Make Berkeley Your Home
There are many different types of housing options available to us as UC Berkeley students, but one thing is for sure—each one helps students find community on our large campus. Living in campus housing means you are surrounded by fellow Golden Bears, and entire buildings become student communities.
Which Campus Housing Option is Right For You?
Residence Halls on campus: Available for new and continuing students, the res halls are within a few blocks of campus and include a standard Blue & Gold meal plan that students have the option to upgrade. The res halls are also home to eight theme programs, which you can learn more about below.
“Living in a residence hall was an amazing experience because everyone was willing to put themselves out there and get to know each other. My floormates and I became steadfast friends in no time. We even formed our own traditions: we surprised each other with cake on our birthdays, hosted album-listening parties, and went to school events together. We would pull all-nighters in the study lounge teaching each other calculus and holding one another accountable for actually going to lecture. It truly felt like we had formed our own family—that’s why I’m so glad I got to live in the res halls. It provided me with all I needed to find community and belonging. The people that I met through my residence hall are still some of my closest friends.” — Reva Gokhale, Class of 2027, previous Unit 1 Resident
“Living on campus is invaluable in terms of getting the full ‘college experience.’ My residence hall encouraged students to leave the doors to their rooms open if they felt comfortable doing so and being very extroverted—that’s exactly what I did. I started chatting with the people on my floor every so often and then eventually hosted game nights and movie nights in my room. Even though we all live off campus now in separate directions, my former floormates and I still meet up for game nights a few times during the semester.” — Nina Takahashi, Class of 2026, previous Unit 1 Resident
Roommates in their shared living room in Anchor House.
Apartments on campus for undergraduate and graduate students: Undergraduate apartments are only available to transfer and continuing students, while graduate students can apply for apartments made exclusive for them. There are a wide variety of apartments available, including Helen Diller Anchor House, housing offered only to transfer students:
“I love living in Anchor House because I feel like the whole building is a community, and I have made some of my best friends through having randomized roommates.” — Elaine Chen, Class of 2025, Anchor House Resident
Family student housing: University Village in Albany is for undergraduate or graduate students and postdocs who are married, single parents, or domestic partners. To learn more about Albany and the area surrounding University Village, check out our Explore Albany blog.
A collection of apartments in University Village.
Residence Hall Theme Programs
The Residence Halls host eight theme programs that unite students with a shared identity, interest, or academic area in unique living and learning environments. Each program is co-sponsored by an academic department on campus and regularly hosts activities, from social events to semester retreats.
The UNITY Theme Program focuses on LGBTQ+ education, community-building, and leadership development. Each year, the program hosts a drag show featuring UC Berkeley students and community members. To learn more about the performances and what it’s like to live in this program, read our UNITY Drag Show Experience blog.
The African American Theme Program (AATP) aka Afro Floor is another theme program offered through the residence halls in partnership with the African American Student Development Office (AASD). The Afro Floor hosts programs and makes resources available to students to promote connections between residents in the program:
“I wanted a community of Black people who I could find comfort in and find a community beyond my first year. I was afraid that because the majority population of UC Berkeley is not Black, I would be alone, but that wasn’t the case. The first few weeks of school, without prompting from the RAs, we, as students, organized game nights every night to get to know each other. There’s a real community here.” — Milissa Sutton, Class of 2028, Afro Floor resident
Milissa (right) and her roommate on the Afro Floor.
You can learn more about the Black Experience @ Cal in our blog.
Meeting New People, Making Friends
Regardless of what campus housing you live in, you’re sure to meet new people and friends through events and programming, or even just by being neighbors!
“I would say the social experience of living in on-campus housing has been so beneficial to my overall experience here at Berkeley. It makes it easy to meet so many other students, and I’ve made some of my closest friends living here.” — Jackson Lu, Class of 2028, Unit 1 Resident
Jackson in his room in Unit 1.
“I like living on campus because I feel very involved in the community. Everywhere I go, I see my classmates and friends and I feel wholly immersed in Berkeley. I love living so close to campus because it means I can walk to all my classes and explore the college town around Berkeley.” — Lila Kellison-Miller, Class of 2028, Unit 1 Resident
Lila in her room in Unit 1.
“After not being super close with my floormates in freshman year, I really hit it off with the people that hang out on my floor in Foothill this year. We’ve gone to a community event or two, but we mostly create our own little events, like movie nights every Friday, weekly puzzles, late-night frozen yogurt excursions, and Jeopardy watch parties. In two weeks, we’re planning on watching the Puppy Bowl instead of the Super Bowl! Beyond freshman year, I stayed in campus housing for financial aid reasons, as well as proximity. I like being able to walk to classes and not have to rely on public transportation to get to where I need to go.” — Nolan Zils, Class of 2027, Foothill Resident
To learn more about campus housing and get started on building your own community, make sure to explore the UC Berkeley Housing website and read more of our blogs about housing.
Melissa Mora-Gonzlaez Class of 2025, is majoring in English and minoring in conservation and resource studies.
Want More?
- A guide to all things Berkeley housing, for beginners.
- Explore Cal Campus Cafes and the Eateries.
- The housing process and experience from a transfer student perspective.