berkeley campus tour

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Plan your visit

A visit to UC Berkeley is the best way to discover the many facets to a well-rounded, rich, and dynamic student experience. No matter how much you’ve read or heard about Berkeley, nothing can compare to seeing it for yourself!

Stroll along Sproul Plaza, meet our students, listen to an Admissions presentation, talk to advisers, and maybe even run into one of our Nobel Prize-winning faculty.

Here’s how: 

• Register to attend an undergraduate admissions presentation to learn about the application process. Advanced registration required .
• Join a campus tour led by trained student ambassadors. Tours are offered seven days a week, including most campus administrative holidays. For more information and to reserve a tour, visit the Visitor Services website .
• Find out what’s happening on campus. From museums and performances to lectures and sporting events, something interesting is always happening here. Find out about specific venues, or check the Events calendar . 

Experience campus virtually

• General campus interactive tour 
• Residence halls virtual tour
• Self-guided Black history tour
• Live virtual campus tour with a student ambassador

Office of Undergraduate Admissions University of California, Berkeley 110 Sproul Hall #5800, Berkeley, CA 94720-5800

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Free Public Walking Tours and Specialized Tours

Below is a calendar of available public walking tours ("Cal Tour Weekday" or "Cal Tour Weekend"), Engineering tours, California Memorial Stadium tours (spring only), and newly admitted student tours (spring only). Click on a tour you wish to reserve. If you see a plus sign with a number, it is a link to the full tour schedule for that day.

If a day shows no tours listed, tours are either not being offered or are completely full.

Please be sure to click on the correct type of tour you want. Only the "Cal Tour Weekday" and "Cal Tour Weekend" are general tours of our campus.

NOTE! If you don't receive an email immediately, your reservation was not successfully completed.

General tour

There's no shortage of things to see at University of California, Berkeley! Below are some of the most popular buildings around campus. 

Dwinelle Hall , one of the largest buildings on campus, houses offices and lecture halls for many campus departments in the humanities and social sciences, including some of the 40-plus foreign languages taught at Berkeley. Beware. It’s easy to get lost in Dwinelle, also known as ‘the freshman maze.’

Wheeler Hall is named for Benjamin Ide Wheeler, who served as UC president from 1899 to 1919. This is where you’ll find UC Berkeley’s renowned English department, as well as the largest lecture hall on campus.

Durant Hall was originally home to the law school, which has long since moved up to the campus’s southeast corner. Recently overhauled and retrofitted, Durant houses the Office of Undergraduate Research and deans and staff of the College of Letters & Science. There’s a beautiful atrium on its top floor.

Sproul Plaza is the epicenter of student life at Berkeley. The plaza was added to the campus in the late 1950s. Soon after, in 1964-’65, student activists launched the Free Speech Movement to preserve this as a place for free expression. To this day, students gather here for rallies and demonstrations, and to promote their student organizations — on everything from religion to sports, politics, and public service (here and around the globe).

Built in 1910, Sather Gate was a gift of Jane Sather in memory of her late husband, UC benefactor Peder Sather. With its beautiful Beaux Art-style bronze arch and globe lanterns, the gate has become a campus icon. It includes sculptures of male and female nudes representing eight fields of learning. Originally considered risqué, the nudes were promptly removed. They were discovered in storage in the 1970s and were eventually reattached. Sather Gate has played cameo roles in several Hollywood movies, including ‘Made in America’ — with Whoopi Goldberg riding through the gate on a motorcycle — and the romantic comedy ‘Boys and Girls.’

Sproul Hall is named for Robert Gordon Sproul, a Berkeley graduate and the 11th UC president (1930-1958). Many campus administrative offices are found here — among them undergraduate and graduate admissions, the registrar, financial aid, Campus Life & Leadership and the UC Police. Campus tours, led by student guides, start here — from Public Affairs’ first-floor office.

What’s now called Haas Pavilion was built in 1933 and overhauled and expanded in 1999. Golden Bear fans flock here to catch the excitement of Cal basketball and volleyball players in action. The pavilion seats up to 12,000. Trophies and memorabilia — recalling Cal Athletics traditions, high moments and champions — line the lobby and corridors.

The Recreational Sports Facility (RSF) , Berkeley’s on-campus workout center, was built entirely with student fees, rather than donations from university benefactors. Available to students for only $10 per semester, it’s the cheapest gym membership they’ll ever have!

As its name suggests, the Hearst Memorial Mining Building was originally dedicated to the study of mining and metallurgy. Today it’s home to teaching and research in materials science and nanotechnology. Sometimes said to be the most beautiful building on campus, the building has been seismically retrofitted with an cutting-edge system of base isolators. In an earthquake, these would allow the building to roll as much as two feet in any horizontal direction to dissipate the quake’s energy.

Stanley Hall opened in 2007 and is one of the newest buildings on campus. It is named for Wendell Stanley, a UC Berkeley biochemist and virologist who received the 1946 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. The bioengineering department is housed at Stanley, along with 40 research labs affiliated with the multi-campus California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3). Here, experts in biology, chemistry and engineering work collaboratively to accelerate the process of discovery and improve our quality of life.

Doe Library is named for Charles Franklin Doe, who came from Maine in 1857 as a schoolteacher and made his fortune in California. He left a quarter of his estate to the university for construction of a new library. The Beaux Arts building, which features the magnificently restored North Reading Room and the cozy Morrison Library, was the centerpiece of architect John Galen Howard’s classical campus ensemble. The placement of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, over the main entrance reflects Berkeley’s aspiration to become the ‘Athens of the West.’ The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. A four-story underground addition, the Gardner Stacks, opened in 1995 to provide more space for the library’s holdings.

South Hall is the oldest building at Berkeley (and the UC system) — completed the year the university relocated from Oakland to Berkeley, in 1873. Originally this building housed the College of Agriculture; it also held the nation’s first physics lab. Today, ironically, this historic building is home to Berkeley’s newest school, the Graduate School of Information.

The open-stack Moffitt Undergraduate Library is one of the busiest undergraduate libraries in the nation; it also houses the popular Free Speech Movement Café. Named for James K. Moffitt, an 1886 Berkeley graduate and UC Regent from 1911-48, it was designed by John Warnecke.

Built in the Collegiate Gothic style of architecture, Stephens Hall was originally home to the campus’s student union. Today this is where you’ll find International & Area Studies programs — focusing, for example, on Asia or Latin America or peace and conflict. It also houses Education Abroad — through which students from Berkeley and other UC campus study together in foreign countries. Its programs, in more than 30 nations, specialize in everything from immersion language learning to biological surveys of island ecosystems.

Berkeley’s vast collection of East Asian manuscripts and artifacts — assembled over the past century — is housed in the C. V. Starr East Asian Library , the first freestanding structure at a U.S. university erected solely for East Asian collections. The library is home to more than 900,000 volumes, primarily in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, plus thousands of manuscripts, rubbings, and the largest and most valuable collection of historic Japanese maps outside of Japan. It is also the largest U.S. academic repository of materials on the People’s Republic of China. It is named for the late Cornelius Vander Starr, an insurance pioneer with a deep interest in Asia and a major donor to the building fund for the library.

Experience University of California, Berkeley

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Take A Tour in Berkeley

Tours are great ways to get introduced to a new area in a short time. And, if you're a local, an in-depth tour of a familiar attraction can be interesting and enlightening.

Consider these stimulating tours of top Berkeley places. For details, please visit venue websites.

1. UC Berkeley Campus Tour

Led by student guides, this 90-minute guided accessible walking tour gives an overview of the campus and highlights history and architecture . All tours cover housing and dining, academic structure, applying to Berkeley , undergraduate colleges and graduate schools, and safety and health. Some additional specialized tours are also available, including an admissions tour and residence hall tours.

• When: Tours generally commence at 9:30 am. See website calendar for availability and details.
• Reservations: Required.
• Good to know: You can visit the student union for lunch, and many more dining spots are available nearby on Telegraph Avenue .

2. TCHO Chocolate Factory Tour

Everything you always wanted to know about chocolate is explained during the TCHO chocolate tasting and factory tour. All of the chocolate is organic and 100% plant based. The factory equipment is strictly shiny, streamlined state of the art. In other words, you won’t be seeing Willy Wonka or any Oompa Loompas here! Must be age 7+; no pets.

When: Varies. Check website .

Cost: Fee; includes 25% off purchase in the factory store.

Reservations: Required; sign up here .

Good to know: You’ll be given a lab coat and hair net to wear before entering the factory!

3. UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley

Located in lush Strawberry Canyon, this 34-acre garden is home to more than 10,000 kinds of plants organized into nine major geographic collections. More than 2,200 are rare and/or endangered. Noteworthy sights include a rhododendron dell, a redwood grove, and a California area that occupied about one-third of the Garden and represents about 25% of the state's flora. It is one of the larges species collections of California native plants worldwide!

• Tour times: Saturdays and Sundays at 1 pm.
• Cost: Free with garden admission
• Reservations: Recommended for non-UCBG members and available here .
• Good to know: Pets are not allowed in the Garden due to the sensitivity of the plant collection. Only trained service dogs are permitted, but must be cleared at the Kiosk by Garden staff. The Lawrence Hall of Science is just a little farther up the road.

4. Regional Parks Botanic Garden

Established in 1940, this 10-acre garden located in rambling Tilden Regional Park collects, grows, displays, and preserves native California plants. Tours usually last about an hour and are appropriate for both adults and children.

• When: Saturday at 2 pm, Sunday at 11 am and 2 pm, and some holidays at 2 pm.
• Cost: Free. Admission to the garden is also free.
• Reservations: Not needed.
• Good to know: Pets are not permitted. Tilden Park’s Little Farm and the Merry-Go-Round are nearby.

5. Berkeley City Club

Designed by architect Julia Morgan--who graduated from U.C. Berkeley in 1894 with a B.S. honors degree in civil engineering, and who famously designed Hearst Castle--the magnificent landmark Berkeley City Club features Moorish and Italian Gothic elements and is decorated with oriental rugs and vintage furniture. It is a visual delight. A guest room can be seen by request if one is available. Tours last 45 minutes.

• When: Tours are offered on the fourth Sunday of the month, January-November. Drop in between 1 and 3:30 p.m.
• Good to know: On-site Julia’s Restaurant and Morgan’s Bar are open to the public, but never on Sunday. Telegraph Avenue is just two blocks away.

6. Edible Excursions

Edible Excursions walking tours feature culinary destinations around the Bay. Berkeley's Edible Excursions tour focuses on the famous foodie mecca known as North Shattuck , which is home to Alice Waters’ world-renowned Chez Panisse restaurant. Among the tour stops are the historic Cheese Board Collective to sample pizza and gourmet cheese and the original Peet’s Coffee .

• When: North Shattuck: Saturdays 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
• Good to know: You’ll get plenty to eat during these samplings. Plan your "before and after" meals accordingly.

7. Berkeley Historical Walking Tours

The Berkeley Historical Society offers neighborhood walking tours and special events. The Walking Tours are offered in the spring and fall. The Berkeley Historical Society Musuem is also a wonderful experience, filled with treasures from the past with relevance for the present and future.

When: Check website for calendar.

8. Telegraph Berkeley Tour

Experience Telegraph Avenue and the people who inspired and shaped its history with exclusive images, stories, and audio recordings, on this app-based tour curated in partnership with UC Berkeley and the Telegraph Business Improvement District. Points of interest along Telegraph Avenue are highlighted, with many historical references.

• Cost: free download at the App Store and Google Play: “ Telegraph Berkeley Tour. ”
• Good to know: Headphones are not required!

9. Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association house tours

The Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association (BAHA) is Berkeley’s non-profit preservation organization whose mission is to promote, through education, an understanding and appreciation for Berkeley’s history, and to encourage the preservation of its historic buildings. BAHA's main annual event is a spring house tour.

• When: Check website for date.

These are just some of the many tours you can take to see all of the beauty in Berkeley. Meanwhile, check out our travel itineraries for even more inspiration.

Award-winning travel writer Carole Terwilliger Meyers, a native San Franciscan, holds a B.A. degree in anthropology from San Francisco State University and an elementary teaching credential from Fresno State College. She is the author of eighteen books, the editor of five books, and the mother of two children -- with whom she has been through the road wars and in the travel trenches first-hand. Learn more about Carol at https://www.berkeleyandbeyond2...

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About the Author

Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Related partners.

UC Berkeley Koret Visitor Center 2207 Piedmont Avenue, Room 141 Berkeley, California 94720 U.S. Details   Open in Google Maps

UC Berkeley Koret Visitor Center

2207 Piedmont Avenue, Room 141 Berkeley, California 94720

UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley 200 Centennial Dr Berkeley, California 94720 U.S. Details   Open in Google Maps

UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley

200 Centennial Dr Berkeley, California 94720

Tilden Regional Park 740 Wildcat Canyon Rd. Berkeley, California 94708 U.S. Details   Open in Google Maps

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740 Wildcat Canyon Rd. Berkeley, California 94708

Berkeley City Club 2315 Durant Ave Berkeley, California 94704 U.S. Details   Open in Google Maps

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Berkeley Historical Society & Museum 1931 Center St Berkeley, California 94704 U.S. Details   Open in Google Maps

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Edible Excursions North Shattuck California U.S. Details   Open in Google Maps

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Telegraph Business Improvement District 2437 Durant Ave Ste 206 Berkeley, California 94704 U.S. Details   Open in Google Maps

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North Shattuck Association 1700 Shattuck Ave Ste 318 Berkeley, California 94709 U.S. Details   Open in Google Maps

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Special Group and Private Walking Tours

• Detailed information about our special group tours can be found here . Please visit this page if you have any questions.
• We are booking golf cart tours for visitors with limited mobility only . Please see our Golf Cart Tour website for more information.
• If you see a plus sign with a number, it is a link to the full tour schedule for that day.
• If a day is blank, tours are either not being offered or are completely full. Please select a different day.
• Do not book a tour if there are not enough spots for your group. We cannot accommodate more visitors than what the calendar shows.
• If you would like a tour in a different language, please indicate this in the last box in your Group Tour reservation and we will do our best to accommodate you based on the languages and availability of our student ambassadors.
• If you are interested in eating in our dining commons, please visit the Berkeley Dining website .
• Looking for a free public walking tour? Visit our Free Guided Walking Tours page for the calendar of available tours.

NOTE! If you don't receive an email immediately , your reservation was not successfully completed . The email comes from "[email protected]" so please check your spam folder.

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Campus visitation for Fall 2024 semester is now open and back in person! Additional dates and times will be added periodically throughout the semester, so please check back on our Events Page  for updates.

If you can't make it onto campus, check out our virtual campus visitation program .

Students are currently on summer break but will be hosting bi-weekly Virtual Information Sessions beginning in June. The Fall 2025 semester Campus Visitation schedule will be available in late August and updates will be added periodically throughout the semester. In the meantime, see our events page to sign up for events led by the HSAs or admissions.

Campus Visitation Program

Our Campus Visitation Program is available throughout the academic year. Spend a day (or just a couple of hours, if time is tight) experiencing life as a Berkeley Haas MBA student.

Carefully coordinated by our admissions team and the Haas Student Ambassadors (HSAs) , your visit will include:

• Class observation
• Self-guided tour
• Coffee chat with current students
• Lunch with fellow campus visitors
• Q&A with admissions
• Student-led information session

Check for available dates and register now. →

Observing a Class

When registering, you will be asked to select a preferred class to observe. We typically offer morning (9 am–11 am), and afternoon (2 pm–4 pm) options.

Spaces fill up quickly, so register early for more options. One class visit per academic year is permitted.

If class observations are full on the day you're coming to campus, you're still welcome to participate in the activities listed above. Just select the "No Class Observation" option when registering.

Typical Campus Visitation Schedule

Here's what your day might look like when you come to visit.

Dates and times are added periodically throughout the academic semester.

Virtual Campus Visitation Program

Explore our campus from anywhere, anytime, with our Virtual Campus Visitation Program – a fantastic option that's ready whenever you are! Carefully coordinated by our admissions team and the Haas Student Ambassadors (HSAs) , your visit will include:

• Virtual Admissions Information Session
• Pre-Recorded Class Observation
• Virtual Self-guided tour
• Virtual Student-led event

Check out how to register below and our recommended schedule of sessions:

While you can choose your own campus visit adventure, here's the agenda we recommend for your virtual visit:

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Full-Time MBA Admissions Haas School of Business 430 Student Services Bldg #1902 Berkeley, CA 94720-1902

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Berkeley Campus

The Berkeley Campus is located in Berkeley, California, five miles north of downtown Oakland in the San Francisco Bay Area. The campus offers views of San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge, Marin County and other parts of the East Bay. The Berkeley Campus includes the Campus Park, home to the majority of UC Berkeley’s academic and research programs and student life facilities, the adjacent Hill Campus, Clark Kerr Campus and other university-owned properties located within the city environs surrounding the Campus Park. Berkeley owns and operates several other buildings and properties in service to its mission. Off-campus locations may be included in the list of buildings and locations below but not on campus maps.

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7 Things To See On Your Campus Tour of UC Berkeley

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If you are looking for a college atmosphere that is open-minded, always exciting, and filled with academic excellence, the University of California Berkeley is the university for you. It is ranked as the top public university in the United States, and it is home to 22 Nobel Laureate Professors. It is also one of the largest undergraduate research institutions in the country.

Established in 1868, the university has a rich history of forward thinking and change. It is the flagship college of the University of California system, which has given the university the right to call itself “Cal.” You will often find locals and students referring to the university as Cal.

In the 1960’s, UC Berkeley played a large role in the free speech movement, organizing mass student protests that garnered the attention of the entire country. Since then, Berkeley has made a name for itself as having a liberal mindset and as a home to many free thinkers. The university prides itself on its quirky and diverse campus. Any type of person can find a home at this university.

UC Berkeley is located in California’s Bay Area, a 25-minute drive from San Francisco. It’s worth taking a campus tour of the university to see not only the beautiful campus, but also its lively surroundings. If you’re looking for things to see during your campus tour of UC Berkeley, read on to discover the best spots in the opinion of a current UC Berkeley student.

Want to learn what UC Berkeley will actually cost you based on your income? And how long your application to the school should take?  Here’s what every student considering UC Berkeley needs to know.

1) Doe Library

When a student thinks of the UC Berkeley campus, one of the first images that comes to mind is the iconic Doe Library. With its unique neoclassical architecture, it is the main library of the UC Library system. Doe Library is where students go to study, do club photoshoots, and take their graduation pictures. It makes for a spectacular backdrop.

Doe Library is open to the public, so when you go inside, be sure to check out the small exhibit in the front of the library. Then, make your way down the marble steps to the North Reading Room, one of the most aesthetically pleasing study spots on the UC Berkeley campus. The ornate ceiling, huge windows with lots of natural light, and wooden tables make you feel like you’re at Hogwarts!

In addition, Doe Library has the Morrison Reading Room, a lesser-known study space at UC Berkeley. This particular library room was set up to be an escape for students from the rigors of academic life. The library offers fiction and non-fiction books with plush seats for leisurely reading. You will never find a student on their laptop in the Morrison Reading Room. Electronics are not allowed in order to maintain the relaxing and calm atmosphere.

What truly sets Doe Library apart from other university libraries, however, is that it is connected through underground and above-ground tunnels to two other libraries on the UC Berkeley campus: Bancroft Library and (Gardner) Main Stacks. Together, they make up the largest network of undergraduate research libraries at a public institution in the United States.

2) The Campanile

The Campanile is a symbol and a beloved spot on the UC Berkeley campus. It is the third tallest bell and clock tower in the world, and students love to come here to relax in between classes and enjoy the spectacular view.

The top of the Campanile has an observation deck with a 360-degree view of Berkeley and the Golden Gate Bridge. The trip up to the observation deck is free for students, staff, faculty, and children under the age of 3, and $3 for everyone else. There is rarely a line to get to the observation deck, and you can stay up there as long as you want.

While you’re on the UC Berkeley campus, make sure to listen for the Campanile’s Carillon concerts that occur three times a day. The Campanile plays a variety of songs, from classical Beethoven to Bollywood hits. It’s always a treat to hear what songs will be played on any given day.

3) Memorial Glade

Memorial Glade is a large grass field located right outside of Doe Library in the middle of campus. It is a great place to sit down and have a picnic while admiring the gorgeous Berkeley campus. On a day with good weather, you’ll find students out on the glade playing sports or studying with friends.

Memorial Glade is also a place where many school events take place. If you’re lucky, there might be a random carnival or festival on the glade during your campus visit. If you stay until the evening, you’ll often find free movie screenings and concerts on Memorial Glade.

Finally, if you come during the week before final exams, you’ll find llamas from a petting zoo. The university brings the llamas to campus as a stress-relieving mechanism for students, but anyone can approach and pet them.

If this sounds like a campus environment that you would be interested in, check out our Elite Universities Application Assistance page. We at CV will walk you through your applications to Berkeley and other top universities and give you the best tools to get accepted.

4) The First Floor Dinosaur Exhibit in the Valley Life Sciences Building

This small exhibit is free, open to the public, and inside the beautiful Valley Life Sciences Building (VLSB). The entire exhibit features dinosaur fossils and skeletons that were recovered by Berkeley professors.

The centerpiece of the exhibit, however, is in the middle of the VLSB atrium. There, you’ll find a fully recovered, freestanding mount of a Tyrannosaurus Rex that was recovered by a Berkeley professor.

If you step right outside of VLSB through the north entrance, you’ll find a special bench and wall designed by Berkeley physicists. If you face the semi-circular bench, find the middle of the bench, stand where the tiles meet the cement, and speak, anything you say will echo back to you. This will only work, however, if you stand at that one spot. This is a quirky experience on the UC Berkeley Campus that is worth trying out!

5) Durant Square

Durant Square is the most popular food spot for college students who live off the South Side of the UC Berkeley campus. (It is one block off of the Southern edge of campus on Durant Avenue.)

Durant Square is a small plaza of restaurants and boba tea cafes — it is not a very appealing-looking place, and it is easy to miss if you don’t know where it is. However, it’s got some of the cheapest and most delicious food for students in Berkeley, especially those on a budget.

Note that while Durant Square is the official name of this plaza of restaurants, many students and locals refer to it as “Asian Ghetto.” If you want to get an unfiltered look at where students spend their time off campus, Asian Ghetto is a must-see.

6) Free Speech Movement Cafe

As a student, this on-campus cafe is not only a convenient place to get a quick bite to eat during a long study session in Moffit Library or Main Stacks library, but it is also a testament to Berkeley’s rich history of equal rights and progress.

The Free Speech Movement Cafe (fondly known as FSM) was created as a tribute to Berkeley’s role in the Free Speech Movement and Mario Savio, who played a key role in the struggle for free speech. When you walk into the cafe, the walls and tables are plastered with newspapers and pictures talking about Berkeley, the free speech movement, and other social and political issues. Going to FSM is like getting a meal and a walk-through history at the same time.

Berkeley provides bulletin boards outside the cafe with the covers of various newspapers from around the world on that particular day. The point of this is to keep students informed about the most pressing issues of the day and allow people to see the world from many different perspectives.

You will rarely find FSM empty. Students love this cafe for its fresh ingredients and its proximity to libraries and other buildings on campus. In addition, many GSIs (Graduate Student Instructors) will claim a table in FSM and hold their office hours there. Students can approach their GSI individually and ask any questions they may have about the course material.

7) People’s Park

People’s Park is three short blocks away from the South Side of campus on Telegraph Avenue. On the outside, People’s Park is simply a large park in the middle of Southside Berkeley. However, it also plays a significant role in the rich history of the university.

Before the lot was decorated and a park was put in, People’s Park was essentially a patch of grass where Berkeley “hippies” used to hang out in the late 1960’s. This was a time of great conflict between the free-loving students and the university administration. In 1967, the students were forcibly removed from the park so that university dorms could be built on the lot.

In 1968, the university ran out of funds to build the dorms, so the project was scrapped. People’s Park became a muddy site of debris and broken cars. In reaction to this, student and community volunteers came in and cultivated a beautiful park with grass, trees, and flowers.

However, on May 15, 1969, a day known in Berkeley as “Bloody Thursday,” Governor Ronald Reagan called Berkeley “a haven for communist sympathizers, protesters, and sex deviants,” and sent the California Highway Patrol and and Berkeley police officers to forcibly remove the students and community members. This led to a violent protest and riot in Berkeley. 128 Berkeley residents and 111 police officers were injured.

Today, People’s Park is a free public park with many volunteer gardens and a basketball court. Students who pass it on their way to class are reminded of Berkeley’s rough history against the administration and the spirit of protest on the UC Berkeley campus. If you decide to visit People’s Park, however, take caution; while it has a rich history, it has also developed a reputation for crime.

Berkeley is beautiful, quirky, and rich with history both on campus and in the surrounding area. When you arrive on campus, you will instantly feel the spirit of freedom and protest. More importantly, however, you will be exposed to the brilliant minds and the best academic programs of any public university in the nation.

If you would like to learn more about UC Berkeley, other elite institutions, and campus tours, check out these posts:

• The Ultimate Guide to Applying to the University of California
• How to Write the UC Berkeley/University of California Application Essays 2016-2017
• An Insider’s View of Seven Top College Campuses
• How To Make the Most of A Campus Visit
• Eight Sights to See On Your Campus Visit to Pomona College
• All the Right Moves, on All the Right Campuses: 5 not-so-obvious things to do on your campus visits
• 5 Question to Ask Your College Tour Guide

Curious about your chances of acceptance to your dream school? Our free chancing engine takes into account your GPA, test scores, extracurriculars, and other data to predict your odds of acceptance at over 500 colleges across the U.S. We’ll also let you know how you stack up against other applicants and how you can improve your profile. Sign up for your free CollegeVine account today to get started!

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Housing: Start Here

Cover photo for Res Hall Living: 1 POV

Campus apartments and family student housing: Undergraduates have lots of housing options, from apartments to options for students with families or partners at Family Student Housing: University Village . All these options and more can be explored on the UC Berkeley Housing page . We’ll also highlight more options below!

Cover photo for Alternative Off-Campus Housing

Graduate student housing: There are also graduate student dedicated housing options across the city, including the xučyun ruwway Apartments in Albany.

Alternative off-campus housing: Make sure to consider alternative off-campus housing options and to do your research on what kind of housing is best for you.

Before You Move In

A checklist just for you! Whether you’re moving into the res halls or an apartment, consult our Move-In Checklist , an in-depth supplemental list tailored for students, by students.

Cover photo for Move-In Checklist

Don’t forget about transportation and learning your way around town. Make sure to consider how far away your new housing will be from campus, where the nearest grocery store is, and how you will access essential spaces. Read Urban Travel 101: Around Berkeley and become familiar with the many different ways of getting around.

Cover photo for Urban Travel 101: Around Berkeley

Finding Housing as a Transfer

The housing search as a transfer looks a little different depending on your situation, but we’ve got you covered! Crystal Garcia, a transfer student who works at the Transfer Student Center, shares her advice regarding the housing search as a transfer student in our blog Housing as a Transfer .

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New transfer-only Anchor House: Make sure to learn all about Anchor House , a new apartment building solely for transfer students.

Tips for Your Housing Search

Learn what to expect: Read about how three students navigated their housing search and what resources and tips they utilized in Finding Housing: What to Expect .

Cover photo for Finding Housing: What to Expect

What to consider in your search:  Get familiar with different areas you can live in, both in and near Berkeley, with Off-Campus Housing Search Tips . The article also includes a helpful breakdown of some popular apartment complexes in the city.

Resources to Have on Hand

Browse through Cal Rental’s Off Campus Housing Resources , organized by whatever phase you are in your housing search and journey.

The Basic Needs Center has a great Housing Search Resource List with information on whatever your housing needs are, with tips on furniture, roommate searches, and tenant rights.

UC Berkeley Housing has a list of everything you need to know about living on campus .

My roommates and I explored a lot of options before finding our own apartment, and read through a lot of other students’ experiences to help guide us as well. Good luck, and remember to be patient—the right place for you is out there. Enjoy the process of finding it!

Melissa Mora-Gonzalez, Class of 2025, is majoring in English and minoring in conservation and resource studies.

• Learn how some students found their home at UC Berkeley .
• Out late at night? Learn about Students for SafeWalk and other late-night activities .
• Explore the many dining options offered at Cal .

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