Continuing Student FAQ
What is the lottery system and how do I get the room that I want?
How do I request the roommate that I want?
How can I apply for the apartments?
How do I know if I'm eligible for the apartments? I will have junior credits, does that count?
When are the next year room rates posted?
What does a Mini-Suite look like?
How does room draw work? Do I still have to apply for housing?
Are the floors and bathrooms single gender?
When do we find out if we get housing? And how?
Can I apply for only fall or only spring semester?
I will be studying abroad during spring semester. Can I still apply for housing?
Can I stay in the same room I'm in now? If so, do I have to move out during the summer?
Since I must vacate my room during the summer, where can I store my belongings?
What is the lottery system and how do I get the room that I want?
Students who apply for housing by the deadline are assigned a random lottery number. The Assignments Office uses these lottery numbers in conjunction with the student's top five preferences to assign spaces to applicants. If your first choice is unavailable, we will look at your second, third, etc. Remember, in order to broaden your chances of receiving a housing offer you will need to agree to consider an offer that is not among your top five preferences.
How do I request the roommate that I want?
You can request specific roommates on your applications by 1) inputting the other
student's SID; and 2) coordinating an identical list of housing preferences. If there are three or more students who wish to request each other as suitemates or apartment-mates, all participants' SIDs must be included in each applicant's application and all applicants must have identical preference lists.
How can I apply for the apartments?
You can apply for the Channing Bowditch, Wada Apartments, Martinez Commons and Ida Louise Jackson apartments online at www.housing.berkeley.edu/livingatcal. Please note that Channing Bowditch and Wada apartments are reserved for upper division undergraduate students, while Jackson House apartments are reserved for graduate students. Priority for the Martinez Commons apartments will be given to second year sophomores and upper division students.
How do I know if I'm eligible for the apartments? I will have junior credits, does that count?
Apartments run by the University are reserved mostly for upper division students. This means that you must have junior standing, not including AP credits, by the term for which you are applying for housing, with the exception of Martinez Commons where second year sophomores as well as upper division students can apply.
When are the next year room rates posted?
Due to budget cycles and the rate certification process, room rates for the next academic year are posted in late February.
What does a Mini-Suite look like?
A mini-suite consists of two bedrooms and a shared bathroom, all with a separate, locked entrances. The mini-suites have two bedrooms; some consist of two double rooms, some consist of one double bedroom and one triple room.
How does self room selection (Room Draw) work? Do I still have to apply for housing?
Yes, any continuing student interested in self room selection (Room Draw) must apply for housing online. Once you have accepted the offer from the Assignments Office you will receive a self room selection time slot. In late April, you will be able to select your room online through the Housing portal.
Are the floors and bathrooms single gender?
For the most part, the shared bathrooms in the residence halls are coed; however, there are some floors in the Units that are single gender (with single gender bathrooms). Shared bathrooms in suites in the Units and Clark Kerr are single gender, and Foothill suites with 5 or more bedrooms have at least two single gender bathrooms. Both Stern Hall and Bowles Hall are single gender (female and male, respectively).
When and how do we find out if we get housing?
All contracts will be sent via email, so make sure your email address is up to date. Continuing students apply first, then new freshman, new transfer and fall extension program students. On average, students are offered housing a month or so after the application deadline.
Can I apply for only fall or only spring semester?
If you apply for housing for the Fall semester your contract will be for the full academic year (*see next question for one exception), which means August through May. If you are not going to be living with us in the Fall, you can apply for housing for just the Spring semester at a later date (usually in early October).
I will be studying abroad during spring semester. Can I still apply for housing?
Yes. You will need to sign a full-year contract and then provide us with a letter of acceptance to your program and a Contract Cancellation Request Form. Do this early in the fall semester in order to cancel your housing contract for the spring semester (when you will be studying abroad).
Can I stay in the same room I'm in now? If so, do I have to move out during the summer?
If you are assigned to the same room type as you are in now, you can select the same room next year, provided the room is available during the room selection process; however, you will not have any special priority to choose this room. If you do choose the same room, you will still be required to completely vacate the room during the summer months. (The exception is for Channing-Bowditch residents with a 12-month contract.)
Since I must vacate my room during the summer, where can I store my belongings?
We offer storage pick-up right at all the residence halls through a company called Student Storage Center. They will pick up the items, store them over the summer, and then return them to you whether you live on or off campus when you get back in the fall. Price depends upon the number of items. Notices will be placed in all the mailboxes in the spring, about 60 and then 30 days in advance of the end of spring semester. To contact them for a quote, call 1 (800) 586-3020 or (510) 581-8088 or send email to storageandmoving@aol.com.
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