Progress on multiple new housing projects means all first-year students will have the option to live on campus for two years — with another major development in the pipeline.
In an otherwise tight rental market in the neighborhoods near campus, the two-year housing guarantee for incoming freshmen means that students can live close to their classes, have the safety and security of student housing and more quickly settle into a community of their peers. Since utilities like internet, gas and electric are included, they’re not subject to the monthly jumps in energy bills and add-on fees that frustrate many Bay Area residents. Plus, soon-to-open projects will add improved dining facilities to the menu of options on and around campus.
“Living on campus is about far more than proximity to campus — it’s about living in a thriving, dynamic community that supports one’s growth and development,” said Stephen C. Sutton, vice chancellor for Student Affairs. “When students live in our residential communities, they gain daily access to peers, faculty and support services that strengthen learning, belonging and well-being. Expanding our housing portfolio is essential to ensuring more students can benefit from this experience and fully participate in campus life.”
A lack of campus housing has long been a challenge for Berkeley. A decade ago, Berkeley had the lowest percentage of beds for students(link is external) among UC campuses — approximately 22% for undergraduates. The system-wide average was 38%.
Christ, who wasn’t yet chancellor at that time, chaired the newly formed housing task force charged with finding ways to accommodate more undergraduates while simultaneously navigating the tough realities of the budget. Complicating the problem even further, the area near campus lacked open spaces that are often easier to develop.
The group identified a range of campus-owned locations for housing developments. As chancellor, Christ oversaw a level of building activity(link is external) not seen at Berkeley since the 1960s — work that has continued since her retirement in 2024.
The campus is currently housing 9,700 of its 33,000 undergrads, or about 29% — a marked improvement from a decade ago. Every incoming first-year student this academic year who applied and was eligible was offered housing; 90% of them are currently living in campus housing, according to campus officials.
Jo Mackness, associate vice chancellor for Residential & Student Service Programs, said the campus’s ability to guarantee two years of housing for incoming freshmen and one year for transfer students marks a significant achievement for Berkeley.
“It reflects years of planning and investment to expand capacity while ensuring current student housing remains safe and welcoming,” Mackness said. “By providing stability from the moment students arrive, we can help them focus on what matters most: their academic journey and building connections at Berkeley.”
Heumann House(link is external) is slated to open in time for the start of the fall 2027 semester, and the Bancroft-Fulton project will open the following year, adding thousands of additional beds.
Those projects follow the 2024 completion of Anchor House(link is external), a state-of-the-art, donor-funded building on the west side of campus that houses some 800 transfer students and provides daytime resources for those students who commute to campus.
Yet another project — at the corner of Channing Way and Bowditch Street — is advancing that would turn one of the few buildable lots on university-owned land near campus into a vibrant residential hub. The proposal includes a tower up to 26 stories tall that would house as many as 2,000 students and add to the expanding student residential community in the area. Plans call for a new dining facility, as well as numerous academic and social spaces.
The project would recognize the history of the Anna Head School complex by preserving three buildings on the site. Three other structures would be removed due to fire and flood damage and other building code issues, creating space for the new student housing and dining facilities. Plans call for the remaining buildings to be integrated into the development, with the historic Alumnae Hall(link is external) serving as a centerpiece for the project’s dining facilities.
The proposed project is undergoing environmental review, with potential approval at a UC Board of Regents meeting in 2027.