GuideVerified 2026-07-22
Berkeley student housing, in numbers.
Every statistic a student or parent asks us about, collected in one place: how many students compete for housing, how many beds the university has, what dorms and apartments cost, and how people get around. Each figure names its source and its reference period. We refresh the page quarterly.
EnrollmentFall 2025
46,151
students enrolled at UC Berkeley
33,122 undergraduates and 13,029 graduate students, counted at the fall census. Every one of them needs to sleep somewhere within reach of campus.
UC Berkeley Office of Planning & AnalysisEnrollmentFall 2025
7,186
international students
3,251 international undergraduates and 3,935 international graduate students, computed as about 16 percent of total enrollment from the campus census.
UC Berkeley Office of Planning & AnalysisEnrollmentFall 2025
30.2%
of graduate students are international
Computed from 3,935 international students out of 13,029 graduate students. Among undergraduates the share is 9.8 percent.
UC Berkeley Office of Planning & AnalysisEnrollmentFall 2025
9,785
new undergraduates arrive each fall
6,724 first-time freshmen plus 3,061 new transfers. This is the cohort that floods the rental market every August.
UC Berkeley Office of Planning & AnalysisEnrollment2025-26 cycle
126,842
freshman applications for one class
14,451 were admitted. Demand for a Berkeley education, and by extension a Berkeley address, is not the constraint.
UC Berkeley Office of Planning & AnalysisUniversity housing2025-26 academic year
29%
of undergraduates live in campus housing
About 9,700 of roughly 33,000 undergraduates. The remaining 71 percent, around 23,000 students, rent in the private market or live in co-ops and Greek houses.
Berkeley NewsUniversity housing2025-26 academic year
90%
of incoming first-years live in campus housing
Every eligible incoming first-year who applied was offered housing for 2026-27. The guarantee does not extend to later years.
Berkeley NewsUniversity housing2026-27 academic year
2 years
housing guarantee for new first-years
New incoming first-year students are guaranteed two years of university housing starting fall 2026; new transfers get one year. After that, students enter the private market.
UC Berkeley HousingUniversity housing2026-27 rates
$23,885
per year for a standard residence hall double
$17,000 housing plus the mandatory $6,885 Blue & Gold meal plan, for roughly nine months of occupancy. Works out to about $2,650 per month including food.
UC Berkeley HousingUniversity housing2026-27 rates
$26,530
per year for a standard residence hall single
$19,645 housing plus the mandatory $6,885 meal plan. Suites and premium halls run higher, up to $29,005 for a suite single.
UC Berkeley HousingUniversity housingFall 2026 contract
$4,986
per semester for a co-op room with board
Berkeley Student Cooperative room-and-board houses, utilities and internet included. Works out to about $1,108 per month across the academic year, plus workshift hours.
Berkeley Student CooperativeUniversity housingPublished March 2026
2,400+
campus beds added since 2018
Another 2,700 or more are expected by 2028, including the Bancroft-Fulton project under construction and Heumann House in 2027. Supply is coming, but slowly relative to demand.
Berkeley NewsCity marketACS 2024 1-year estimate
121,730
Berkeley residents
The 2020 decennial census counted 124,321. Students make up close to a third of the city either way.
US Census Bureau via Census ReporterCity marketACS 2024 1-year
54.1%
of Berkeley households rent
Computed from 25,888 renter-occupied units out of 47,862 occupied housing units. Berkeley is a renter-majority city.
US Census Bureau via Census ReporterCity marketACS 2024 1-year
$2,024
median gross rent, all occupied rentals
This is the Census figure for what existing tenants actually pay, including long-held rent-controlled leases. Asking rents for new leases run higher; see the rent index for those.
US Census Bureau via Census ReporterCity marketJune 2026
$2,941
Zillow Observed Rent Index for Berkeley
A repeat-rent index of asking rents weighted to the whole rental stock, up 2.0 percent year over year. The campus-adjacent ZIP 94704 reads higher, at $3,052.
Zillow ResearchCity marketJuly 2026, rolling 30 days
$2,550
median asking rent across active listings
All bedroom counts, all property types, up 4.1 percent year over year. Listing-platform figures skew toward newer buildings; the rent index breaks this down by neighborhood and bedroom count.
Zumper Berkeley rent reportCity marketCurrent as of 2026
20,000+
rent-regulated units in Berkeley
Out of about 29,000 rental units citywide, per the Rent Board. Most of the rest are exempt new construction, single-family homes, or condos.
Berkeley Rent BoardCity marketAdopted October 2025
1.0%
2026 Annual General Adjustment
The maximum annual rent increase for a fully covered rent-controlled unit, effective January 1, 2026. Set at 65 percent of Bay Area CPI growth, capped at 5 percent.
Berkeley Rent BoardCity marketFY 2026-27
$397
annual Rent Board registration fee per covered unit
Fully covered units pay $397; partially covered units pay $244. A landlord who cannot show registration is a red flag worth checking in the public unit lookup.
Berkeley Rent BoardTransit2025 weekday average
7,129
average weekday exits at Downtown Berkeley BART
The station serving the west edge of campus. Systemwide, BART ran 180,649 average weekday trips in 2025.
BART ridership reportsTransitFY 2024-25
136,138
average weekday AC Transit boardings
Systemwide across the East Bay. Lines 6, 51B, 36, 52, 65, and 67 serve the campus area directly.
AC TransitTransitACS 2024 1-year
32.4%
of Berkeley workers drive alone
Computed from ACS commuting counts. The rest: 31.5 percent work from home, 14.2 percent take transit, 12.9 percent walk, 4.1 percent bike. Berkeley is not a car city.
US Census Bureau via Census ReporterTransitACS 2024 1-year
17%
of Berkeley workers walk or bike to work
Computed from 7,200 walkers and 2,289 cyclists out of 55,882 workers 16 and over. For context, 4.1 percent bike, one of the highest shares of any US city.
US Census Bureau via Census ReporterSafetyBPD 2025 Annual Report
-11%
overall crime change, 2024 to 2025
Property crime fell 18 percent in the same period. Vehicle thefts nearly halved, to the lowest level since 2019.
Berkeley Police Department via BerkeleysideSafetyBPD 2025 Annual Report
1,849
crimes against people in 2025
Up 2 percent from 1,809 in 2024, driven by aggravated assaults. Robberies moved the other way, down 20 percent to 177.
Berkeley Police Department via BerkeleysideSafetyBPD 2025 Annual Report
15
shootings in Berkeley in 2025
Down 40 percent from 25 in 2024 and a nine-year low for gunfire. One homicide was recorded in 2025, against four in 2024.
Berkeley Police Department via Berkeleyside27 statisticsVerified 2026-07-22
How to read these numbers
Berkeley housing statistics get quoted loosely, and the same question can have three different correct answers depending on the measure. The Census Bureau's median gross rent counts what existing tenants pay, including leases signed years ago under rent control. Listing platforms like Zumper and Apartments.com measure what landlords ask right now. Zillow's index models the whole rental stock from repeat listings. Each is honest about something different, so we label the measure and the period on every figure rather than blending them into one number.
Where a percentage is computed from published counts, the card says so. Where a figure comes from a single source, that source is the one linked. Nothing here is estimated by us.
The core tension: 46,000 students, 9,700 beds
UC Berkeley enrolled 46,151 students in Fall 2025 and houses about 29 percent of its undergraduates. The university is building fast, with more than 2,400 beds added since 2018 and 2,700 more expected by 2028, and it now guarantees two years of housing to new first-years. Even so, the math leaves roughly 23,000 undergraduates, plus nearly all 13,000 graduate students, in the private market every year. That is the demand behind every August leasing season in Southside, Northside, and Elmwood.
If you are weighing a dorm year against an apartment, our co-op, dorm, and apartment comparison walks through the tradeoffs, and the sophomore decision guide covers the moment the guarantee runs out.
What housing actually costs
A standard residence hall double runs $23,885 for the 2026-27 academic year, meals included, for about nine months of occupancy. Berkeley Student Cooperative houses come in near $1,108 a month with food, utilities, and a workshift. Private apartments vary by neighborhood, bedroom count, and building age. The apartment cost calculator totals the real monthly number with utilities and fees, and the Berkeley Student Rent Index tracks asking rents by neighborhood and bedroom count from multiple listing sources.
Getting around without a car
Only 32.4 percent of Berkeley workers drive alone to work, and 17 percent walk or bike. Downtown Berkeley BART sees 7,129 exits on an average weekday, and six AC Transit lines run through the campus area. All three Panoramic buildings sit within a twelve-minute walk of Sather Gate, which is why none of them offers resident parking. Our walking time table compares twenty-one buildings, co-ops, and dorms.
Safety, in context
Berkeley's overall crime fell 11 percent in 2025, with property crime down 18 percent and shootings at a nine-year low. The incidents students actually encounter near campus are overwhelmingly property crimes: bikes, laptops, and packages. That is why secure bike rooms, package rooms, and controlled access matter more in a student building than almost any amenity. For block-level texture, the noise map covers what each neighborhood sounds like at 2am.
Verified 2026-07-22. Refreshed quarterly.