UC Berkeley family student housing offers are determined by a number of factors: when you apply, your priority, the length of the wait list, how many apartments are available, and the time of year.
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- Planning your want date
- Family student housing wait list
- Family student housing offer timeline
- Accepting or declining your apartment offer
Planning your want date
UC Berkeley family student housing applications are accepted year-round and offer the flexibility of setting your preferred move-in date, called your “want date.”
- Your want date should be a day you would be able to start moving into family housing and begin your housing agreement.
- Start dates for family student housing are based on your want date, so it is important to keep your want date up-to-date in your application.
- If your want date has passed and you did not receive an offer, you can update your want date in your housing application to ensure your application is not cancelled.
Applications are automatically cancelled if the want date has expired by three months.
If your plans change and you need to move in earlier or later, you should update your want date as soon as possible. We recommend notifying Family Student Housing by emailing apts@berkeley.edu as well. Once an offer has been sent, the start date will not be pushed back, so you would have to decline the offer, have your application put in resubmitted status, update your want date to a later date, and wait for a second offer.
Family student housing wait list
When you apply for family student housing at UC Berkeley, you are placed on the wait list to be considered for future openings at University Village. The wait for family student housing varies according to demand and availability. The greatest demand and longest wait time for housing is for move-in dates in June through August before the start of the fall semester and in January at the beginning of the spring semester.
To remain on the wait list
- Revisit your application and update your account if you have any changes in address, telephone number, assignment preferences, family size, or other information
- Update your “want date” on the Apartment Preferences step of your application if your want date has passed. Note that your application will be automatically cancelled if the want date you indicated has expired by three months.
- Respond promptly to any apartment offers by contacting Family Student Housing at apts@berkeley.edu.
Wait list priority
Students receive housing priority for family student housing. Postdoctoral and visiting scholar applicants are accommodated after students are offered housing. Please refer to the priority list below:
- Single/unpartnered students with children.
- Married or partnered students with children.
- Single/unpartnered student under the age of 18, dependent and living with parent or guardian.
- Married or partnered students without children.
- Single/unpartnered students with a dependent over 18.
- Graduate students applying through the Couples Program.
- Postdoctoral and visiting scholars with children.
- Postdoctoral and visiting scholars without children.
Family student housing offer timeline
Apartment assignments are determined in chronological order and based on your family size, the type of apartment you request, and your want date. When an opening is available, you will be sent an apartment offer.
Family student housing offers are typically made four to six weeks before the want date, pending availability, wait list length, and apartment preferences as indicated by each applicant.
Since family student housing residents are on a month-to-month agreement, we typically do not know what is available until we receive their 30-day vacate notice. Therefore, we usually are aware of availability about a month before you need housing.
Family student housing offer deadlines
Please bear in mind that demand for family student housing is typically high and the wait list to receive housing is extensive. In order to accommodate as many students as possible in a timely manner, the deadline for replying to a housing offer is five days from when the email offer is sent.
Accepting or declining your apartment offer
If you receive and accept an apartment offer:
- You will be asked to sign a month-to-month rental agreement. If you have a partner/spouse, they will need to sign the agreement as well.
- You must submit a security deposit and an advance payment of one month of rent to secure the apartment.
If you decline the first offer:
- You can contact Family Student Housing at apts@berkeley.edu and request to be put in resubmitted status.
- You will be moved to the end of the wait list to wait for a second offer.
- The time it takes to receive a second offer varies depending on the length of the wait list and it is not guaranteed that you will receive a second offer by your original want date.
- You can continue to remain on the wait list by updating your want date in the Housing Portal.
If you miss the first offer deadline:
- Your offer will be rescinded.
- You can contact Family Student Housing at apts@berkeley.edu and request to be put in resubmitted status.
- You will be moved to the end of the wait list.
- You can continue to remain on the wait list by updating your want date in the Housing Portal.
If you decline or miss the deadline for your second offer your application will be cancelled.
Visit How to Read Your Offer: Family Housing for details about how to accept or decline your offer.