Housing
Introduction
The housing market in the Bay Area can be difficult.
Fortunately, the department works hard to help incoming students find places to live. If you come to Berkeley, we'll help you find a place you'll want to live. Most students do not visit to find housing and arrange tours through current graduate students.
What should you expect to pay?
In Spring 2024, GSAC conducted a housing survey of 31 graduate students in the department (out of ~70) and found:
77% of students live with roommates in the department, other UC Berkeley graduate students, or significant others.
~56% of students live in 2-4 bedroom apartments or houses.
The average CBE graduate student pays approx. $1460/month in rent, excluding utilities.
71% of students live within 2 miles of the building they work in.
81% consider their accommodation acceptable or better, but 3% (N=1) felt that their housing is unsafe to live in.
Where to live
The majority of graduate students live within Berkeley. A significant number of students, however, live in nearby cities and commute to campus. Descriptions of common housing locations follow. Times mentioned below are walking to the closest edge of campus.
One thing to remember is that Tan Hall is on the northeast side of campus (up the hill). You will most likely have to go up a hill of some sort to get to College of Chemistry buildings, though some newer buildings specifically for research are found on west side of campus along Oxford. Others work at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and most likely take a shuttle from campus or downtown Berkeley up to the lab.
How to find a place to live
There are several common ways to find housing:
Craigslist/Online realtors: Craigslist is a free online bulletin board that is widely used to list housing for rent. You can search by neighborhood, and even though there's usually a little more legwork involved, most students are able to find good housing deals using this service. Other online realtors are also widely used, including apartments.com, zillow.com, among others. It is the most common method used by grad students to find housing in Berkeley.
Cal Rentals: This is a UC sponsored service that maintains a listing of apartments and houses listed by landlords. The department will provide a Cal Rentals subscription to new students to help them find housing. This website also describes on-campus housing opportunities for students as well.
Student housing: UC Berkeley has limited (but growing) graduate student housing. Many students live in University Village, the family housing community geared toward married students and students with dependents. The xučyun ruwway Graduate Student Apartments are opening in Fall 2024 and are available for single graduate students. Both are in Albany, CA around 2 miles from campus. Other university-owned housing options exist near campus or in Emeryville.
Staying in touch with the department/GSAC: Very often, current graduate students change apartments over the summer. Sometimes it is possible for new students to move in, either by joining the current lease, or by starting a new one. Landlords like graduate students and are often willing to continue a lease to other grad students. As we find out about grad students leaving a unit available, we forward this information to incoming students.
If you plan to make a trip to the Bay Area to look for housing, you should plan on spending a few days (at least a weekend) in the area so that you can do a thorough search of your housing options. Each summer, GSAC will compile a list of current students who are willing to host perspectives while they look for housing. We have plenty of people with couches, air mattresses, and sometimes extra rooms so you do not need to stay at a hotel to find housing for your first year. Do not be afraid to ask current grad students for a night on their couch, we are here to help!
Additional considerations while looking for housing:
Bring your financial information (credit report), a list of references (previous landlords), and your letter of acceptance to graduate school. Landlords use this information to verify your credit and income.
NOTE: Often landlords will have dozens of applicants for a single unit. If you show up organized and prepared, you greatly increase your chances of being selected as a renter.
You should be prepared to pay a full month's rent for August, even if you're not moving in until mid-August.
Often tenants are required to pay a security deposit plus first and last month's rent upon signing a lease. Some landlords may charge an application fee.
The rental market in Berkeley has a lot of turnover so it is most common to find postings for housing one month out. For example, August 1st available units are often posted beginning mid June, with the majority being posted in July. The exception to this rule is university housing. If interested in any university housing option, we recommend applying as soon as possible.
Cal offers alternative housing through the University Students Cooperative Association (USCA) in the form of co-op houses and apartments, which reduces the cost of living by dividing labor (cooking, cleaning, gardening, etc.) among members. A weekly five-hour commitment is expected in the houses, while the apartments require 6-12 hours per semester.