Affordability
Your expenses may vary from the official estimate, but Berkeley estimates the total cost for California residents living in University housing at about $34,400 for the academic year. How are you paying for your current academic year expenses (e.g., registration fees, housing, meals, transportation, books)? Please check all that apply.
| Selected | |
|---|---|
| My personal sources of funding (e.g. loans, wages, income, savings, grants & scholarships) | 1215 |
| 43% | |
| My parents' sources of funding (e.g., loans, wages, income, savings) | 2189 |
| 78% | |
| Contributions from grandparents or other family | 415 |
| 15% | |
| Other [Contact OPA for more information] |
84 |
| 3% |
How are you paying for your current academic year expenses?
- My personal sources of funding (e.g. loans, income, savings, grants & scholarships)
| An amount that I don't know | $0 (Zero) | $1 to $1,999 | $2,000 to $4,999 | $5,000 to $9,999 | $10,000 to $14,999 | $15,000 to $19,999 | $20,000 to $24,999 | $25,000 or more | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loans to me that I must repay | 239 | 523 | 30 | 129 | 138 | 26 | 13 | 17 | 40 |
| - | 57% | 3% | 14% | 15% | 3% | 1% | 2% | 4% | |
| My savings and income | 251 | 272 | 357 | 153 | 74 | 16 | 8 | 10 | 22 |
| - | 30% | 39% | 17% | 8% | 2% | 1% | 1% | 2% | |
| Grants or scholarships that I do not repay | 200 | 119 | 166 | 168 | 116 | 112 | 71 | 91 | 200 |
| 0 | 11% | 16% | 16% | 11% | 11% | 7% | 9% | 19% |
- Parents' sources of funding (e.g. loans, income, savings)
| An amount that I don't know | $0 (Zero) | $1 to $1,999 | $2,000 to $4,999 | $5,000 to $9,999 | $10,000 to $14,999 | $15,000 to $19,999 | $20,000 to $24,999 | $25,000 or more | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loans from various sources | 835 | 835 | 28 | 43 | 47 | 32 | 33 | 18 | 95 |
| - | 74% | 3% | 4% | 4% | 3% | 3% | 2% | 8% | |
| Savings and income | 818 | 55 | 95 | 87 | 75 | 87 | 59 | 60 | 771 |
| - | 4% | 7% | 7% | 6% | 7% | 5% | 5% | 60% |
- Grandparents' or other family members' personal sources of funding (e.g. loans, income, savings)
| An amount that I don't know | $0 (Zero) | $1 to $1,999 | $2,000 to $4,999 | $5,000 to $9,999 | $10,000 to $14,999 | $15,000 to $19,999 | $20,000 to $24,999 | $25,000 or more | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loans from various sources | 158 | 194 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| - | 92% | 2% | 3% | 1% | 1% | 0% | 1% | 1% | |
| Savings and income | 174 | 13 | 64 | 38 | 27 | 26 | 7 | 6 | 42 |
| - | 6% | 29% | 17% | 12% | 12% | 3% | 3% | 19% |
If you worked for pay this past summer, how many hours per week did you usually work?
| Response | Number | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| I did not work any hours this summer | 1460 | 57% |
| 1-5 hours | 155 | 6% |
| 6-10 hours | 198 | 8% |
| 11-15 hours | 182 | 7% |
| 16-25 hours | 231 | 9% |
| 26-35 hours | 135 | 5% |
| More than 35 | 206 | 8% |
About how many hours per week are you expecting to work (paid employment) this semester?
| Response | Number | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| I do not plan to work this semester | 1814 | 71% |
| 1-5 hours | 159 | 6% |
| 6-10 hours | 307 | 12% |
| 11-15 hours | 197 | 8% |
| 16-25 hours | 51 | 2% |
| 26-35 hours | 18 | 1% |
| More than 35 | 17 | 1% |
By the time you graduate from UC Berkeley, what is the estimated total amount of loans that you, your parents, and other family will have to repay?
| An amount that I don't know | None | Less than $5,000 | $5,000 to 14,999 | $15,000 to 29,999 | $30,000 to 49,999 | $50,000 to 74,999 | $75,000 to $99,999 | $100,000 or more | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| You | 1007 | 958 | 74 | 116 | 157 | 68 | 49 | 28 | 51 |
| 64% | 5% | 8% | 11% | 5% | 3% | 2% | 3% | ||
| Your parents | 1091 | 1052 | 58 | 44 | 48 | 38 | 30 | 26 | 78 |
| 77% | 4% | 3% | 4% | 3% | 2% | 2% | 6% | ||
| Your grandparents or other family | 737 | 1601 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| 97% | 1% | 0% | 0% | 1% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
How much do you plan to spend on books for this term?
| Response | Number | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Don't know | 541 | |
| $100 to $199 | 825 | 41% |
| $200 to $299 | 605 | 30% |
| $300 to $399 | 303 | 15% |
| $400 to $499 | 107 | 5% |
| $500 to $599 | 86 | 4% |
| $600 to $699 | 37 | 2% |
| $700 to $799 | 13 | 1% |
| $800 to $899 | 13 | 1% |
| $900 to $999 | 7 | 0% |
| $1,000 or more | 15 | 1% |
If you were offered subsidized loans through the Financial Aid office, did you accept them?
| Response | Number | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Yes, I accepted subsidized loans that I was offered | 440 | 41% |
| No, I did not accept subsidized loans that I was offered | 629 | 59% |
| I do not know if I have accepted a subsidized loan | 297 | |
| Not Applicable; I was not offered subsidized loans | 1178 |
Please share with us why you did not accept the subsidized loans.
[Contact OPA for more information]
As you start this term, has there been an expense that greatly exceeded your anticipated budget amount?
| Response | Number | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| No | 1808 | 72% |
| Yes (please explain) Contact OPA for more information |
707 | 28% |
Before finishing, the unstructured questions on this page provide an opportunity for you to record experiences not already covered and/or expand on earlier responses.
What has gone surprisingly well, much better than expected?
[Contact OPA for more information]
What has not gone well? What has caused you problems, anxiety or disappointment?
[Contact OPA for more information]
Is there anything else that you would like to tell us about your experiences as a new Berkeley student?
[Contact OPA for more information]