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) | 754 |
| 69% | |
| My parents' sources of funding (e.g., loans, wages, income, savings) | 571 |
| 52% | |
| Contributions from grandparents or other family | 93 |
| 9% | |
| Other [Contact OPA for more information] |
85 |
| 8% |
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 | 96 | 261 | 17 | 63 | 183 | 44 | 16 | 8 | 21 |
| 14% | 37% | 2% | 9% | 26% | 6% | 2% | 1% | 3% | |
| My savings and income | 78 | 98 | 225 | 156 | 85 | 38 | 16 | 8 | 19 |
| 11% | 14% | 31% | 22% | 12% | 5% | 2% | 1% | 3% | |
| Grants or scholarships that I do not repay | 79 | 88 | 55 | 48 | 60 | 77 | 81 | 122 | 118 |
| 11% | 12% | 8% | 7% | 8% | 11% | 11% | 17% | 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 | 207 | 204 | 12 | 12 | 23 | 15 | 13 | 6 | 25 |
| 40% | 40% | 2% | 2% | 4% | 3% | 3% | 1% | 5% | |
| Savings and income | 211 | 10 | 49 | 45 | 42 | 30 | 16 | 22 | 131 |
| 38% | 2% | 9% | 8% | 8% | 5% | 3% | 4% | 24% |
- 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 | 34 | 35 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 41% | 42% | 2% | 5% | 5% | 1% | 1% | 0% | 2% | |
| Savings and income | 34 | 5 | 26 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| 37% | 6% | 29% | 11% | 3% | 4% | 2% | 0% | 8% |
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 | 401 | 38% |
| 1-5 hours | 36 | 3% |
| 6-10 hours | 75 | 7% |
| 11-15 hours | 79 | 8% |
| 16-25 hours | 178 | 17% |
| 26-35 hours | 105 | 10% |
| More than 35 | 177 | 17% |
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 | 562 | 54% |
| 1-5 hours | 64 | 6% |
| 6-10 hours | 162 | 15% |
| 11-15 hours | 138 | 13% |
| 16-25 hours | 82 | 8% |
| 26-35 hours | 24 | 2% |
| More than 35 | 18 | 2% |
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 | 266 | 301 | 54 | 204 | 122 | 47 | 25 | 10 | 10 |
| 26% | 29% | 5% | 20% | 12% | 5% | 2% | 1% | 1% | |
| Your parents | 262 | 536 | 16 | 44 | 27 | 22 | 16 | 2 | 11 |
| 28% | 57% | 2% | 5% | 3% | 2% | 2% | 0% | 1% | |
| Your grandparents or other family | 176 | 699 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| 19% | 77% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 1% |
How much do you plan to spend on books for this term?
| Response | Number | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Don't know | 180 | 17% |
| $100 to $199 | 285 | 27% |
| $200 to $299 | 263 | 25% |
| $300 to $399 | 150 | 14% |
| $400 to $499 | 57 | 5% |
| $500 to $599 | 50 | 5% |
| $600 to $699 | 31 | 3% |
| $700 to $799 | 12 | 1% |
| $800 to $899 | 8 | 1% |
| $900 to $999 | 5 | 1% |
| $1,000 or more | 13 | 1% |
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 | 355 | 34% |
| Yes, I accepted subsidized loans that I was offered | 320 | 30% |
| No, I did not accept subsidized loans that I was offered | 265 | 25% |
| I do not know if I have accepted a subsidized loan | 112 | 11% |
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 | 648 | 62% |
| Yes (please explain) [Contact OPA for more information] |
393 | 38% |
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]