Scholarships Frequently Asked Questions

To help meet the cost of room and board at International House, financial aid is available to graduate and upper division international students (F1 or J1), U.S. citizens, and permanent residents. Awards are for partial payment of room and board fees. See our Named Scholarships for details. Applicants must have a reservation to live at International House for the academic year or the coming semester and must demonstrate financial need. (See Eligibility)

The application must be completed and submitted online. Please read our Application Instructions prior to beginning the online application. 

Scholarship Links and Resources

General Financial Aid FAQs:

Who is eligible to apply for International House Room and Board Financial Aid?

Upper division and graduate students registered in a degree-granting program at UC Berkeley who hold a reservation for residency at International House for the coming academic year or semester and hold a 3.0 GPA or higher. (Financial aid is not awarded to foreign exchange students, summer session students, extension students, or those not enrolled in UC Berkeley degree-granting programs.) Financial aid is awarded to residents who have a Regular Double room occupancy reservation (undergraduates) or Regular Single room occupancy reservation (graduates only). Large, premium and Bay-view rooms are not eligible for I-House financial aid.

Where can I receive a Financial Aid application?

The Financial Aid application is available only as an online form linked from the instructions webpage.

Do I need to file a FAFSA report?

Only U.S. citizens and permanent residents are required to file a FAFSA. This must be included when you send your scholarship application required documents. Please allow at least three days for FAFSA processing. If you do not submit your FAFSA on or before the scholarship deadline, we will not be able to process your application.

What information will I need before I begin my Financial Aid application?

You will need to gather financial data and resources on all family and personal sponsors, an expected budget for the period you will reside at I-House (academic year or semester), any expected grants or scholarships, and an unofficial transcript (to be emailed). If you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, you will need to include the FAFSA Student Aid Report.

When do we hear of the award results?

Award results are announced by the Admissions and Financial Aid office as soon as they are approved. You will receive an email as soon as possible after the application dedaline containing the result. We understand this is very important and has a large impact on you and your housing decision. We ask for your patience and request that you please wait for the announcement email as we do not have any information we can provide you before those emails are sent.

Are room and board scholarships taxable?

All Gateway Fellowships and I-House Partial Room and Board Scholarships are subject to being taxed up to 30% of the award amount as required by the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS). I-House is required to withhold or obtain these funds to fulfill the IRS federally mandated regulations. 

Scholarships that cover qualified education expenses such as tuition, fees, and required course materials are not taxed. However, scholarships toward room and board do not qualify for tax exemption and are therefore, taxed. More information can be found here: https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/qualified-ed-expenses

I-House employees are not tax professionals and can only provide minimal information.⁠ Consultation with a tax attorney or tax professional is strongly encouraged prior to accepting an award.

Gateway Fellowships FAQs:

How do I apply for a Gateway Fellowship?

Students do not apply for Gateway Fellowships. Admitted graduate students are nominated by UC Berkeley academic units for consideration beginning in February. 

How many recipients are selected for each Gateway Fellowship award?

Generally, only one graduate student is awarded a particular Gateway Fellowship, for one time only.

How do I learn of the various Gateway Fellowship eligibility and preferences?

Please refer to the Gateway Fellowships Program.

Award Recipient FAQs:

I received an I-House partial room and board scholarship. What are the next steps?

Once you have been notified and have accepted your award, the financial aid team will send a detailed email outlining the next steps. This may include providing items such as a thank you note to your donor, written biography to send to your donor, tax/financial documents. 

How will the award be distributed?

Unless notified otherwise, your award will be applied evenly to each of your room and board payment installments; three in the Fall and three in the Spring. 

Who do I contact if my award has not been applied toward my installment?

Please reach out to our accounting team, they will be happy to assist. They can be reached at acctg@ihouseberkeley.org