Campus housing will continue to be available during the summer despite classes being conducted remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Students can apply for summer housing through Cal Housing, which offered a $200 discount for the first 200 students who applied and accepted their offers, according to UC Berkeley spokesperson Adam Ratliff. Cal Housing is partnering with other campus offices, such as Berkeley Summer Sessions, to ensure that all students are able to secure housing on or off-campus.
“One would like to think that, all the other students having departed the Berkeley area, that there would be more housing options available this summer than what would otherwise be normal,” said Berkeley International Office, or BIO, Director Ivor Emmanuel.
According to Emmanuel, responses to a survey BIO conducted indicate that about 60% of international students have stayed on campus during the shelter-in-place orders. Emmanuel said he is unsure how many students will stay over the summer.
The survey’s results also show that some international graduate students want to continue living in campus housing. Cal Housing is looking for ways to support these students, according to Emmanuel.
“The Berkeley International Office will be assisting students who have submitted applications for financial assistance,” Emmanuel said. “Chief among what we will be looking for are the students who have been impacted by food insecurity and rent.”
Additionally, students who need help with off-campus housing options can consult with the team at Cal Rentals, which is a rental-listing service that provides advising for students and staff looking for off-campus housing, Ratliff said in an email.
Emmanuel also noted that it is important to consider affordability for students who were not planning to stay on campus or in the area and thus were not expecting to have to pay rent during the summer.
“The COVID-19 situation is unprecedented,” Ratliff said in an email. “However, we are committed to serving those students who chose to remain on campus this semester, and/or seek campus housing this summer, and for next academic year.”
