2018 SONS Freshmen - Part 2: Affordability and Background

Concern about Cost

How concerned are you about paying for your undergraduate education NEXT YEAR? (Next year is defined as Fall 2019 and Spring 2020.)

Response	Number	Percent
Not concerned	952	30%
Somewhat concerned	1,083	35%
Concerned	530	17%
Very concerned	572	18%

Which of the following have you done in the past year or do you plan to do this year to meet anticipated college expenses?

	Selected
Applied for financial aid (including work-study)	1,342
Applied for financial aid (including work-study)	41%
Asked financial aid office to reevaluate my application	311
Asked financial aid office to reevaluate my application	10%
Plan to buy fewer books than required (buy/rent used books, borrow/read books on reserve)	1,677
	51%
Will take more courses per term to complete on-time or early	637
	19%
Will take fewer courses so I can work for pay	117
Will take fewer courses so I can work for pay	4%
Will accept AP or similar credit instead of taking the course	1,313
	40%
Will take or have taken a community college course because community college courses are cheaper	626
	19%
Will take or have taken an online course because online courses are cheaper	187
	6%
Worked for pay to save for college	820
Worked for pay to save for college	25%
Plan to work for pay at least my first year	673
Plan to work for pay at least my first year	21%
Requested a triple (3-person room) to save money	1,007
Requested a triple (3-person room) to save money	31%
Will live at home to reduce expenses	125
Will live at home to reduce expenses	4%
Applied for outside scholarships/grants	1,487
Applied for outside scholarships/grants	45%
Don't expect cost to be a significant problem	912
Don't expect cost to be a significant problem	28%
Other (please specify) *[Contact OPA for more information]*	62
	2%

Have you heard about the Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan, which ensures that scholarships and grants will cover fees for U.S. students from families making less than $80,000 a year, with financial need?

Response	Number	Percent
Yes	1,116	36%
No	1,996	64%

Have you heard about the UC Berkeley Middle Class Access Plan (MCAP), a financial aid program available to families in the $80,000 - $150,000 annual income range?

Response	Number	Percent
Yes	821	26%
No	2,290	74%

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement: Given the grants and scholarships, if any, that you receive, the total cost of attending UC Berkeley is manageable.

Response	Number	Percent
Strongly disagree	227	7%
Disagree	309	10%
Somewhat disagree	482	16%
Somewhat agree	1,025	33%
Agree	800	26%
Strongly agree	265	9%

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	668	41%
No, I did not accept subsidized loans that I was offered	963	59%
I do not know if I have accepted a subsidized loan	335
Not Applicable; I was not offered subsidized loans	1,143

Please share with us why you did not accept the subsidized loans.

[Contact OPA for more information]

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	1,740	56%
1-5 hours	188	6%
6-10 hours	236	8%
11-15 hours	226	7%
16-25 hours	311	10%
26-35 hours	183	6%
More than 35	214	7%

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	2,128	69%
1-5 hours	226	7%
6-10 hours	395	13%
11-15 hours	216	7%
16-25 hours	82	3%
26-35 hours	26	1%
More than 35	22	1%

Since you have come to UC Berkeley, have you encountered a situation where lack of financial resources kept you from having basic student necessities (housing, food, books, healthcare, etc.)?

Response	Number	Percent
Yes	408	13%
No	2,675	87%

Please select from the following list all basics you have foregone as a result of finances.

	Selected
Housing	59
Housing	15%
Food	281
Food	69%
Books	245
Books	60%
Health care	113
Health care	28%
Other (Please explain below) *[Contact OPA for more information]*	20
	5%

For the following statements, please indicate whether the statement was often true, sometimes true, or never true for you in the 12 months before coming to UC Berkeley.

	Often true	Sometimes true	Never true
The food that I bought just didn't last, and I didn’t have money to get more.	138	492	2,430
	5%	16%	80%
I couldn't afford to eat balanced meals.	173	470	2,397
I couldn't afford to eat balanced meals.	6%	16%	79%

In the 12 months before coming to UC Berkeley, did you ever cut the size of your meals or skip meals because there wasn't enough money for food?

Response	Number	Percent
No	2,685	87%
Yes, almost every month	134	4%
Yes, some months, but not every month	166	5%
Yes, only 1 or 2 months	99	3%

In the 12 months before coming to UC Berkeley, did you ever eat less than you felt you should because there wasn't enough money for food?

Response	Number	Percent
No	2,663	86%
Yes	419	14%

In the 12 months before coming to UC Berkeley, were you ever hungry but didn't eat because there wasn't enough money for food?

Response	Number	Percent
No	2,752	89%
Yes	330	11%

Is there anything else that you would like to tell us about the impact of the cost to attend on your educational experience at UC Berkeley?

[Contact OPA for more information]

Family and Culture

When did you come to the United States to live?

Response	Number	Percent
I was born in the U.S.	2,124	70%
1998 or earlier	7	0%
1999	12	0%
2000	114	4%
2001	34	1%
2002	30	1%
2003	41	1%
2004	39	1%
2005	38	1%
2006	30	1%
2007	16	1%
2008	22	1%
2009	10	0%
2010	26	1%
2011	17	1%
2012	23	1%
2013	28	1%
2014	67	2%
2015	38	1%
2016	12	0%
2017 or earlier	326	11%

When did you learn to speak English?

Response	Number	Percent
English is my native language	1,810	59%
Before I was 6 years old	825	27%
When I was 6-10 years old	309	10%
When I was 11-15 years old	106	4%
After turning 16 years old	15	1%

To the best of your knowledge, where were your parents born?

	In the U.S.	Outside the U.S.	Do not know
Parent/Guardian 1	909	2,143	4
Parent/Guardian 1	30%	70%	0%
Parent/Guardian 2	839	2,172	9
Parent/Guardian 2	28%	72%	0%

To the best of your knowledge, how many of your grandparents were born outside of the United States?

Response	Number	Percent
Zero	492	16%
One	130	4%
Two	304	10%
Three	90	3%
Four	2,044	67%

Which of the following best describes your social class when you were growing up?

Response	Number	Percent
Wealthy	105	3%
Upper-middle or professional-middle	1,141	37%
Middle-class	1,012	33%
Working-class	439	14%
Low-income or poor	370	12%

Are you a financially independent student?

Response	Number	Percent
Yes	151	5%
No	2,909	95%

To the best of your knowledge, which category includes the total annual combined income of your parent(s) before taxes in 2017?

Response	Number	Percent
Less than $10,000	91	3%
$10,000 to $19,999	128	5%
$20,000 to $34,999	253	10%
$35,000 to $49,999	189	7%
$50,000 to $64,999	160	6%
$65,000 to $79,999	171	7%
$80,000 to $99,999	217	8%
$100,000 to $124,999	295	11%
$125,000 to $149,999	197	7%
$150,000 to $199,999	348	13%
$200,000 to $499,000	496	19%
$500,000 or more	100	4%

To the best of your knowledge, which category includes your household's total annual combined income before taxes in 2017?

Response	Number	Percent
Less than $10,000	17	12%
$10,000 to $19,999	17	12%
$20,000 to $34,999	16	11%
$35,000 to $49,999	10	7%
$50,000 to $64,999	10	7%
$65,000 to $79,999	7	5%
$80,000 to $99,999	8	6%
$100,000 to $124,999	10	7%
$125,000 to $149,999	9	6%
$150,000 to $199,999	13	9%
$200,000 to $499,000	17	12%
$500,000 or more	7	5%

What is your religious/spiritual preference?

Response	Number	Percent
Spiritual but not associated with a major religion	280	10%
Not particularly spiritual	408	14%
No preference	374	13%
Agnostic	308	11%
Atheist	291	10%
Baptist	37	1%
Buddhist	84	3%
Christian Church (Disciples)	190	7%
Eastern Orthodox	22	1%
Episcopalian	8	0%
Hindu	146	5%
Jewish	74	3%
Lutheran	12	0%
Methodist	13	0%
Mormon	6	0%
Muslim	67	2%
Presbyterian	62	2%
Quaker	1	0%
Roman Catholic	342	12%
Seventh Day Adventist	3	0%
Sikh	22	1%
Taoist	3	0%
Unitarian/Universalist	2	0%
United Church of Christ/Congregational	4	0%
Other Christian	135	5%
Other Religion	38	1%

With which gender do you identify?

Response	Number	Percent
Male	1,244	41%
Female	1,745	58%
Trans Male/Trans Man	8	0%
Trans Female/Trans Woman	4	0%
Genderqueer/Gender Non-Conforming	24	1%
Different identity	12	0%

Do you consider yourself to be:

Response	Number	Percent
Heterosexual or straight	2,547	85%
Gay or lesbian	101	3%
Bisexual	203	7%
Questioning/Unsure	118	4%
Not listed above, please specify *[Contact OPA for more information]*	43	1%

How would you characterize your political orientation?

Response	Number	Percent
Very liberal	289	10%
Liberal	1,115	37%
Slightly liberal	588	20%
Moderate or middle of the road	640	22%
Slightly conservative	179	6%
Conservative	86	3%
Very conservative	15	1%
Other, please elaborate *[Contact OPA for more information]*	9	2%

Living Conditions

Where are you living this term?

Response	Number	Percent
Clark Kerr Campus	338	11%
Foothill	329	11%
Bowles Hall	19	1%
Stern	97	3%
Unit 1	717	23%
Unit 2 (excluding Wada Apartments)	554	18%
Unit 3 (including Beverly Cleary Hall)	509	17%
University Village Albany (family housing)	1	0%
Wada Apartments	2	0%
International House	1	0%
Living with family	30	1%
Co-op housing	6	0%
Living off-campus in a house or apartment	52	2%
Blackwell Hall	393	13%
Global Edge Program Housing (abroad)	1	0%
I have not (yet) found stable housing	2	0%
Other *[Contact OPA for more information]*	9	0%

How far from campus are you living this term?

Response	Number	Percent
On campus or less than 1 mile	2,588	86%
1 mile to 2 miles	335	11%
3 miles to 10 miles	45	2%
11 miles to 20 miles	20	1%
21 miles or more	23	1%

With whom are you living this term?

Response	Number	Percent
No one. I live alone	39	1%
I share an apartment or dorm room with at least one other UC Berkeley student	2,914	96%
I share an apartment with peers who are not UC Berkeley students	12	0%
I live with my spouse or domestic partner (with or without others)	9	0%
I live with at least one parent	42	1%
Other *[Contact OPA for more information]*	24	1%

What is the composition of your residence hall or household while attending UC Berkeley this term?

	0 (Zero)	1	2	3	4	5 or more
College students or other adults (count yourself as 1)	-	140	672	974	103	1,113
College students or other adults (count yourself as 1)		5%	22%	32%	3%	37%
Children or teenagers under the age of 18 (do NOT count yourself as 1)	2,229	220	120	69	51	193
	77%	8%	4%	2%	2%	7%

Since the beginning of this semester, have you ever been homeless? (Homeless means not having stable or reliable housing, e.g., living on the street, in vehicles, motels, camp grounds, single-occupancy facilities, or couch surfing in other people's homes for temporary sleeping arrangements)

Response	Number	Percent
Yes	42	1%
No	2,974	99%

Do you have any biological or adopted children who live with you now?

Response	Number	Percent
No	2,961	98%
Yes	48	2%

IF YES: How many?

Response	Number	Percent
1	1	50%
2	1	50%

Do you have any biological or adopted children who live elsewhere?

Response	Number	Percent
No	2,951	98%
Yes	53	2%

IF YES: How many?

Response	Number	Percent
1	6	60%
2	2	20%
4	1	10%
5 or more	1	10%

Do you have primary responsibility for caring for someone else such as a parent, grandparent or sibling?

Response	Number	Percent
No	2,918	97%
Yes	98	3%

Challenge & Well-Being

During your first year at UC Berkeley, how often do you expect each of the following to be obstacles to your school work or academic success?

	Not at all	Rarely	Occasionally	Frequently	All the time
Job responsibilities (e.g., paid employment)	1,374	572	684	245	93
Job responsibilities (e.g., paid employment)	46%	19%	23%	8%	3%
Family responsibilities	970	926	750	224	89
Family responsibilities	33%	31%	25%	8%	3%
Other responsibilities (e.g., athletics, clubs, internship)	467	513	1,142	656	179
	16%	17%	39%	22%	6%
Weak English skills	2,031	425	315	128	54
Weak English skills	69%	14%	11%	4%	2%
Weak writing skills	1,546	633	517	190	72
Weak writing skills	52%	21%	18%	6%	2%
Weak math skills	1,405	664	572	218	93
Weak math skills	48%	23%	19%	7%	3%
Inadequate study skills (e.g., knowing how to start, knowing how to get help, organizing material)	937	831	815	269	112
	32%	28%	28%	9%	4%
Poor study behaviors (e.g., wait until the last minute, too much social time, too much web surfing)	708	696	947	436	177
	24%	24%	32%	15%	6%
Poor study environment (e.g., noisy roommate, poor Internet access, inadequate computer or software)	789	925	837	306	104
	27%	31%	28%	10%	4%
Feeling depressed, stressed, or upset	562	698	950	520	235
Feeling depressed, stressed, or upset	19%	24%	32%	18%	9%
Physical illness or condition	1,240	975	548	146	56
Physical illness or condition	42%	33%	19%	5%	2%
Military deployment	2,579	188	138	37	18
Military deployment	87%	6%	5%	1%	1%
Going hungry, not having enough food	2,065	492	289	88	30
Going hungry, not having enough food	70%	17%	10%	3%	1%
Inconsistent access to housing, or homelessness	2,494	227	165	47	23
Inconsistent access to housing, or homelessness	84%	8%	6%	2%	1%
Inability to concentrate on my work	867	780	860	333	122
Inability to concentrate on my work	29%	26%	29%	11%	4%
Reluctance to ask for academic help when I need it	922	846	777	294	125
Reluctance to ask for academic help when I need it	31%	29%	26%	10%	4%

In general, I consider myself...

Response	Number	Percent
(1) Not a very happy person	57	2%
(2)	112	4%
(3)	238	8%
(4)	558	19%
(5)	910	30%
(6)	805	27%
(7) A very happy person	317	11%

In the past 3 months, compared to most of my peers, I consider myself ...

Response	Number	Percent
(1) Less happy	115	4%
(2)	212	7%
(3)	357	12%
(4)	736	25%
(5)	689	23%
(6)	599	20%
(7) More happy	286	10%

Whom can you really count on to help you feel better when you are feeling upset?

	Selected
Friends nearby	2,253
Friends nearby	70%
Friends who are not nearby (e.g., home or high school friends)	2,148
	67%
Boyfriend or girlfriend, partner, spouse or significant other	676
	21%
Teachers, coaches	365
Teachers, coaches	11%
Parents, guardians	2,078
Parents, guardians	65%
Siblings	1,501
Siblings	47%
Other family	658
Other family	21%
Clergy	47
Clergy	2%
Counselors, therapists	205
Counselors, therapists	6%
UCB student services support staff (counselor, advisor, etc.)	204
	6%
No one (else) / myself only	88
No one (else) / myself only	3%
Other (please specify) *[Contact OPA for more information]*	47
	2%

In general, how satisfied are you with how available these people are to you?

Response	Number	Percent
Very dissatisfied	79	3%
Fairly dissatisfied	124	4%
A little dissatisfied	234	8%
A little satisfied	322	11%
Fairly satisfied	1,258	44%
Very satisfied	870	30%

Overall, how satisfied are you with the support that you have?

Response	Number	Percent
Very dissatisfied	64	2%
Fairly dissatisfied	129	4%
A little dissatisfied	196	7%
A little satisfied	396	13%
Fairly satisfied	1,269	43%
Very satisfied	916	31%

Do you know that the Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at the Tang Center offers short term counseling, that there is no charge to get started, and that all registered UC Berkeley students can access services regardless of whether they have UC Berkeley SHIP (Student Health Insurance Plan)?

Response	Number	Percent
Yes	2,319	78%
No	652	22%