Cost + Financing
Continuing your education is a sound investment in your future and the decision to pursue a graduate degree is an important one.
The total Nancy and Douglas Abbey MRED+D required program fees for the 2024-2025 year are $87,420; we anticipate the 2025-2026 required program fees will be ~$89,000, but please note that this is not yet confirmed. This year's total is composed of the following breakdown:
| Required Fees |
| Program Fees $84,638.50 |
| Campus Fees $2,781.50 |
| Total Required Fees $87,420 |
Estimated Additional Cost of Attendance
In addition, students can expect to pay for books, health insurance, housing, transportation, and other personal costs. Please visit the UC Berkeley Financial Aid & Scholarships website for estimated cost of attendance.
Student Health Insurance Plan
The University requires that all students have major medical insurance, and provides the Berkeley Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) to meet this requirement. For complete information, including cost of coverage, please visit the SHIP Website.
- All Abbey MRED+D students will automatically be enrolled in SHIP for all three academic terms of the degree program.
- Students who have comparable insurance coverage may apply for a waiver from SHIP enrollment (and fees). In order to waive SHIP, you must be enrolled in a medical health insurance plan that meets ALL of the waiver criteria guidelines of UC Berkeley for the entire SHIP term. Please note that the waiver criteria may be updated throughout the year. You must meet the waiver criteria in place at the time of your waiver submission to be waived out of SHIP.
All fees are subject to change. The tuition, fees, and charges posted here are estimates based on currently approved amounts. These figures may not be final. Actual tuition, fees, and charges are subject to change by the Regents of the University of California and could be affected by State funding reductions. Accordingly, final approved levels (and thus a student’s final balance due) may differ from the amounts shown.
Financing Your Education
The responsibility of financing the Abbey MRED+D program usually rests primarily with the student. Therefore, we strongly suggest that applicants investigate all available financing options. We have gathered all of the information we have on funding sources on this page, although it is certainly not exhaustive, and applicants are encouraged to conduct their own research. International students should explore funding opportunities in their home countries.
- Abbey MRED+D Admissions Fellowships
- Arcus Social Justice Corps Fellowship
- Other Fellowships + Scholarships
- Academic Student Employment
- Federal Student Loans
- Veteran Education Benefits
- Fee Payment Plan
- Aid for International Students
The Abbey MRED+D program offers a limited number of competitive admissions merit-based fellowships to both domestic and international students. Decisions are based on overall strength of required materials submitted with the general admissions application, and no separate application is needed. If awarded a department admissions fellowship, we will notify recipients by email. Note that only applicants in Rounds 1 and 2 of the admissions cycle will be eligible for admissions fellowships.
The Arcus Social Justice Corps Fellowship offers significant debt relief to CED master’s students who intend to do social justice-related work in the built environment after graduation. Multiple MRED+Ds have been named Arcus Fellows each year since the Corps launched. U.S. citizens, permanent residents, DACA recipients and those with refugee status are eligible to apply. See here for more information about how to apply–please note that this fellowship requires a separate application.
Following is a partial list of funding opportunities. This list is for informational purposes and does not imply any connection with, or endorsement by, the College of Environmental Design or Abbey MRED+D Program.
- U.S. Department of Labor Scholarship Search Tool
- Appraisal Institute Education Trust Scholarship
- International Council of Shopping Centers Scholarship
- Appraisal Institute Education and Relief Foundation College Scholarships
- NAIOP and Prologis Inclusion in CRE Scholarship
- NAIOP Diversity Student Scholarship
- Urban Land Institute Student Scholarship Program
- Urban Land Institute Graduate Student Fellowships
- Urban Land Institute Development 360 Program
- CREW Network Foundation Scholarship
- California Association of Realtors Scholarship
- UC Berkeley’s List of Scholarship Databases
Abbey MRED+D students may apply for ASE appointments with positions starting fall or spring semester. Abbey MRED+D students are not allowed to apply for summer ASE positions. ASE appointments may reduce some tuition fees up to the total cost of in-state tuition. Though incoming students are eligible to apply, these positions are competitive.
Please review the brief job descriptions below (complete descriptions are available through UC Berkeley’s Graduate Division) to determine what category best fits your need.
GSIs (Graduate Student Instructors) are registered UC Berkeley students who lead discussion sections and/or serve as an assistant instructor during lecture. Duties may include: teaching, grading, test proctoring, attending lectures, holding office hours, and meeting with the instructor to consult on the class throughout the term. As GSIs do provide instruction, they are required to attend trainings and must be included in course evaluations.
Readers assist with grading homework assignments and examinations. Specific duties may include attendance at lectures, holding office hours and meeting with GSIs and instructor(s) to discuss the class throughout the term. Readers DO NOT provide instruction to students.
Graduate Student Researchers (GSRs) are registered UC Berkeley students that provide research-related work for an individual faculty member, center, academic group, degree program, or faculty group.
Abbey MRED+D students who are fully sponsored, meaning all fees are paid by a third party or outside agency, may choose to work as GSIs and/or Readers. However, if you are eligible for a fee remission from UC Berkeley, you will only receive it if your sponsoring agency reduces the sponsorship by that amount. Fee remissions will not be paid to the student as a refund if fees are being covered by an outside source.
If eligible, Abbey MRED+D students may qualify for a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan or Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan to help cover program costs.
Please consult these links for more information:
If you are eligible for VA benefits under the Post 9/11 GI Bill (Ch 33), Vocational Rehabilitation (Ch 31), Dependents Educational Assistance (Ch 35), or Montgomery GI Bill (Ch 30, 1606 or 1607), you may use them for the MRED+D program. However, this program is not eligible for the Cal Vet College Fee Waiver. Please see this information on initiating VA benefits at UC Berkeley, and contact the Veterans Benefits unit in the Office of the Registrar with any questions.
UC Berkeley’s Fee Payment Plan allows qualified semester fees to be paid in five monthly installments. Interested applicants can read more here. Please note only fall and spring semester fees are eligible for this payment plan option.
International students are encouraged to visit the Berkeley International Office Financial Aid page, and to take advantage of the resources it provides. We would also like to make you aware of a loan option that does not require a U.S. co-signer via Prodigy Finance; the MRED+D is proud to be one of a limited number of prestigious programs eligible for the Prodigy loan. You may also wish to explore loans through MPOWER Financing. International students are eligible for Abbey MRED+D Admissions Fellowships (see above).
For more information on the cost of attendance, please visit: Financial Aid and Scholarships Office Cost of Attendance.