Rent and Scholarships

Making Cloyne Financially Accessible

The Berkeley Student Cooperative (BSC) has a mission to provide quality, low-cost, cooperative housing for low-income college students. This page gives an overview of room and board costs in the BSC, what this includes, and how to defer payments. It also has info about several kinds of financial resources that are available through the BSC, the Undocumented Students Program, the Food Pantry, and CalFresh.

Co-ops: Best Deal in Town

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This graph shows the average costs of different kinds of room and board in Berkeley for the 2018-2019 Academic Year. The BSC houses cost $7,218, off-campus housing costs $16,402, and UC Berkeley dorms cost $18,002. Although UC Berkeley increases financial aid packages for students living in the dorms, the co-ops still pan out to be significantly less expensive, even for those who receive the most financial aid. Because there is no landlord making a profit, the co-ops are the best deal in town.

  • The rates mentioned here refer to the 2018-2019 year. That said, the (student member-led) Board of Directors may change the rates when they set the budget by the beginning of April every year. Find up-to-date information on the rates for room and board in a house, just boarding, and apartment-dwelling on the BSC website. Check here for summer rates.
  • Prices for the houses are the same regardless of your room size. (Residents “bid” into rooms based mainly on the amount of time they’ve spent in a single house, rewarding seniority as well as house loyalty.)

[Pictures of a double at Cloyne]

What’s included?

  • Furnished room: desk, dresser, chair, closet, bed frame, and mattress
  • Access to kitchen and food supplies/tools
  • Cleaning supplies and toiletries, such as laundry detergent, toilet paper, paper towels, etc.
  • At Cloyne: our unique amenities, community, and support circles

Room and Board: Fall and Spring 🍃❄🌸

Each Semester: $3609

Full Academic Year (9 months): $7218

Equivalent Monthly Payment: $802

  • Residents may stay over winter break. Food Managers try to stock up on staples for those who do stay, but it is not guaranteed to happen or be comprehensive, and there will not be cooked meals.
  • Payments are three times a semester rather than monthly, coming in at $3609 per installment.

Rent: Summer ☀

Each 6-Week Session/payment: $937

Full Summer (12 weeks): $1874

Equivalent Monthly payment: ~$625

There is no food during the summer at Cloyne, but check out the bottom of this page for food resources for summer (and the academic year). Most of Cloyne’s amenities, community, and support circles are still available over summer.

Can’t Make a Full Payment on Time?

You can ask to defer a payment by submitting a request to the Central Office through the BSC member portal. This is especially useful if you receive financial aid that you use to pay room and board, since the first payment is due before aid is disbursed.

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This screenshot of the member portal points to the “Submit a Payment Arrangement” link under the “Member Account” category.

BSC Scholarships!

The BSC offers a scholarship to cover ⅓ of room and board payments for the Fall and Spring to a group of individuals expressing financial hardship and a history of cooperativity. Awards are distributed as rent credit that will automatically be applied to your next payment. More info becomes available as applications open on the scholarships page of the BSC website in late Spring (around late March). Current and incoming BSC members are also sent emails encouraging us to apply!

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BSC Emergency Grant

Current BSC members may also apply for an emergency grant at any time during the semester. Pending availability, the grant is awarded to people whose continued membership in the BSC would otherwise be at risk because of dire unexpected financial need. To apply, please reach out to the Administrative Member Advisor at adminma@bsc.coop. You may also read the policy directly.

Undocumented Students Program (USP) Grants

USP offers two types of Emergency Grants for students who:

  1. Are not receiving federal Financial Aid and loans,
  2. Are Dream Aid recipients, and
  3. Are undocumented.

The two types of grants aim to meet students’ need for either housing or any other general expenses that might arise. Students are awarded based on need and on a first-come, first-served basis. Emergency grants do not have to be paid back, and the application is available on the 6th week of each semester.

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The Undocumented Students Program also offers a few other types of financial assistance:

  • Basic Needs grants of $2500 to students who do not qualify for work-study. Grants are awarded for the fall and spring semesters, are awarded based on financial need, and can be applied for through this form.
  • Food Security and Nourishment: A limited amount of meal plans are provided to students experiencing food insecurity.
  • Mental Health Refund: USP can provide refunds for mental health services. You may apply through this form, and you can find more information about mental health resources on this page.

You can find more information, including directions on how to apply for these grants, on USP’s website.

Summer food resources

Food Pantry: The Food Pantry is a resource in the basement of MLK Student Union that provides emergency resources to students with a valid Cal ID. You are allowed to visit 2x/month to access 5 shelf-stable items (such as rice, beans, milk, peanut butter etc.), as well as unlimited bread and fresh produce.

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Calfresh: If you are part of the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) and/or receive a Cal Grant, you qualify to apply to Calfresh, a program that provides a monthly stipend to purchase foods at many grocery/convenience stores. UC Berkeley’s Food Pantry hosts free clinics to help with the application, which they announce on their Facebook page. More information about the requirements and supporting documents can be found on the Calfresh website.

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Written by Nuria Garcia (member) in Fall ’18