I was recently admitted to UC Berkeley but a lot of people have been warning me of their housing crisis. I know housing is guaranteed for first year students but I was wondering how hard it is to find housing after that. Is this something that I should be extremely worried about. Right now Berkeley is my top choice and I really want to go there. Any input or advice is greatly appreciated!
There is plenty of housing in Berkeley…if you can afford it.
But there are also some lower cost options. Lots of students rent apartments together, there are fraternities and sororities with houses, there are the coops. If you are on a really tight budget, you may have trouble finding something in your price range. If you have financial breathing room, you’re in a better position.
2 Likes
Congrats on being admitted to UC Berkeley! My junior golden bear has had a great experience.
I would recommend signing up for the Coops wait list now. There’s no downside other than the $25 registration fee. A great option if you need it.
Also, here’s the link for North Berkeley Properties and you can see current costs. My son is paying $1100 to share a bedroom in a 3bd/2ba apartment. He and his roommates started looking in February of freshman year and had to move pretty fast once they found a good option. Most leases are 12 months starting June 1.
1 Like
Yes, you’re correct, that Berkeley only offers one year guaranteed housing. However, there are plenty of apartments and rooms to rent around the area. You do need to make sure you look for housing sooner than later and be prepared to pay a little more than you might at most other schools. My D 24 did dorm this year and has already locked up an apartment near campus with two other girls for her second year. The price is around $1250. Or about $5000 a month for a two bedroom apartment.
1 Like
This is pretty universal amongst all universities in California. Not that the leases all start June 1, but that students often sign contracts in Dec-Feb and sign year long leases.
1 Like
My daughter is finishing up her first year at Cal. She had no problem getting a dorm for the second year, however, she turned it out in favor of leasing an apartment.
The furnished apartment is on par with the cost of the dorm and ultimately will actually be lower because we’re eliminating the meal plan. There are a plethora of housing opportunities very close to school. If the current housing cost is in your budget, you will not have any problem. If your budget is lower co-op is an excellent choice.
1 Like
You can do a quick Internet search of furnished and unfurnished apartment housing in Berkeley. Lots of options and many are still advertised and offering incentives for next year.
My daughter is a graduating senior and I too attended Cal. We are local (San Francisco). I would actually say Berkeley’s housing market is better than many UCs’; there’s a lot of supply, you’re not really competing with locals for student-style housing and you can keep moving farther from campus to lower cost and increase availability. Transit is excellent, biking is easy and there are many options at various price points after freshman year in the dorms (apartments, co-ops, Greek system, international house, dorm-like with individual leases, older buildings, shared vs single rooms, etc). It takes a bit of effort to nail the right situation for your group, needs and budget but once you find it you’re set for the rest of college. We found a place where the landlord let us sublet to offset costs and were able to recoup some rent by subletting it out at a discounted rent during summers and study abroad.
2 Likes