All of UC Berkeley’s student housing is below market rate, and the new housing at People’s Park is no exception.
The average debt per student at UC Berkeley is lower than the national average, and below-market campus housing directly contributes to this fact.
Affordability is also a key component of the university’s financial aid programs that helps students with room and board expenses. UC Berkeley's financial aid counselors care deeply about helping students of all backgrounds to afford the total cost (which includes tuition and housing) of attending the #1 public research university in the world.
Financial aid eligibility increases when students live in campus-owned housing, rather than in private market housing. This is another driving motivation to build more campus-owned housing and why we are committed to achieving our student housing goals.
The campus will develop, own, and operate the student housing at People's Park. There are no private developers. There are no private operators. No profits are being generated for private entities.
Private housing in the Bay Area is one of the most expensive markets in the nation. While the cost of privately-owned housing is beyond our control, we can, and we do, control the cost of university-owned housing.
UC Berkeley consistently, year after year, maintains quality student housing with rents that are well below the market for the Bay Area.
Due to the high cost and low supply of housing close to campus, a significant percentage of our students are not able to live in Berkeley. For this reason, our student housing initiative commits us to double the number of beds available in university-owned and -operated residential facilities close to campus.
Financial resources, and assistance in accessing these resources, are available to all students. These resources include:
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Innovative Berkeley Aid Programs, such as Berkeley Undergraduate Dream Act Aid, and the Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan.
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Grants, including Cal Grants, Federal Pell Grants, UC Berkeley Grants, Department Awards, and more.
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Scholarships, such as the Fiat Lux Scholarship benefiting underrepresented and first-generation students, and the Middle Class Scholarship, amongst many others.
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Prizes and Honors Program at UC Berkeley, which rewards creative expression and scholarly achievement.
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Work-study, so that students can access to work on- and off-campus with schedule flexibility so they can have a healthy balance between school commitments and their work obligations.
