Meeting Nonresident Costs

Congratulations on your son or daughter's admission to the University of California, Berkeley! As you know, UC Berkeley offers an exciting undergraduate academic experience that ranks among the very best universities in the world.

As a non-California resident, you may be concerned about meeting your son or daughter's costs at UC Berkeley. We receive many inquiries from non-California residents asking for help with Nonresident Supplemental Tuition and Fees. These nonresident expenses are in addition to the standard cost of attendance.

We created this web page to outline a few factors you need to consider as you prepare for your student's first year at Berkeley.

Having a Financial Plan Is Helpful

As your son or daughter enters UC Berkeley this fall, it must be with the understanding that you have developed a financial plan for addressing expenses (such as Nonresident Supplemental Tuition and Fees) that cannot be met with UC Berkeley grant or scholarship funds. It is important that you develop a multi-year financial plan covering all the years your son or daughter will be enrolled, so that he or she can successfully graduate from UC Berkeley.

Residency Is Difficult to Establish

Many nonresident students assume that they can easily establish California residency and pay in-state fees in subsequent years. The process of obtaining California residency is very difficult for an undergraduate student, and obtaining residency is uncommon. Please note that students physically present in California solely for educational purposes will not be eligible for resident classification regardless of the length of their stay in California. For more information, please see the Office of the Registrar's Residency Information web page.

Financial Aid Awards Are Not Negotiated

UC Berkeley does not negotiate financial aid awards in response to offers from other schools. If the other university has information about your family's financial situation that we don't have, or if you think we made a mistake in our assessment, please contact us to discuss a possible re-assessment.

Parent PLUS Loans Require a Credit Check

If your son or daughter's financial aid awards include a Parent PLUS Loan, please be aware that all PLUS Loan applications are subject to a credit check. If the loan is denied, you need to be prepared to find alternative funding sources.

Make Sure Beginning Expenses Are Covered

It is very important that your son or daughter arrive at Berkeley with sufficient funds at the beginning of the year to cover expenses such as first month's rent, food, books, and supplies, in case of any delays in processing aid.

Enroll in the Deferred Payment Plan
You may choose to enroll in the Deferred Payment Plan, which allows you to pay fall or spring semester tuition and fees in five monthly installments. To learn more about the Deferred Payment Plan, please see the Student Billing Services Deferred Payment Plan web page.

Research Outside Scholarships
Your son or daughter may want to research and apply for outside scholarships to help meet the cost of attending UC Berkeley. For more information, please see our Outside Scholarship Resources web page.

We hope the information above will help you plan for your son or daughter's success at Berkeley.

Please note that tuition and fees are set by the Regents of the University of California and are subject to change.