Find answers to your questions about campus housing offers and how UC Berkeley Housing generates room assignments.
Click the links to jump directly to the section below.
- When will I get my housing offer?
- When do I need to accept my housing offer?
- How are housing assignments determined?
- What if I want to change my room assignment?
When will I get my housing offer?
Housing offer timelines are available at Dates and Deadlines. Undergraduate student housing offers are sent to the main email account you list in CalCentral, usually your UC Berkeley account.
When do I need to accept my housing offer?
The deadline to accept your offer is usually within five days of the housing offer date. Housing offers must be accepted by the deadline specified in your housing offer email. For details about accepting or declining your housing offer, visit How to Read Your Offer: Undergraduate Housing.
How are housing assignments determined?
Assignments for housing offers are made based on a random lottery number system given to eligible applicants who apply by the deadline. Assignments are not made on a first-come, first-served basis. The majority of campus housing residents live in triple residence hall rooms.
Housing assignment process:
- After each housing application deadline, each application is processed and assigned a random lottery number that determines the order in which the application will be reviewed.
- Applications are reviewed by the UC Berkeley Housing Assignments Office based on the lottery numbers.
- Housing assignments are based on the top five preferences you selected in your housing application and the room types available when your lottery number is reached. Students are offered the highest preference still available. If your first choice is unavailable, we will look at your second, third, etc.
- Housing offers are made in rounds, beginning with the first and largest round of offers. After the initial round, we continue to release multiple rounds of housing offers, which helps fulfill roommate requests and assign housing as quickly and efficiently as possible.
If you do not receive a housing offer in the initial round, you will be notified by email and your application will remain under consideration for future rounds. To keep you updated on our process, we will send you an email update and tips each time we send out a round of offers. For fall move-in, we continue sending housing offers in multiple rounds from late May through August.
Late admit housing applicants are included in the same randomized lottery process as all eligible applicants and are considered in subsequent rounds of housing assignments.
Room availability: Since continuing UC Berkeley students apply and reserve their housing spaces in February for the following academic year, some room types may not be available to new students. First-year undergraduate students will usually be offered a contract for a triple room, the most common occupancy option.
Summer housing assignments are not provided prior to your arrival to campus. For information, visit Summer Housing.
What if I want to change my room assignment?
For general room changes requests: You must accept your current housing offer before you can request a new room assignment. For details, visit Housing Relocation Requests. Room relocations are not guaranteed.
For ADA and other accommodations: Visit Apply for Housing Accommodations to learn how to make an accommodations request. You must accept your current offer to be eligible for a room relocation accommodation.