Part 2: Background

Concern About Cost

1. How concerned are you about paying for your undergraduate education NEXT YEAR? (Next year is defined as Fall 2015 and Spring 2016.)

Not concerned	366	26%
Somewhat concerned	435	31%
Concerned	277	20%
Very concerned	315	23%

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

Applied for financial aid	840
	60%
Asked financial aid office to reevaluate my application	190
	14%
Plan to buy fewer books than listed as required, to buy cheaper used books, to read books on reserve	862
	61%
Will take more courses per term to complete on-time or early	325
	23%
Will take fewer courses so I can work for pay	53
	4%
Will accept AP or similar credit instead of taking the course	633
	45%
Will take or have taken a community college course because community college courses are cheaper	184
	13%
Will take or have taken an online course because online courses are cheaper	48
	3%
Worked for pay to save for college	433
	31%
Plan to work for pay at least my first year	373
	27%
Requested a triple to save money	406
	29%
Will live at home to reduce expenses	36
	3%
Don't expect cost to be a significant problem	359
	26%
Other (please specify) [Contact OPA for more information]	96
	7%

3a. 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?

Yes	579	42%
No	809	58%

3b. Have you heard about the Berkeley Middle Class Access Plan (MCAP), a new financial aid program available to families in the $80,000 - $150,000 annual income range?

Yes	602	43%
No	784	57%

3c. 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.

Strongly disagree	105	8%
Disagree	157	11%
Somewhat disagree	193	14%
Somewhat agree	428	31%
Agree	351	25%
Strongly agree	156	11%

3d. 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)?

Yes	206	15%
No	1185	85%

3d. Please select from the following list all basics you have foregone as a result of finances.

Housing	29
	14%
Food	109
	53%
Books	150
	73%
Health care	49
	24%
Other (Please explain below) [Contact OPA for more information]	12
	6%

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

[Contact OPA for more information]

5. When did you come to the United States to live?

I was born in the U.S.	975	71%
1994 or earlier	3	0%
1995	8	1%
1996	38	3%
1997	15	1%
1998	24	2%
1999	12	1%
2000	27	2%
2001	33	2%
2002	18	1%
2003	13	1%
2004	9	1%
2005	13	1%
2006	10	1%
2007	17	1%
2008	7	1%
2009	10	1%
2010	12	1%
2011	11	1%
2012	6	0%
2013 or later	118	9%

6. When did you learn to speak English?

English is my native language	800	58%
Before I was 5 years old	275	20%
When I was 5 years old	137	10%
When I was 6-10 years old	123	9%
When I was 11-15 years old	41	3%
After turning 16 years old	6	0%

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

	In the U.S.	Outside the U.S.	Do not know
Your mother	441	934	4
	32%	68%	0%
Your father	471	891	11
	34%	65%	1%

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

Zero	270	20%
One	67	5%
Two	146	11%
Three	36	3%
Four	859	62%

8. What is the highest level of education reached by your mother...

In the United States?

None (did not receive formal education)	106	8%
Less than high school diploma	21	2%
High school diploma	106	8%
Associate's or postsecondary certificate	77	6%
Bachelor's degree	242	18%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	13	1%
Master's degree	231	18%
Professional degree	53	4%
Doctorate	76	6%
Do not know	26	2%
Not applicable	368	28%

In a foreign country?

None (did not receive formal education)	27	2%
Less than high school diploma or equivalent	111	9%
High school diploma or equivalent	155	13%
Associate's or postsecondary certificate	55	5%
Bachelor's degree or equivalent	282	23%
Post-baccalaureate certificate or equivalent	6	1%
Master's degree or equivalent	100	8%
Professional degree or equivalent	23	2%
Doctorate or equivalent	24	2%
Do not know	34	3%
Not applicable	386	32%

9. What is the highest level of education reached by your father...

In the United States?

None (did not receive formal education)	86	7%
Less than high school diploma	27	2%
High school diploma	123	9%
Associate's or postsecondary certificate	43	3%
Bachelor's degree	209	16%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	10	1%
Master's degree	231	18%
Professional degree	65	5%
Doctorate	166	13%
Do not know	28	2%
Not applicable	328	25%

In a foreign country?

None (did not receive formal education)	28	2%
Less than high school diploma or equivalent	108	9%
High school diploma or equivalent	114	10%
Associate's or postsecondary certificate	31	3%
Bachelor's degree or equivalent	235	20%
Post-baccalaureate certificate or equivalent	8	1%
Master's degree or equivalent	123	10%
Professional degree or equivalent	30	3%
Doctorate or equivalent	54	5%
Do not know	53	4%
Not applicable	411	34%

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

Wealthy	46	3%
Upper-middle or professional-middle	454	33%
Middle-class	488	36%
Working-class	206	15%
Low-income or poor	181	13%

10. Are you a financially independent student? Some students have no contact with their parents, and therefore cannot use their tax information for filing the FAFSA. If you find yourself in this situation and have been formally declared an independent student, then please answer yes.

Yes	47	3%
No	1323	97%

11. To the best of your knowledge, which category includes the total annual combined income of your parent(s) before taxes in 2013? (seen by those who respond "No" to above financially independent item)

Less than $10,000	59	5%
$10,000 to $19,999	85	7%
$20,000 to $34,999	113	9%
$35,000 to $49,999	103	8%
$50,000 to $64,999	90	7%
$65,000 to $79,999	80	7%
$80,000 to $99,999	111	9%
$100,000 to $124,999	145	12%
$125,000 to $149,999	92	7%
$150,000 to $199,999	133	11%
$200,000 or more	219	18%
Not applicable - independent student	47	4%
Skipped branch-determining question about independent status	22	2%

11. To the best of your knowledge, which category includes your household's total annual combined income before taxes in 2013? (seen by those who respond "Yes" to above financially independent item)

Less than $10,000	16	35%
$10,000 to $19,999	3	7%
$20,000 to $34,999	6	13%
$35,000 to $49,999	2	4%
$50,000 to $64,999	2	4%
$65,000 to $79,999	2	4%
$80,000 to $99,999	5	11%
$100,000 to $124,999	3	7%
$125,000 to $149,999	2	4%
$150,000 to $199,999	3	7%
$200,000 or more	2	4%
Not applicable - dependent student	1323	95%
Skipped branch-determining question about independent status	22	2%

12. What is your religious preference?

Spiritual but not associated with a major religion	126	10%
Not particularly spiritual	180	14%
No preference	146	11%
Agnostic	155	12%
Athiest	171	13%
Baptist	25	2%
Buddhist	42	3%
Christian Church (Disciples)	76	6%
Eastern Orthodox	8	1%
Episcopalian	7	1%
HIndu	33	3%
Jewish	29	2%
Lutheran	7	1%
Methodist	10	1%
Mormon	6	1%
Muslim	24	2%
Presbyterian	42	3%
Quaker	2	0%
Roman Catholic	142	11%
Seventh Day Adventist	3	0%
Sikh	4	0%
Taoist	2	0%
Unitarian/Universalist	3	0%
United Church of Christ/Congreational	1	0%
Other Christian	67	5%
Other Religion	17	1%

13. What is your sexual orientation?

Bisexual	52	4%
Gay/Lesbian	28	2%
Heterosexual	1140	84%
Questioning/Unsure	42	3%
Self-identified Queer	9	1%
Decline to state	50	4%
Other (Please specify) [Contact OPA for more information]	30	2%

14. With which gender do you identify?

Woman	764	56%
Man	580	42%
Decline to state	11	1%
Other (Please specify) [Contact OPA for more information]	13	1%

15. Do you identify as transgender?

Yes	5	0%
No	1364	100%

16. How would you characterize your political orientation?

Very liberal	112	8%
Liberal	454	34%
Slightly liberal	259	19%
Moderate or middle of the road	356	26%
Slightly conservative	99	7%
Conservative	61	5%
Very conservative	11	1%

17. Where will you be living this term?

Clark Kerr Campus	192	14%
Foothill	194	14%
Bowles	55	4%
Stern	53	4%
Unit 1	329	24%
Unit 2 (excluding Wada Apartments)	211	15%
Unit 3 (including Beverly Cleary Hall)	273	20%
Channing-Bowditch Apartments	1	0%
Martinez Commons	0	0%
University Village Albany (family housing)	3	0%
Wada Apartments	0	0%
Living with family	11	1%
Sorority or fraternity	0	0%
Co-op Housing	4	0%
Living off-campus in a house or apartment	39	3%
Other [Contact OPA for more information]	4	0%

18. How far from campus do you live?

On campus or less than 1 mile	1136	84%
1 mile to 2 miles	176	13%
3 miles to 10 miles	24	2%
11 to 20 miles	11	1%
21 miles or more	10	1%

19. With whom do you live?

No one. I live alone	14	1%
I share an apartment or dorm room with at least one other Cal student	1267	94%
I share an apartment with peers who are not Cal students	10	1%
I live with my spouse or domestic partner (with or without others)	1	0%
I live with at least one parent	21	2%
Other [Contact OPA for more information]	34	3%

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

	1	2	3	4	5 or more
College students or other adults (count yourself as 1)	47	168	372	69	700
	4%	12%	27%	5%	52%

	0 (Zero)	1	2	3	4	5 or more
Children or teenagers under the age of 18 (do NOT count yourself as 1)	958	112	59	35	10	91
	76%	9%	5%	3%	1%	7%

21. Are you a legal guardian or parent?

No	1292	95%
Yes	75	6%

21b. How many children or dependents do you care for?

1	1	100%
2	0	0%
3	0	0%
4	0	0%
5 or more	0	0%

21c. How many of your dependents are under the age of 18?

None	0	0%
1	1	100%
2	0	0%
3	0	0%
4	0	0%
5 or more	0	0%

22. Please indicate whether or not you are a Theme Program resident and, if so, which program you are a part of (choose one):

I am not a Theme Program resident	1268	95%
African American Theme Program (AATP)	13	1%
Asian Pacific American Theme House (APATH)	10	1%
Casa Magdalena Mora (CASA)	5	0%
Global Environment Theme Program (GETH)	11	1%
Native American Theme Program (NATP)	3	0%
Unity House	11	1%
Women in Science & Engineering (WiSE)	13	1%

23. During your first year at 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
Competing job responsibilities (i.e., paid employment)	542	245	360	156	47
	40%	18%	27%	12%	4%
Competing family responsibilities	468	466	298	83	29
	35%	35%	22%	6%	2%
Other competing responsibilities (e.g., athletics, clubs, internship)	132	213	582	324	99
	10%	16%	43%	24%	7%
Weak spoken English skills	1040	159	99	33	15
	77%	12%	7%	3%	1%
Weak writing skills	671	282	271	98	25
	50%	21%	20%	7%	2%
Weak math skills	620	328	264	98	35
	46%	24%	20%	7%	3%
Inadequate study skills (e.g., knowing how to start, knowing how to get help, organizing material)	321	388	443	158	36
	24%	29%	33%	12%	3%
Poor study behaviors (e.g., wait till last minute, easily distracted, too much social time, too much web surfing)	222	302	474	259	93
	16%	22%	35%	19%	7%
Bad study environment (e.g., noisy roommate, poor Internet access, inadequate computer or software)	274	437	439	160	41
	20%	32%	33%	12%	3%
Poor library research skills	343	450	395	139	22
	25%	33%	29%	10%	2%
Feeling depressed, stressed, or upset	226	379	464	215	70
	17%	28%	34%	16%	5%
Physical illness or condition	438	598	250	53	13
	32%	44%	19%	4%	1%

24. In general, I consider myself:

1 - Not a very happy person	17	1%
2	29	2%
3	87	7%
4	216	16%
5	383	28%
6	445	33%
7 - A very happy person	171	13%

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

1 - Less happy	39	3%
2	79	6%
3	152	11%
4	289	21%
5	354	26%
6	289	21%
7 - More happy	149	11%

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

parents, guardians	1094
	80%
friends nearby	1094
	80%
teachers, coaches	188
	14%
siblings	552
	40%
online friends	292
	21%
clergy	46
	3%
other family	181
	13%
counselors, therapists	94
	7%
UCB student services support staff (counselor, advisor, etc.)	106
	8%
Other [Contact OPA for more information]	149
	11%

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

Very dissatisfied	58	4%
Fairly dissatisfied	79	6%
A little dissatisfied	119	9%
A little satisfied	159	12%
Fairly satisfied	536	40%
Very satisfied	393	29%

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

Very dissatisfied	65	5%
Fairly dissatisfied	74	6%
A little dissatisfied	86	6%
A little satisfied	157	12%
Fairly satisfied	511	38%
Very satisfied	455	34%

29. Do you know that all Berkeley students are eligible for up to 5 free counseling visits at Tang Center-University Health Services regardless of whether they have Berkeley SHIP (Student Health Insurance Plan)?

Yes	1133	84%
No	215	16%

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