Family Student Housing Costs across the UCs

The photo was taken from a balcony in UCSC Family Student Housing. It was submitted to the chancellor’s photo contest in November and a winner was never announced.

This data was compiled from the family student housing websites of each of the UCs in February of 2020. A basic summary chart is included at the end of the post. 

The wide range of rents charged by the University of California (UC) Regents (that is the name that goes on the check if you pay that way) across the UC system ($906-$2947 for a 2-bedroom/1-bathroom unit) for university family student housing (FSH) is just one glaring reason why graduate students across the UC system are demanding fairer pay for their labor. The UC system is fully participating in, benefiting from, and contributing to the cost of living inequity and unaffordability across the state and it is time they are held accountable. If you want more details about the range of rents and amenities among UC’s family student housing, the findings are described below. If you want more information about the graduate student wildcat strike that began at UC Santa Cruz go to the link https://payusmoreucsc.com/ .

UC San Francisco students are paying the highest rents among the UCs, but UCSF does not seem to have a designated student-family housing community.  UC Santa Cruz and UC Berkeley are paying the highest university family student housing rates across the UCs, but at least Berkeley’s rates include electricity. The lowest rates for two-bedroom/one-bathroom units are at UC Davis, Riverside, Irvine, and Merced. Although UCLA’s rental costs are comparable to UCSC, the amenities included at UCLA are well-beyond what is offered at UCSC FSH (i.e. microwave, dishwasher, air-conditioning, adult lap pool, children’s swimming pool). The family student housing options at UC San Diego are incredibly diverse and affordable compared to UCSC, including the option of a 2-bedroom, one-bathroom unit within walking distance to the beach for $1500/month which also includes utilities. Even some of the most luxurious family-allowed accommodations like those at UC San Diego’s La Jolla and Mesa Nueva are cheaper than UC Santa Cruz’s family student housing 2019-2020 rates and some include 2 bathrooms instead of one. Each of the UCs is bulleted in the list that follows. Rents listed are due monthly. #COLA4all

• UC Santa Cruz – rates include parking, cable and horribly unreliable and slow internet (verified by the author, her children, and personal acquaintances)

No dishwashers, no AC, electricity NOT included, no pool, no spa, not within walking distance to the beach 

2019-2020 rates for a 2-bedroom unit –  $1767 (2-bedroom units are the only units available)        2-bedroom units last year $1707 & 2 years ago $1647

Families who joined last year are still paying $1707

Families who joined two years ago are still paying $1647

• UC Santa Barbara – 2019-2020 rates * high-speed internet and parking included

West – 2 bedroom/1 bath units $1173.        Storke – 2 bedroom/1 bath $1443 

Leases are month-to-month

• UCLA – 2019-2020

*All units are rented unfurnished and contain a full kitchen (including stove, refrigerator, microwave, and dishwasher), wall-to-wall carpeting, blinds, and central heat and air-conditioning. Buildings have a key-controlled building access system and laundry facilities. 

Amenities include: State-of-the-art childcare center, Community centers, Central courtyards, Basic cable & high-speed internet connections, Adult lap pool, Children’s playground, Children’s swimming pool

2 bedrooms 1 bath $1684.  2 bedrooms 2 bath $1770  3 bedrooms 2 bath $1999

• UC Davis 2019-2020.          *UC Davis boasts five on-campus childcare centers.

Solano Park *Does not include a parking permit

Two-Bedroom Apartment           $906 per month

• UC Merced 2019-2020

*A furnished or unfurnished apartment (your choosing), water, sewer, electricity, trash, high-speed internet, free laundry, refrigerator, stove/oven, 1 assigned parking space included

Family Contracts (One student sharing a unit with non-UC-affiliated family members).

2 Bedroom/1 Bathroom $1,121 Per family of 3-4 for furnished or unfurnished apartments

2 Bedroom/2 Bathroom $1,121 Per family of 4 for a furnished or unfurnished apartment

• UC Irvine 2020-2021 *Utilities included

Verano Place 2 bedroom $1136-1668

Vista del Campo 2 bedroom $2320

Palo Verde 2 bedroom $1412-1780

• UC Riverside 2019-2020

*Interiors are smartly outfitted with stoves, refrigerators, dishwashers and central heating/cooling. Includes a swimming pool and spa!

2 bedroom/2 bath 904 sq. ft. $970 per month

Utilities & Parking Included!

• UC San Francisco *Includes utilities and internet, dishwashers, garbage disposals

2 bedroom, one bath $2662-2947/month

• UC Berkeley 2019-2020 *Rents include gas, electricity, water, garbage, recycling, one parking space, internet, and basic cable.

WEST                                                                                               Square Feet

1 bed, 1 bath *	$1,505	635
2 bed, 1 bath	$1,795	785-806
3 bed, 1.5 bath	$2,045	1002

EAST

2 bed, 1 bath	$1,945-2,045	987
2 bed, 2 bath	$2,045-2,215	987-1,197
3 bed, 1 bath	$2,215	1,085
3 bed, 2 bath	$2,315	1,085-1,103

 

• UC San Diego 2019-2020 *Rates include water, trash, gas, electricity, cable tv, internet, and parking. 

COAST – It is located within walking distance to campus and the beach.

2 BR: $1,500

MIRAMAR – 2 BR: $1,305

MESA.       Central: 2BR: $1,215, 3BR: $1,413      South: 2BR: $1,407

La Jolla del Sol 

La Jolla del Sol is a condominium-style community in a prime location just minutes from the UC San Diego campus. All apartments are un-furnished one-bedroom, two-bedroom/one-bath, and two-bedroom/two-bath walk-up apartments. All units feature full-size washer and dryer, refrigerator, dishwasher, range and dining room ceiling fan. Amenities include two pools and spas, tennis courts, and a fitness facility. Renters Insurance is required for residents.

2BR/1BA – 2nd Floor: $1815; 3rd Floor: $1851

2BR/2BA – 1st Floor: $2049; 2nd Floor: $2058; 3rd Floor: $2106

Mesa Nueva

This HDH Housing community features the very best in graduate and professional living including a social pool with spas and splash zones, a brewpub, outdoor lounge, and so much more! 

Our studios are furnished with a bed, side table, dresser, dining table with 2 stools, a desk & chair, a stove, and a refrigerator. Our 1, 2, and 3 bedroom apartments come equipped with in-unit dishwasher, side-by-side refrigerator/freezer, full-size washer & dryer, free parking, high-speed Internet, and premium cable package.

2BR/1 BA (non-master): $1665 — Room rate $819

2BR/2BA (master): $1665 — Room rate $846

3BR/2BA (non-master): $2469 — Room rate: $813

3BR/2BA (master): $2469 — Room rate: $843

Nuevo East and West

The certified LEED Gold community was intentionally designed to facilitate pedestrian flow and connect to other Mesa neighborhoods, encouraging residential interaction. 

Rates include electricity, water, trash, gas, high-speed Internet, premium cable package and parking.

Amenities include: Furnished Apartments, An on-site professional programming team, Community garden, Grass play areas, Interior and exterior bike storage options, All LED Lighting, Numerous BBQ grilling stations, Community kitchen, Laundry lounges featuring WiFi and comfortable seating, Study lounges and numerous furnished gathering spaces, Social pool and two spas, Game room, Music room, Fitness center, Onsite shuttle stop, EV charging stations, Zip Car facility

• 2BD/1BA Furnished: $1929 
• 4BD/2BA Furnished: $3756 
• 6BD/3BA Furnished: $5490

BASIC CHART BELOW

UC Family Student Housing	2019-2020 Monthly Rent for 2BDRM/1BATH (unless otherwise noted)	What’s Included? (Not a comprehensive list of amenities)
Santa Cruz	$1767	Parking Permit, Unreliable internet, Cable
Davis	$906	Does not include a parking permit
Riverside	$970 2bdrm/2bath	Parking, Utilities, Dishwasher, AC, Swimming pool, Spa
Merced	$1121 2bdrm/1 or 2bath	Utilities, Free laundry, Parking permit
Irvine	$1136-2320 2020-2021 rates	Utilities included
Santa Barbara	$1173-1443	Internet, Parking, Month-to-month leases
San Diego	$1215-2106 2bdr/2bath – $1665	Parking, Utilities, Pools, Spas, Beach proximity, Fitness centers, Game room
Los Angeles	$1684	Adult & children’s pool, Microwave, Dishwasher, Internet
Berkeley	$1795-2215	Includes parking & utilities
San Francisco	$2662-2947	Utilities, Dishwashers

Is UC Santa Cruz selling infants and toddlers to a cesspool of injustice while claiming to fight injustice?

Is UC Santa Cruz selling infants and toddlers to a cesspool of injustice while claiming to fight injustice?

     One of the reasons I applied to graduate school at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) was because of the commitment to social justice that the university boldly proclaimed and embraced with slogans like the one on the side of the campus bike-bus: “UCSC, the original authority on questioning authority.” Knowing there was a shared vision of fighting for what is right and standing for the most vulnerable inspired and comforted me. How did this revolutionary spirit descend into voluntarily expanding the profits of the barbarians at Bain Capital? It’s perplexing.

     Bright Horizons, the daycare mega-company that UC Santa Cruz is contracting to take over childcare services once the new facility is built, is owned by Bain Capital.  In an attempt to justify the move, one UCSC spokesperson seemed to be utilizing an age-old whining child’s tactic – everyone else is doing it. “We continue to believe Bright Horizons will provide our campus — the faculty, staff, and students — with quality child care, based on its performance at several other University of California campuses,” was written in a statement by a UCSC representative. In 2013, The New York Times offered a brief history of the way Bright Horizons took care of Bain Capital over the decades and how “Bain’s profits on the deal have been anything but child’s play.”

     In a 2017 news story in New York City, the local CBS station reported on a protest by parents when they discovered what those caring for their children at the Bright Horizons childcare center were making. They revealed, “Bright Horizons has a market value of more than $4 billion.” A parent in the story reported paying $30,000/year for childcare services there but learned those caring for infants and toddlers were only making $11/hour. Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts, 2012 presidential candidate and partial founder of Bain Capital (who also employed Bain Capital and Pioneer Institute members as part of his Massachusett’s executive branch staff), bragged about the low paying jobs created through Bright Horizons in response to criticism that Bain Capital was the private equity group of corporate vultures who destroy jobs. Meanwhile, as Executive Chairman, Chief Executive Officer at BRIGHT HORIZONS FAMILY SOLTN, David H. Lissy made $1,822,308 in total compensation in just 2017. Of this total $396,608 was received as a salary, $444,697 was received as a bonus, $967,960 was awarded as stock and $13,043 came from other types of compensation. This information is according to proxy statements filed for the 2017 fiscal year.

     Professors at Cornell raised alarms in 2012 as their university contracted with Bright Horizons. Here is a quote from their local city paper:

     Bright Horizons provides daycare services to Cornell’s Ithaca campus and Weill      Cornell Medical College. In 2010, faculty urged President David Skorton to cut ties with Bright Horizons for violating 56 state child care regulations, overworking its teachers and overcompensating its top management. Skorton, however, decided to renew the University’s contract with Bright Horizons — a decision that some professors say they remain unhappy with.

    Citing past problems with Bright Horizons, Prof. Sydney van Morgan, sociology, said she finds Bright Horizons’ relationship with Bain Capital — which took the company private for $1.3 billion in 2008 — problematic. The University should not use the services of a corporate company when there are several other childcare institutions in the Ithaca community, he said.

    “Is that really the kind of company that Cornell wants to be working with, as opposed to IC3, the local childcare center, which is public, not-for-profit and run by a board of parents?” van Morgan said. “Why not have that model?”

Yes. Why not have that model? Hopefully, Bright Horizons remedied their 56 state childcare violations in New York, but they certainly did not cut their ties with Bain Capital. In fact, two members of Bright Horizons Board of Directors, Joshua Bekenstein and Jordan Hitch, are the Managing Director and Senior Advisor at Bain Capital Partners, respectively.  

     Why should anyone care about Bain Capital?

     In recent times, the most powerful education policy-making players in the arena have been from businesses and their foundations. Dell, Gates, Waltons, Broad, and private equity firms like Bain Capital have pushed for model legislation that requires high stakes standardized testing, merit pay for teachers, teacher accountability systems that link pay to test scores, retaining students for not meeting benchmarks, vouchers, charters, and approaches that maintain a system of segrenomics. Essentially, legislation that applies the principles of capitalism to education (which is notably not part of the business college because teaching is a social science that involves humans – not products) is the type of legislation Bain Capital supports in complete opposition to what education researchers at all of the universities worth anything have found to be best practices.     

     Some of you may be recalling your social studies lessons right now. Don’t legislators in legislative branches make laws? Sure, and Bain Capital has supported right-wing pressure groups such as the Pioneer Institute for Public Policy Research who are major drivers of the model legislation that has come from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and have been passed into law across the United States. Bain Capital helps fund ALEC initiatives. According to ALEC Exposed, “ALEC’s education legislation diverts taxpayers’ money from American public school children to for-profit education corporations, strips away the rights of teachers and their ability to negotiate strongly for small class sizes and other practices that help children learn better, and gives more tax breaks to rich corporations and individuals to pay private school tuition.”

     ALEC has also introduced legislation such as the “Stand Your Ground” law that allowed for the murder of Trayvon Martin to go unpunished, anti-immigration legislation, tough-on-crime legislation that nourishes and expands the Prison Industrial Complex (PIC) (the PIC that UCSC Distinguished Professor Emerita Angela Davis has been fighting to abolish for decades), and environmentally destructive legislation.

     Bright Horizons is part of and funds Bain Capital. Bain Capital supports and funds groups (like the Pioneer Institute) that support ALEC and ALEC legislation. UC Santa Cruz wants parents to give their money for childcare to Bright Horizons, which will enrich Bain Capital. Bain Capital will continue to monetarily contribute to all of the unjust initiatives many of us at UCSC will spend the majority our lives fighting.

     What. The. Actual. F***?!?!?!