How much is UC Berkeley’s yearly tuition these days?

I'm trying to estimate costs for college since UC Berkeley is my top choice, but the numbers I find online are kind of confusing. Some sites mention different costs for in-state and out-of-state students, and others talk about fees that aren't tuition but still seem important.

Is there an official number for how much tuition is per year for California residents and for out-of-state students? And do those numbers include things like student fees or just the classes themselves? I want to make sure I'm budgeting things right. If anyone has gone through the process or attends Berkeley now, was the real cost higher or lower than what you saw online when you applied?

Planning ahead is making my brain spin a bit, so any clarity would be really appreciated.
1 week ago
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Kathy Jayanth
 • 1 week ago
Advisor
UC Berkeley’s tuition can be a little tricky because the official number covers just the base tuition and fees, while the “real” cost of attending also depends on housing, food, and personal expenses. For the 2023–2024 academic year, here’s the breakdown:

California residents: About $15,900 per year in tuition and mandatory fees (this includes student services fees, campus fees, and health insurance unless you opt out).

Out-of-state students: Pay the same base tuition plus a Nonresident Supplemental Tuition of about $32,574, bringing the total to roughly $48,474 per year.

On top of tuition, you need to budget for housing, meals, books, and personal expenses, which can add $20,000 to $25,000 more each year. For example, university housing with a standard meal plan runs about $17,000–$21,000 annually. So the full yearly cost of attendance can be in the $39,000–$40,000 range for residents and $71,000–$73,000 for nonresidents.

That’s the official picture, but in reality, the amount you actually pay depends a lot on financial aid and scholarships. From my own experience, my aid package changed quite a bit from year to year. My first year, I didn’t get much—maybe about $1,000—and the dorms were extremely expensive. But later, when my brother also started college, my aid increased significantly. My housing costs went down, too, once I moved into a co-op where my rent was about half of what I’d paid in the dorms. By the time I hit my last two years, I got really serious about scholarships, and that made the biggest difference. I spent weeks of my winter breaks applying, and in the end, I earned about $26,000 in scholarships, which allowed me to be financially independent from my family.

So while the sticker price is high, the actual cost can vary a lot. For some students, financial aid and scholarships bring the price down dramatically; for others, especially out-of-state students, it can remain a big financial stretch. My advice is to check Berkeley’s official Cost of Attendance page, but also plan ahead to apply for as many scholarships as you can. The effort really does pay off, and the same essay-writing skills you use for the UC application can also help you win scholarships.

In summary: The published tuition is about $15,900 for in-state students and $48,474 for out-of-state students, before living expenses. But the real cost depends on your financial aid and housing choices. From my experience, hustling for scholarships and making smart housing decisions can dramatically cut that number.
Kathy Jayanth
Berkeley, CA
UC Berkeley | Economics & Slavic Studies
Experience
5 years