UC Berkeley Residential Life

What UC Berkeley Residential Life does

UC Berkeley Residential Life is a departmental unit within the University of California, Berkeley that provides residential services and educational programming to UC Berkeley's residential population — approximately 8,000+ single undergraduate students across eight residence hall units plus Clark Kerr Campus and New Sequoia, and approximately 3,000 family housing residents. The department does not operate as a commercial enterprise; it is a public state entity under the UC Board of Regents, sitting within the Dean of Students Division and funded through student housing fees, dining commons meal plans, university allocations, and state appropriations. As such, it has no external investors, no funding rounds, and no standalone disclosed revenue.

Core programmatic offerings include the Resident Assistant (RA) program, eight identity- and interest-based Theme Programs (African American Theme Program, BLOOM Asian American Community, CASA Magdalena Mora, Empowering Womxn in STEAM, Global Environment Theme House, Native American Theme Program, SSWANA, UNITY), the Resident Faculty Program (in which UC Berkeley faculty live in residence halls and engage residents in programming), the Residential Tutoring Program (drop-in support in Writing, Math, Physics, and Chemistry delivered through Academic Centers), a Safety Ambassador program operating from 9:00 PM to 1:00 AM (extending on weekends), and a Residential Conduct system anchored by a nationally recognized Peer Review Board. The workforce is layered: a 179-person professional staff of Resident Directors, Senior Resident Directors, Assistant Directors, and Coordinators plus roughly 500 student employees and 150+ live-in student hall staff.

The go-to-market motion is direct-to-consumer within a captive population: students apply through UC Berkeley Housing, are assigned to units, and receive programming through RAs, theme communities, and academic-support channels. Pricing flows through UC Berkeley Housing (room and board + meal plans), not Residential Life directly; Residential Life's primary outbound expense is student-staff compensation at $18.67–$23.18 per hour plus room-and-board for RA roles. The technology footprint is minimal — WordPress-hosted institutional website, Zoom for virtual tutoring, and Instagram (@ucbresidential) for outreach — and there is no proprietary software product, no app, no API surface, and no AI/ML capabilities disclosed.

Name

UC Berkeley Residential Life

Legal name

UC Berkeley Residential Life

Website

https://reslife.berkeley.edu

Company type

Public

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

UC Berkeley Residential Life is a university department providing housing, academic tutoring, and community-building programming for approximately 8,000+ single students and 3,000 family housing residents across eight residence hall units, including the Resident Faculty Program and eight identity-based Theme Programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

University Housing Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Education, Programming & Community Development (EDALACAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Student Housing Resident Life, Conduct & Community Management (BPAJAJAH), Residential Life Programming & Student Engagement Services (EDAEAFAC), Residence Hall Operations & Administration (EDALACAA)

Keywords

• University housing services
• Student residential life
• Campus residence programs
• Academic support tutoring
• Student community programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Student Housing Fees: Revenue is generated through student housing fees and meal plans. Students pay for residence hall living spaces and dining commons meal plans as part of their UC Berkeley housing contract.
2. Student Employment Compensation: Residential Life employs 500+ student workers including Resident Assistants, Tutors, Safety Ambassadors, and other student staff positions. Students receive compensation (room, board, and hourly wages) in exchange for their work.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

UC Berkeley Residential Life is a university department that provides on-campus housing, academic support (tutoring in Writing, Math, Physics, and Chemistry through Academic Centers), and residential community programs (eight Theme Programs centered on cultural, identity, and academic interests) for approximately 8,000+ undergraduate students and 3,000 family housing residents. The department also runs the Resident Faculty Program, which connects students with UC Berkeley faculty who live in the residence halls, alongside student employment programs (Resident Assistants, Safety Ambassadors, Tutors) and volunteer leadership opportunities such as the Residence Hall Assembly and Peer Review Board.

Product overview

UC Berkeley Residential Life is a university department (not a software product company) providing comprehensive residential services and programs for approximately 8,000+ single students and 3,000 family housing residents. The core offerings consist of student employment programs (Resident Assistants, Safety Ambassadors, Tutors, and various specialized RA positions), academic support services (tutoring in Writing, Math, Physics, and Chemistry through Academic Centers, the Resident Faculty Program connecting students with live-in faculty, and a GPA Calculator tool), and community development programs (Theme Programs organized around cultural and interest-based communities, leadership opportunities through RHA and Peer Review Board, and the Residential Conduct Process for community standards). The Bearest Necessities publication serves as an orientation guide distributed at move-in. These programs are interconnected—RAs and Theme Program RAs provide front-line community support, academic tutoring reinforces classroom learning, the Resident Faculty Program adds faculty integration, and the Peer Review Board enables student governance of community standards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Resident Assistants (RA) Program
• Theme Programs
• Residential Academic Support and Tutoring
• Resident Faculty Program
• Student Employment Opportunities
• Volunteer Leadership Opportunities
• Safety Ambassadors Program
• Residential Conduct Process
• Health and Support Services Coordination

Quantifiable outcome

• Living in the residence halls helps boost academic performance
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• UC Berkeley Academic CenterscoreOthersAcademic Centers are located throughout the residential communities and support the Residential Tutoring Program. These centers provide drop-in tutorial services for students in Writing, Math, Physics, and Chemistry. Services are supervised by professional staff and evaluated regularly by residents.
• UC Berkeley Faculty (Resident Faculty Program)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Resident Faculty Program connects residents with UC Berkeley faculty who live in the Residence Halls and eat at dining commons. Faculty participate in programming throughout the academic year supporting residents in developing academic identities. This is a signature program of Residential Life.
• Dean of Students OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResidential Life operates under the Dean of Students Division. Professional staff coordinate with the Dean of Students Office for critical incident response, conduct processes, and student support services.
• UCPD (University of California Police Department)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSafety Ambassadors work with UCPD, CSOs (Community Service Officers), and other campus partners to create a safe residential environment. RSAs report dangerous activities to residential staff and/or UCPD as appropriate.
• Center for Student ConductcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCases involving serious violations (distribution of controlled substances, physical assault, sexual harassment/violence) are referred to the Center for Student Conduct. The Center handles cases beyond the scope of residential conduct.
• University Health Services (UHS)coreOthersUHS provides health services including University Health Services main line, Advice Nurse, Counseling and Psychological Services. Referrals to UHS are made for student health concerns.
• PATH to Care CentercoreOthersProvides 24/7 confidential support for gendered violence/harassment with Care Line at 642-1988 and confidential advocacy at 643-2005. Serves as the primary resource for survivor support and gender-related resources.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• UCLA Residential Life: UCLA's residential life department operates within the same University of California system with comparable scale, public R1 setting, and similar theme/community programming structure as UC Berkeley Residential Life.
• UC San Diego Housing & Residential Life: UC San Diego operates within the University of California system with shared system-wide governance, providing the closest administrative parallel to UC Berkeley Residential Life.
• Harvard College House System: Harvard's residential house system includes live-in faculty (Faculty Deans, Resident Tutors/Pros), paralleling Berkeley's Resident Faculty Program, with rich community-building and academic integration at a top-tier R1.
• USC Housing & Residential Life: USC Housing manages residential experience, theme communities, and student employment for a large private R1 with many similar program archetypes to UC Berkeley Residential Life.
• Cornell University Housing & Residential Life: Cornell's residential life program includes program houses, faculty-in-residence, and student governance on par with Berkeley's offerings at a leading private R1.
• Stanford University Residential Life: Stanford's residence life office manages faculty-in-residence and theme house programming at a peer private R1 university with comparable scope and student development mission.
• MIT Residential Life: MIT Residential Life manages residence hall communities, living-learning groups, and faculty engagement at a STEM-intensive private R1 with student development comparable in depth and scope.
• Princeton University Residential Life: Princeton's Office of the Dean of Residential Life oversees college-based residential communities with strong faculty linkage and student-led governance, mirroring UC Berkeley's framework.
• NYU Residence Life: NYU Residence Life provides residential programming, learning communities, and student conduct services at a major urban private R1 with similar population scale and program mix.
• University of Michigan Housing & Residential Life: University of Michigan Housing & Residential Life operates large-scale public R1 residence life with extensive theme programs, learning communities, and student conduct functions comparable to UC Berkeley.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UCBerkeley
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/UCBerkeley
• Facebookfacebook.com/UCBerkeley
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uc-berkeley-residential-life
• Instagraminstagram.com/ucbresidential

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UC Berkeley Residential Life