New Resident FAQs

I-House is home to 615+ residents during the Academic Year representing over 80 countries. Of these, about 85 percent are international students from all over the world, including visiting scholars, researchers, and Education Abroad Reciprocity students. Most years, we have about 55 percent graduate students, postdocs, and visiting scholars and 45 percent undergraduates. Visiting scholars constitute around 10 percent of our resident population.

Dining Services offers a variety of meals daily, including vegetarian options. While we are not able to guarantee special dietary requests, you are encouraged to reach out to our dining team at dining@ihouseberkeley.org as early as possible to discuss.

The facilities at I-House are wheelchair accessible, including resident rooms, ADA restrooms on each floor, hallways, elevators, the Dining Commons, and the main entrance. Requests for accommodations should be submitted by using the Accommodation Request Form on your Resident Portal as early as possible as the review and implementation process can take several weeks. Such requests must be supported by medical documentation demonstrating the need for the accommodation requested. Questions should be directed to our Resident Life team at residentlife@ihouseberkeley.org 

I-House is separate from the UC Berkeley dormitories, so you cannot transfer your residency to the campus dormitories. Each housing option requires a separate application and has separate policies.

The best resource for any questions regarding visas, H-1s, and work eligibility for international students is the Berkeley International Office (BIO). You can learn more about their services on their website: http://internationaloffice.berkeley.edu/ or contact them directly at InternationalOffice@berkeley.edu. If you would like to visit Berkeley International Office (BIO), the address is 

Berkeley International Office

2150 Shattuck Avenue

Suite 500

Berkeley, CA 94704

Prior to your arrival, you will receive helpful information regarding check-in and more from our Resident Life and Intercultural Development team. 

We are typically not able to accommodate any early arrivals. If we are able to offer early arrivals, it would be noted on the Admissions page titled Extensions and Early Arrivals.

If you wil be arriving to Berkeley before your scheduled check-in and we cannot offer you an early arrival, we recommend reaching out to the Bancroft Hotel, Graduate Berkeley Hotel, Claremont Club & Spa, Hotel Shattuck Plaza, or Residence Inn by Marriott for alternative arrangements.

Yes, you may arrive any time after your scheduled check-in date. Please note, you will be financially responsible from the agreed move-in date onward.

Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate luggage storage prior to your check-in date. 

Very little. Your room is furnished with a XL twin-size bed, a dresser, a desk, a desk chair, and a desk lamp, as well as a ceiling light. Each room is also equipped with a radiator, allowing you to control the heat within your room. Please bring your own linens (size: Twin XL) and pillows or plan to purchase these once you arrive from Amazon, Target, etc. Please see our What to Bring (PDF) for more information and a list of prohibited items.

Yes, you may order packages at I-House 10 days prior to your arrival. Please make sure to include your room number when you place an order. You will be able to view your room number in the  I-House Resident Portal 10 days prior to your arrival. You will receive an email from I-House when your package is processed and ready to be picked up. 

Your mailing address is:Your Name
International House
2299 Piedmont Avenue
Your Room #
Berkeley, CA 94720-2320 USA

To avoid delays in receiving your packages or mail, please ensure your mailing address matches your name and room number including "A" or "B" for double rooms and ensure your email address is updated to receive notifications. In order to ensure residents’ privacy, the Mailroom staff will not release room numbers to third-parties. Mail and special deliveries will be distributed as soon as they are received. Please check your mailbox regularly.

When your package arrives, you will receive an email notification from I-house to pick up your package. Photo identification will be required in order for us to release any packages. Please note that deliveries cannot be made directly to residents’ rooms.

All outgoing mail and packages must be scheduled directly with the provider and/or dropped off at the appropriate drop-off location, such as the Amazon Hub Locker at the Student Union, UPS stores, or US Post Offices.

BART will take you directly from both Oakland and SFO to Downtown Berkeley, where you can take a taxi to International House—about a five-minute drive. You may also use a shuttle service, rideshare, or a cab. Please visit the SFO or Oakland Airport websites for comprehensive airport transportation information. Our Location Page has more information.

There are a variety of ways you can pay your room and board fees. Full payment at the beginning of the semester is highly appreciated. The preferred payment method is wire transfer or direct deposit. You may also pay by ACH, check, or credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express) online. Please note that payments made by credit card will incur additional fees. 

The room and board payment schedule can be found in your Terms and Conditions Agreement. If you have specific questions about payment options please contact the Accounting Office at: acctg@ihouseberkeley.org

Shared rooms are not coed. Each floor is coed with the exception of the female-only 8th floor.

Bathrooms and showers are shared, but are separated by gender. There are two bathrooms and two shower facilities for each gender on each floor, with the exception of the 8th floor, which is our Women’s Hall. This floor has a female bathroom only and one shower facility. 

In the event of a roommate conflict, residents should attempt to resolve the conflict first, amongst themselves. If needed, our Resident Life team is happy to help facilitate. If the conflict cannot be resolved, after attempts at mediation, a written room change request with a detailed explanation will be considered. Please be aware that there will be a $150 charge per individual for approved room changes requested by residents. 

 If a room change is being requested due to a medical accommodation, please complete the Medical Accommodation Request Form located in the main menu of your Resident Portal.

I-House is a traditional residence hall setting, located in a busy residential area on the edge of the UC Berkeley campus that is home to various student co-ops, fraternities, and sororities. It is also adjacent to two popular campus event venues: California Memorial Stadium and the Greek Theater. At times, there is a high level of activity in the neighborhood, which can cause some level of outside noise and disruption. In addition, there are some sources of building-related noise from facility equipment inside and outside the building that create both regular and intermittent noise. International House strives to be a safe, respectful, and quiet living environment that supports the academic success and well-being of its residents. Community members at International House are expected to follow all the rules necessary to maintain a quiet environment as outlined in our Quiet Hours policy int he Resident Handbook

Parking on the UC Berkeley campus is very difficult. Street parking at meters is free after 6 p.m. In nonmetered areas, parking is free for two hours and unregulated after 7 p.m. A limited number of permits are available through the City of Berkeley for an annual fee, which exempts you from the two-hour limit. Please see the City of Berkeley parking website for more information. Meters are free with a California disabled placard.

Submit a work order online through your portal and the Physical Operations team will process your request.

To Create a Work Order:

1) Login to the I-House Portal using the same username and password created for your I-House application

2) Click on the "Maintenance" tab

3) Click on "New Job" and follow the prompts to complete your work order.

Do not hesitate to visit the Front Desk with any questions or concerns. You may also email our Robertson Resident Life and Intercultural Development team at Rio@ihouseberkeley.org.

Please read our Resident Handbook.  The handbook has a wealth of information pertaining to anything you need to know about I-House. Take the time to familiarize yourself with the handbook.

Our library is open 24 hours a day. It offers a congenial, yet quiet, study atmosphere.  Access is restricted to residents only.

We are currently updating our printer room. In the meantime, please refer to UCB campus printing resources. 

All resident rooms and most public spaces are equipped with wireless connections that allow you to connect directly to the University of California network.

Residents of International House can connect to one of two networks:

• Berkeley-Visitor is an unencrypted guest network intended to provide new arrivals and guests of International House with a quality internet connection. Connecting to Berkeley-Visitor requires navigating to a browser such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Microsoft Edge to accept the terms of use for the network. After accepting the terms of use, the connection to Berkeley-Visitor will activate and remain available unless you are inactive for 20 minutes. This network disconnects after 20 minutes of inactivity to protect users since the Berkeley-Visitor network is not secure.
• Berkeley-IoT is the securely encrypted network primarily reserved for online devices which are not desktops, laptops, or phones. To join the Berkeley-IoT Wi-Fi, you must already have completed enrollment in the UC Berkeley account system, meaning you possess a CalNet ID with which to register your account. Any device that cannot perform 802.1x authentication can connect to a secure network through Berkeley-IoT — for most residents, they will connect gaming consoles such as Microsoft Xboxes, Sony Playstations, and Nintendo Switches to this network. Smart Lightbulbs, Wireless Printers, and other devices requiring inter-device connectivity are not currently supported on Berkeley-IoT.
• eduroam is the securely encrypted network that International House residents and staff use daily. The eduroam network is managed by the UC Berkeley IT team. To join the eduroam Wi-Fi(link is external)(link is external), you must already have completed enrollment in the UC Berkeley account system, meaning you possess a CalNet ID with which to register your account. From this point, you can create your eduroam WiFi account by following the instructions at the following link: https://berkeley.service-now.com/kb_view.do?sysparm_article=KB0013807(link is external)(link is external). When you are finished, enjoy a secure, speedy network connection that is available to you at International House, UC Berkeley, and any other CSU or UC campus.

All three networks are administered and supported by the UC Berkeley IT department. If you have any questions or issues regarding your connection to these Wi-Fi services, details are listed at technology.berkeley.edu/wifi(link is external)(link is external), and UC Berkeley's support team is available Monday - Friday by email, phone, and in-person(link is external)(link is external).

Creating noise that unreasonably disrupts residents or neighboring community members at any time is unacceptable. In addition, residents are asked to be especially considerate during the Quiet Hours from 11pm-10am on weekdays, and 1am-10am on weekends. For both the academic year semesters and for the summer sessions, around-the-clock quiet hours begin on the last day of instruction and continue to the end of the term. If you need to report a quite hour violation, please call the Resident Advisor on duty for assistance.

Smoking and tobacco use are strictly prohibited inside I-House and the areas surrounding the building. The entire UC Berkeley campus adopted a tobacco-free policy on January 1, 2014, that prohibits tobacco use in any form on all University property. If individuals wish to smoke, they can do so across the street from the property.

All guests must be approved in advance by Resident Life Office. Please fill out the Guest Accomodation Form in I-House Resident Portal at least one full week in advance. 

The full guest policy can be found in our Resident Handbook.