Affordability
Your expenses may vary from the official estimate, but Berkeley estimates the total cost for California residents living in University housing at about $33,500 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) | 968 |
| 48% | |
| My parents' sources of funding (e.g., loans, wages, income, savings) | 1702 |
| 84% | |
| Contributions from grandparents or other family | 354 |
| 17% | |
| Other [Contact OPA for more information] |
68 |
| 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 | 172 | 413 | 35 | 130 | 101 | 17 | 10 | 8 | 27 |
| 19% | 45% | 4% | 14% | 11% | 2% | 1% | 1% | 3% | |
| My savings and income | 198 | 206 | 292 | 138 | 52 | 20 | 7 | 4 | 12 |
| 21% | 22% | 31% | 15% | 6% | 2% | 1% | 0% | 1% | |
| Grants or scholarships that I do not repay | 102 | 131 | 107 | 149 | 85 | 83 | 48 | 86 | 148 |
| 11% | 14% | 11% | 16% | 9% | 9% | 5% | 9% | 16% |
- 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 | 659 | 661 | 22 | 39 | 39 | 30 | 7 | 23 | 69 |
| 43% | 43% | 1% | 3% | 3% | 2% | 1% | 2% | 5% | |
| Savings and income | 647 | 28 | 68 | 65 | 69 | 71 | 47 | 61 | 591 |
| 39% | 2% | 4% | 4% | 4% | 4% | 3% | 4% | 36% |
- 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 | 136 | 163 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 43% | 51% | 1% | 2% | 0% | 2% | 1% | 0% | 1% | |
| Savings and income | 164 | 8 | 52 | 26 | 22 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 43 |
| 49% | 2% | 16% | 8% | 7% | 3% | 1% | 2% | 13% |
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 | 1120 | 57% |
| 1-5 hours | 144 | 7% |
| 6-10 hours | 148 | 8% |
| 11-15 hours | 121 | 6% |
| 16-25 hours | 170 | 9% |
| 26-35 hours | 109 | 6% |
| More than 35 | 146 | 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 | 1384 | 71% |
| 1-5 hours | 126 | 6% |
| 6-10 hours | 246 | 13% |
| 11-15 hours | 114 | 6% |
| 16-25 hours | 49 | 3% |
| 26-35 hours | 19 | 1% |
| More than 35 | 18 | 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 | 717 | 759 | 69 | 102 | 128 | 46 | 21 | 21 | 45 |
| 38% | 40% | 4% | 5% | 7% | 2% | 1% | 1% | 2% | |
| Your parents | 829 | 814 | 48 | 44 | 32 | 20 | 24 | 14 | 58 |
| 44% | 43% | 3% | 2% | 2% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 3% | |
| Your grandparents or other family | 519 | 1272 | 14 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 28% | 70% | 1% | 1% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
How much do you plan to spend on books for this term?
| Response | Number | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Don't know | 380 | 20% |
| $100 to $199 | 643 | 33% |
| $200 to $299 | 416 | 21% |
| $300 to $399 | 243 | 13% |
| $400 to $499 | 104 | 5% |
| $500 to $599 | 87 | 5% |
| $600 to $699 | 33 | 2% |
| $700 to $799 | 14 | 1% |
| $800 to $899 | 10 | 1% |
| $900 to $999 | 8 | 0% |
| $1,000 or more | 7 | 0% |
If you were offered subsidized loans through the Financial Aid office, did you accept them?
| Response | Number | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Not Applicable; I was not offered subsidized loans | 945 | 49% |
| Yes, I accepted subsidized loans that I was offered | 339 | 18% |
| No, I did not accept subsidized loans that I was offered | 421 | 22% |
| I do not know if I have accepted a subsidized loan | 235 | 12% |
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 | 1510 | 79% |
| Yes [Contact OPA for more information] |
414 | 22% |
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]