Housing Policies

Eligibility requirements, application deadlines, and housing contracts vary by student category. Students interested in university housing should review the eligibility requirements for their student type:

• Undergraduate Eligibility for Tenancy
• Graduate Eligibility for Tenancy
• Family Housing Eligibility for Tenancy
• Summer Housing Eligibility for Tenancy

Pets are not allowed in our residences. Read ESAs and Service Animals for information about emotional support animals and service dogs.

For policies and details about requesting a relocation or room change, visit Housing Relocation Requests.

The UC Berkeley Housing Administration Office will send housing agreement offers to students by email to the preferred email in your CalCentral account, which may default to your Berkeley.edu address. Be sure to set up your Berkeley email account and monitor it for a housing offer and other official university communication.

Students are billed for housing through CalCentral. Your account will be charged based on your housing type, as listed at Payment and Billing. Students are responsible for ensuring payments are submitted on time.

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: Ella Callow, ADA/Section 504 Compliance Officer, access@berkeley.edu.

UC Berkeley and Residential and Student Service Programs take the welfare of our students very seriously and have missing person policies and procedures in place to provide for each student’s well being. If you believe that any member of the campus community is missing or is in any danger, do not hesitate to report it to UCPD, Berkeley immediately.

The Appeals Board is designed to formally and confidentially review appeals from students who, for reasons beyond their control, must cancel their housing contracts. Only cases of extreme hardship will be considered. The Appeals Board is the final decision-maker on all such requests. Visit Cancellations and Appeals for details.

Students requesting to cancel their housing contracts must fill out and submit a cancellation request within the Housing Portal. Visit Cancellations and Appeals for details. Typically, the resident requesting contract cancellation shall continue to be liable for room and board fees until a replacement is found and/or the request is approved by the UC Berkeley Housing Administration Office in writing. 

In order to be considered for a cancellation, students must complete the contract cancellation request form in the “Online Forms” section of the Housing Portal, move all items out of their room, and return their keys to the main desk of their unit/complex. Please see the Terms and Conditions of the contract for further information about contract cancellation.

Each resident is individually responsible for loss or damage to their room. All residents of a hall, floor, or suite, are under the University's discretion and will be jointly liable for loss or damage to common areas where individual responsibility cannot be determined. The Room Condition Report will be used to assess any damages; reasonable wear and tear are expected. Read the Terms and Conditions for your housing type for more information.

When a responsible party is determined, the unit-level office staff assess the cost of damages to a student’s CalCentral account balance. If a student wishes to dispute a damage charge, they should reach out to the unit-level front desk.

Residence hall staff may enter a student's room or suite for any reason allowed by law, and for the following reasons: cleaning, maintenance and repairs; ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations; and in the event of an emergency. For more information please see the Terms, Conditions, and Agreements of your housing contract.

Undergraduate students who want to live together should list each other as roommates on their residence-hall applications, using full names and SIDs. They should also make matching lists of housing and floor environment preferences. The UC Berkeley Housing Administration Office will make every effort to match mutually requested roommates, as spaces allow, but matches are not guaranteed. Visit How to Apply with a Roommate for more information.

All residence halls, with the exception of Martinez Commons, will be closed and all residents must vacate the residence halls by 10 a.m. upon commencement of the Winter Break. Students are not allowed to remain in the buildings during break due to energy curtailment. Residents are permitted to leave their belongings in residence halls at their own risk. Students may move back into residence halls at 8 a.m. on the designated move-in day for spring semester.

Apartments remain open during Winter Break. Martinez Commons Residence Hall also remains open for Winter Break and room rates are inclusive of occupancy during this time period. Undergraduate students needing Winter Break housing are encouraged to request these options for their housing preferences in the housing application.

Students who withdraw from UC Berkeley must move out of the residence halls within ten days. A student who decides to withdraw must notify the UC Berkeley Housing Administration Office so that their contract will be cancelled accordingly. Any student in this situation needs to fill out a Residence Hall Contract Cancellation Request Form and provide documentation supporting their withdrawal from the university. Students may access the Residence Hall Cancellation Request Form in the Housing Portal in the "Online Forms" section, linked to at the top left of the page.