Housing Application FAQs

Important deadlines, including application submission dates and the housing offer timeline, are available on the Dates and Deadlines page. We encourage students to check this page regularly for updates and to ensure they meet all necessary deadlines.

The housing offer process varies slightly by student population. Read about the different housing assignment and offer processes to learn more.

• Undergraduate Assignment Process and Offers
• Graduate Housing Assignment Process and Offers
• Family Housing Assignment Process and Offers

You can return to your application to edit your housing preferences and edit or add roommate groups for up to a week after the deadline. It will not affect your submission date. If you’re applying for family student housing, you can update the preferred want date on your application in the Housing Portal.

Selecting “any room size, any location” as a preference in your housing application helps ensure a broader range of housing options are considered for you. Failing to include this preference may result in not receiving a housing offer and could void any housing guarantee for students who are eligible for one.

If you miss the deadline to accept your housing offer, the offer will be reallocated to other students in future housing offer rounds. However, you can still resubmit your housing application via the Housing Portal to be considered for available housing. Your application will be processed after those who have not yet received an offer, and as space allows. If you have a housing guarantee, please be aware that the guarantee is voided once the first offer has been declined or expired.

While there’s no guarantee that your original offer will be extended or that you will receive a second offer, we will do our best to extend an offer to you based on availability. Read about the different housing assignment and offer processes to learn more.

• Undergraduate Assignment Process and Offers
• Graduate Housing Assignment Process and Offers
• Family Housing Assignment Process and Offers

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) protects student information from being released to anyone other than the student without written consent. Review the U.S. Department of Education's FERPA webpage for more information including frequently asked questions and when FERPA applies.

If you would like to give family member(s) or another individual(s) access to your housing records, you will need to provide written permission by adding their information under the FERPA section of the housing application.

The UC Berkeley housing guarantee is for incoming undergraduate students who meet all eligibility requirements. The housing guarantee does not apply to family student housing or graduate student housing.

It is not required that students live in campus housing. You may find housing on your own; however, especially for new students, we encourage you to consider living on-campus for your first year at UC Berkeley and beyond. 

Continuing students have opportunities for more independent living — such as doubles, suites, or apartments — after their first year. With more than 2,400 beds added since 2018 and 2,700+ expected by 2028, UC Berkeley is expanding housing options that support students throughout their college journey.

If you are looking at off-campus options, we recommend our UC Berkeley Off-Campus Rental Services. They provide rental listings from vetted landlords, as well as services and resources to help your search.

To see how your financial aid would be adjusted if you switched housing types, for example, from a residence hall to an apartment, you should contact the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office directly. They can provide guidance on how different housing options may impact your aid package.

You can also review your financial aid award letter in your CalCentral account, which may show estimates for various housing types. However, any changes in housing type should be discussed with the financial aid office to ensure accuracy and to receive the most up-to-date information.

If you decline your housing offer, please note that we cannot guarantee you will receive another offer.* If you are not satisfied with your housing assignment but have a preference for a different location or room type, we recommend that you accept your current offer and submit a Housing Relocation Request, which allows you to be considered for a room relocation based on availability. Housing relocations are not guaranteed.

If you decline, you can still resubmit your housing application in the Housing Portal to be considered for available housing. Your application will be processed after those who have not yet received an offer, and as space allows.

If you decide to decline your housing offer in favor of seeking off-campus housing, you can begin your search with the help of UC Berkeley Off-Campus Rental Services. They provide rental listings from vetted landlords, as well as services and resources to help your search.

*If you received an offer for family housing, please read the Family Housing Assignment Process and Offers for details that describe your offer and relocation processes.

Students admitted off the UC Berkeley admissions wait list will receive a housing offer with the housing guarantee if they complete the housing application by their admissions acceptance deadline and include “any room size, any location” as one of their housing preferences.

The housing application deadline is the same as the deadline to accept admission. Missing this deadline or failing to accept your admission offer on time may jeopardize your housing guarantee.

If you received a housing offer but would like to switch to a different hall or room type, you can submit a Housing Relocation Request, which allows you to be considered for a room relocation based on availability. Housing relocations are not guaranteed and will be processed based upon the reason for the request, housing availability, and the order in which we receive requests.

Incoming first-year students are not eligible for on-campus apartments, but continuing students and transfer students may apply. To apply for undergraduate apartments, select campus apartments as one or more of your housing preferences in your housing application. Keep in mind that apartment assignments are subject to availability, so we recommend that you select “any room size, any location” as one of your housing preferences in order to maximize your chances of getting an offer.

Undergraduate housing agreements are for the full academic year, and we do not offer fall-only agreements. However, if you are graduating or studying abroad in the spring, you can apply for housing under a full-year agreement and then submit a cancellation request and supporting documentation about your spring registration status. We will assist you in cancelling your agreement based on your situation.

If you are not graduating in the fall, studying abroad in the spring, or withdrawing at the end of the fall semester, we cannot automatically release you from your housing agreement. In that case, you will need to submit a cancellation request form during the fall semester. For more information, please visit the Cancellations and Appeals page.

For students interested in spring-only housing, you can indicate this preference in your housing application.

If you apply for a theme program, your chances of receiving your first housing choice may be affected, as each theme program has a preassigned location. When you apply for a theme program, you are applying to live within that specific theme program community. If you are accepted into the theme program, you will be offered housing based on the available inventory that aligns with the theme program's designated housing location.

While your housing preferences will be taken into account, your assignment will be influenced by the theme program’s availability. Read Theme Programs for more information about the programs and their locations.