Residence Hall Policies and Procedures
Appeals for Cancellation
The Appeals Board is designed to formally and confidentially review appeals from students who, for reasons beyond their control, must cancel their residence hall contracts. Only cases of extreme hardship will be considered. The Appeals Board is the final decision-maker on all such requests.
Residence Halls Appeals Board Instruction Sheet
Check In
Upon arriving to campus, each student should report to the unit to which he or she has been assigned. Staff will verify student ID and issue room keys. Each resident will also receive a Room Condition Report that will be used to assess damages at the end of the year.
Checking Out
If a student's cancellation request or appeal is granted, that student must follow all steps in the "Checking Out of Your Residence Hall Instruction Sheet" in order to complete the move-out process. Note that following these instructions alone does not mean that a student's contract has been cancelled - the cancellation request or appeal must be granted first!
Checking Out of Your Residence Hall Instruction Sheet
Contract Cancellation
All requests for Cancellation of a housing contract must be submitted to the Residence Hall Assignments Office on the "Residence Hall Contract Cancellation Request" form. The resident requesting contract Cancellation shall continue to be liable for room and board fees until a replacement is found and/or the request is approved by the Assignments Office in writing. Please see the Terms and Conditions of the contract for further information about contract Cancellation.
Residence Hall Contract Cancellation Request Form
Damages
Each resident is individually responsible for loss or damage to his/her room. All residents of a hall, floor, or suite, under the University's discretion, will be jointly liable for loss or damage to common areas where individual responsibility cannot be determined. The Room Condition Report will be used to assess any damages; reasonable wear and tear is expected. See Terms and Conditions for more information.
Email Practices
The Assignments Office will send housing contract offers to students through e-mail. The primary address that we use is the address listed by the student on his or her housing application. If the student has a Berkeley email account set up at the time that offers are sent, the offer is sent to that address as well. We recommend that students set up their Berkeley e-mail accounts and list them on their applications. It is highly recommended that students do NOT list Hotmail accounts.
Payment of Housing Fees
The room and board fees are paid as follows: $300 advance payment at time of contract acceptance and the balance divided into five equal payments per semester. Payments are billed to the student's CARS account.
2011-12 Rates
Residence Hall Contract
To be eligible for a space in the residence halls, the applicant must be a registered UC Berkeley student. The University does not require any student to live in the residence halls. A student wanting to live in University housing needs to apply online by the deadline given for his/her student category, pay the $20 nonrefundable application fee, and accept a 10-month academic year contract with an advance payment. The contract will be sent by e-mail, with a designated deadline for acceptance.
Terms and Conditions
Housing Application
Room Entry
Residence hall staff may enter a student's room or suite for any reason set forth in the "Bear Necessities, Guide to Living on Campus", for any reason allowed by law, and for the following reasons: cleaning, maintenance and repairs; ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations; and in the event of an emergency. For more information please see the Terms and Conditions of the housing contract.
Room Transfers
A student who wishes to change his/her housing contract can only do so after the semester begins. Students wanting to transfer should fill out Transfer Request forms after arriving on campus. After the first two weeks of the semester, the Assignments Office will begin transferring students to their requested assignments, as space allows. If a student wishes to transfer to the same type of room within the same unit, he or she should speak directly to the Resident Director for that unit to arrange a transfer.
Residence Hall Contract Transfer Request
Roommate Requests
Students who want to live together should list each other as roommates on their residence hall applications, using full names and SIDs. They should also make matching lists of housing and environmental preferences. The Assignments Office will make every effort to match mutually requested roommates, as spaces allow - matches are not guaranteed.
Semester Break
All residence halls will be closed and all residents must vacate the halls by 10 am upon commencement of the Semester Break. Students are not allowed to remain in the buildings during break due to energy curtailment. Residents are permitted to leave their belongings in the halls, at their own risk. Students may move back into the halls at 8 am on the designated move-in day for spring semester.
Important Dates
Withdrawal from the University
Students who withdraw from UC Berkeley must move out of the residence halls within ten days. A student who decides to withdraw must notify the housing office so that his or her contract will be cancelled accordingly. Any student in this situation needs to fill out a Residence Hall Contract Cancellation Request Form, and provide documentation supporting his or her withdrawal from the University. The student should then follow the Checking Out of Your Residence Hall Instruction Sheet to complete the move-out process.