How to Find Housing at UC Berkeley

The housing options at UC Berkeley offer the chance to make new friends.

Leaving home and going away to college means you need to find a place to live while you are going to school. A school such as the University of California at Berkeley offers several different housing options for its students. While some students prefer to live in the dorms available on the college campus, others prefer to find off-campus housing so they can either live by themselves or share a home or apartment with several other students.

Things You'll Need

• CalNet identification number
• UC Berkeley acceptance letter or other documentation

Instructions

1. 

   The campanile bell tower is located on the UC Berkeley campus.

   Specify on your UC Berkeley application that you would like to live on campus in the dorms. Rate the dorms in the order you prefer, but know that you may not get the dorm you want, as the college uses a lottery system to assign dorms.

2. Accept your housing contract. This lets the college know that you agree to live in the dorm assigned to you. You may be able to switch dorms after the first two weeks, but vacant space is offered to students on the waiting list first, so you may have to stay in the assigned dorm.

3. Visit the Cal Rentals website if you prefer off-campus housing. Landlords who are willing to rent to UC Berkeley students post advertisements there throughout the year. Only students and faculty members can access these listings by using their CalNet ID, reducing competition from outside renters. If you do not yet have your ID, you must supply the website with documentation that you are attending the college, such as an acceptance letter.

4. Check websites such as Craigslist and Moving Off Campus.com to look for rentals available in the UC Berkeley area. These websites offer rentals to anyone, however, so you may be faced with more competition than those advertisements on Cal Rentals, but you may also find more options.

5. Apply to live at International House. International House offers single- and double-occupancy rooms to all students, particularly those from other countries. Living with students from other countries can offer you a more diverse atmosphere.

6. Join the Berkeley Student Cooperative. The BSC owns several properties a short distance from campus and offers low-cost housing to its members. To be a member, you must agree to help with cooking and cleaning, as well as other activities as decided by the co-op. The goal is to work together.

Tips & Warnings

• Start looking for housing starting in early spring to ensure you can find a place before the school year begins in August, especially if you are looking for off-campus housing.

• The San Francisco Bay area has a higher-than-average cost of living so you will need to take this into account when planning for your housing arrangements.

References

• Berkeley International Office: Finding Housing
• University of California Berkeley: Living at Cal - Welcome and FAQs
• Cal Rentals: Cal Rentals Is the Rental Resource for the UC Berkeley Community!
• International House - University of California, Berkeley: Why Live at I-House? Consider the Benefits!
• Berkeley Student Cooperative: What Is a Co-Op?

Resources

• UC Berkeley Residential and Student Service Programs: Cal Housing
• Uloop: Cal's Student Powered Marketplace
• University of California, Berkeley: About Berkeley
• Berkeley Student Cooperative: Prospective Members
• Craigslist
• MovingOffCampus.com: Apartments near UC Berkeley