based requests
- Documentation may also be provided via email, fax, or delivered in person
- After documentation is submitted, you will receive an email response within 10-15 business days.
- Submit documentation via the Secure Document Upload Portal (must be logged in to your UC Berkeley Google account). Examples of supporting documentation may include:
- Receive Your Housing Offer
- Offers are sent via email to the applicant’s berkeley.edu email address. Students also receive an email notification from Housing Accommodations.
- The offer will include a deadline for you to respond, usually within five business days.
- Accept or decline your offer in the housing portal.
- By declining or not responding to an initial offer, the student is indicating they do not wish to live on campus, and they will not receive an offer for a different space.
- Tip: If you received an offer but you believe it does not meet your needs, it is recommended that you accept the offer and submit the room relocation request form, as described below.
Returning students need to re-submit accommodation forms each year.
Room Relocation Requests
Students may request a room relocation at any time if their assigned housing or current housing does not meet their needs.
Priority consideration for a room relocation will be provided to students whose documentation clearly demonstrates that their current on-campus residence is not a reasonable accommodation for their needs.
Disability or Medical Condition Related Room Relocation
- Submit an updated ADA Accommodations (Disability or Medical Condition) Request Form to outline your specific needs.
- Provide supporting documentation from a qualified individual.
Identity-Based Room Relocation
- Complete the Identity-Based Request Form to request a change based on your identity, including gender identity, need for LGBTQIA+-affirming accommodations, or religious or cultural needs.
- Provide details about your request (e.g., desired roommate or proximity to specific spaces). Documentation from a qualified individual is not required for identity-based requests.
A Housing Accommodations Specialist will review the request and identify an alternative space if available. Room relocations are subject to availability and are not guaranteed. If space is not available at the time, students approved for a room relocation as an accommodation may be placed on a priority waitlist.
If a request for a room relocation is not granted through the Accommodations process, requests will be referred to the standard relocation process (see Policies page for more details). Standard requests are processed based on submission date and housing availability. Note that room relocation requests are not guaranteed and there is usually a long waitlist.
Appeals
If you would like to appeal an accommodations decision, you may consider the following options:
- You can request a review by a UC Berkeley Housing manager by sending an email to housingaccommodations@berkeley.edu. Please put “review by management” in the subject line.
- You have the right to submit a grievance to the Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination.
- You can seek consultation from the Disability Access & Compliance Office about filing a grievance on the basis of disability discrimination. To request their services, visit the Request Services page.
Additional Resources
Resources for students with disabilities and medical conditions
- Disabled Students Program (DSP): For accommodations in the classroom. Students seeking academic accommodations need to register and provide documentation to the DSP office.
- The Disability Access and Compliance office can assist students with requests for mobility access, communication access, and event access on the UC Berkeley campus. They can provide resources for accessibility with information about navigating the campus with a mobility or visual disability.
- Emergency Evacuation Assistance: Students may self-identify as a person who may require evacuation assistance in the case of an emergency and request an individualized consultation. For more information, see Emergency Preparedness for Disabled People.
Resources for Students who identify as LGBTQ+
- Unity House: LGBTQIA+ theme housing promoting community and support.
- The GenEq Center is dedicated to supporting LGBTQIA+ students, women, and survivors of sexual violence.
- The Division of Equity and Inclusion offers a broad range of resources and support for students with historically marginalized identities.
Policy Statements
- Privacy: The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) supports student privacy by allowing university officials to release student records only to the student. University officials are prohibited from discussing student records with a student’s family members. As a result, we will only be able to discuss medical documents and detailed housing accommodation assignments with students, and not parents or guardians, unless the student fills out the FERPA release form in the housing portal. We are happy to talk about our typical accommodation processes with family members.
- Nondiscrimination Policy Statement: The University of California, in accordance with applicable federal and state law and university policy, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, medical condition (cancer related or genetic characteristics), ancestry, marital status, age, sexual orientation, citizenship, or service in the uniformed services. The University also prohibits sexual harassment. This nondiscrimination policy covers admission, access, and treatment in University programs and activities. Inquiries regarding the University’s student-related nondiscrimination policies may be directed to the ADA/Section 504 Compliance Officer at access@berkeley.edu.