How to Get Support for Students

The Basic Needs Center & the Office of Assistant Vice Chancellors & Dean of Students have secured free options in temporary housing accommodations for students who have a demonstrated financial need and who have not secured housing at the beginning of spring semester.

• • Temporary housing can be as short as two days and as long as 29 days.

  • To be considered for this temporary housing option, please complete the Basic Needs Assistance Form and a member of our team will reach out to schedule a meeting to discuss your needs.

For students without financial need, please access Short-Term Housing Options here or contact the Basic Needs Center for a list of hotels with discounted rates.

Consider a potential 1-6 month stay, with a local host family through the SafeTime program. Email info@safetimehost.org for an application.

Please be aware of rental scams and fraud while exploring housing options housing through.

Housing Search Resources

• Cal Housing for on-campus housing.

• Cal Rentals for an off-campus housing portal for UC Berkeley students.

• A: Comprehensive list of resources: UCB Basic Needs Center Housing Search Resources.

For direct support with locating long term housing, please consider the following:

• Please contact Cal Rentals through this message portal or call 510-210-0650 for direct assistance.

• Contact the ASUC Student Advocate’s Office (SAO) at help@berkeleysao.org to work 1:1 with one of their student case workers.

• Consider a potential 1-6 month stay, with a local host family through the SafeTime program. Email info@safetimehost.org for an application.

For information on your financial aid package, please contact the Financial Aid & Scholarships Office (FASO) to meet with a counselor, or access the Basic Needs Financial Aid Drop-In Services on Mondays and Fridays from 10am-1pm.

For support with paying for the upfront cost of securing long-term housing, such as covering a housing security deposit/1st month’s rent or general rental assistance, please consider the following:

• You can access the subsidized loans available to you in your financial aid package. For information about Federal Student Aid: studentloans.gov. You can also reach out to Cal Student Central for assistance in understanding your loan and aid options.

• The Financial Aid and Scholarships Office offers Short-Term Emergency Loans to graduate and undergraduate students. These interest-free loans are designed to help students meet unanticipated expenses. To apply for a short-term emergency loan, navigate to the My Finances section of CalCentral, and click on Apply for an Emergency Loan in the Financial Resources section. There is no fee to apply.

• The Basic Needs Holistic Fund provides emergency financial assistance including rental assistance and housing security deposit awards to those with limited resources.

If you are experiencing academic challenges due to housing insecurity and would benefit from a temporary academic adjustment, please submit a Basic Needs Assistance Form in order to receive a letter to provide to your professors. For further information, please see our FAQs on this Academic Adjustment Letter FAQ column to the right.

Disabled Students' Program (DSP) seeks to ensure that students with disabilities have equal access to their academic programs at UC Berkeley. This is done by considering the impact students' disabilities have in the context of the learning environment and identifying barriers that students may encounter. DSP then determines accommodations that serve to remove or mitigate such barriers. If you would like to connect with DSP, please apply here.

If you have are experiencing academic, personal, career, or safety concerns, please consider the following resources:

• Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) offers counseling for academic, personal and career concerns. For questions or to set up a phone triage, please visit the FAQ page, call (510) 642-9494, or the after hours counseling line at 855-817-5667.

• PATH to Care: If you are in need of housing due to sexual violence/sexual harassment (SVSH) or domestic violence (DV) please reach out to PATH to Care by calling the 24/7 Care Line at 510-643-2005 to speak with an advocate. If you are unable to contact PATH by phone you may also email PATH to Care at ptcadvocates@berkeley.edu.

See the 'UCB Basic Needs Temporary Academic Adjustment FAQ' page