Mechanical Engineering

UC Berkeley

Department: Mechanical Engineering
Degree: PhD
Location: Berkeley, CA

Stipend

$38,088 to $50,220/yr Estimated

University-wide range, not confirmed for this department · Paid over 12 months · 2026-2027 · Fall 2026 scale, effective Oct 2026 · Underlying university-wide figure is official

Estimated: our estimate, not a published figure · Source: UAW 4811 ASE Salary Scales (UC-UAW contract scale through 2029) · Verified 2026-09-28

Cost of living in Berkeley, CA

City-median rent is a city-level figure, not a near-campus price; university graduate housing lines are the university's own published rates. Each line is labeled with its own source.

Rent, 1-bedroom (university graduate housing, single occupant) $1,670 to $1,840/mo Official Studios: Intersection $1,670; Manville $1,715-$1,840. 2026-27 projected rates. Manville gives priority to first-year law students. University Village 1-bedroom ($2,240) is for couples and families and is excluded. Source: UC Berkeley Housing: Housing Rates · Verified 2026-09-29
Rent, 1-bedroom (city median) $2,268/mo Estimated City median 1BR Source: Zumper city median asking rent (Sept 2026) · Verified 2026-09-27
Rent, 2-bedroom split two ways (university graduate housing, shared, per person) $1,530 to $1,835/mo Official Per person in shared graduate apartments: 4- and 6-bedroom rooms from $1,530; 2-bedroom rooms up to $1,835. 2026-27 projected rates. Furnished; $25 one-time fee. Waitlists. Source: UC Berkeley Housing: Housing Rates · Verified 2026-09-29
Rent, 2-bedroom split two ways (city median) $1,498/mo Estimated City median 2BR, split two ways Source: Zumper city median asking rent (Sept 2026) · Verified 2026-09-27
Utilities (nearest-metro stand-in) $188/mo Estimated Nearest-metro proxy (Oakland). No Numbeo figure for this town; Oakland stand-in. Excludes internet. Source: Numbeo (Americas table, Sept 27 2026) · Verified 2026-09-27
Public transit $194/semester Official Mandatory Class Pass fee: BayPass + AC Transit EasyPass + Bear Transit. The full mandatory Class Pass fee is $229 per semester: $124 BayPass + $48 AC Transit EasyPass + $22 Bear Transit + $35 campus fee mandate for financial aid. The $194 shown is the transit portion. Certain graduate online-only programs are exempt. The AC Transit EasyPass agreement ends in 2027. Source: UC Berkeley Parking & Transportation: BayPass Information · Verified 2026-09-28
Parking $523/semester Official Student 'S' permit $522.50 per semester including 10% city tax. Rate effective Jul 1 2026; the semester price is from the research report and was not independently confirmed (the page snippet was cut off). Monthly 'S' is $130.63; Hill Area 'H' monthly is $110.88 (confirmed). Students must live outside the campus boundary (about 2 miles). Source: UC Berkeley Parking & Transportation: Student Parking Permits · Verified 2026-09-28
Groceries (state-level estimate) $375/mo Estimated State-level estimate (California). About $4,500/yr, single adult; not a city basket. Source: MIT Living Wage food cost via Bankrate · Verified 2026-09-27

About this department

Summaries are paraphrased from the department's own pages. Individual faculty are not listed here; use the official directory.

Department Department of Mechanical Engineering Official Source: me.berkeley.edu · Verified 2026-10-09
Degrees offered
- PhD
- MS/PhD
- DEng
- MS
- MEng (professional)
- Fifth Year BS/MS (Berkeley students only)
Official
Source: me.berkeley.edu · Verified 2026-10-09
Overview Department in Etcheverry Hall in the Bay Area, with research funded largely by the NSF, government agencies and industry. Applicants choose a major field and research focus area, which guides which faculty review the application and how support is allocated. Official Source: me.berkeley.edu · Verified 2026-10-09
Research areas
- Biomechanical engineering
- Dynamics
- Manufacturing
- MEMS and nano
- Controls
- Energy science and technology
- Materials
- Ocean engineering
- Design
- Fluids
- Mechanics
- Robotics
Official
Source: me.berkeley.edu · Verified 2026-10-09
Faculty Faculty directory (official) Official Source: me.berkeley.edu · Verified 2026-10-09
PhD funding (department statement) The department financial-support page describes support as available for most graduate students (fellowships through the Graduate Division and Financial Aid, graduate student instructor and research assistant appointments) but states no PhD funding guarantee, stipend amount or tuition coverage; it mentions a nonresident tuition waiver for up to three years after advancement to candidacy and encourages outside fellowships such as NSF and NDSEG. Official Source: me.berkeley.edu · Verified 2026-10-09
PhD application deadline December 1, 2026, 8:59 PM PST (PhD, MS/PhD, and CWO) Official Deadlines vary by department. This date is for Department of Mechanical Engineering. Confirm on the official admissions page. Fall 2027 cycle; no Spring admission. Source: me.berkeley.edu · Verified 2026-10-09
GRE policy GRE not required for Fall 2027 Official Source: me.berkeley.edu · Verified 2026-10-09
Application requirements
- Online application through Berkeley Graduate Division
- three letters of recommendation
- transcripts from all institutions
- statement of purpose
- economic background section
- CV highly recommended
- English proficiency evidence for international applicants
Official
Source: me.berkeley.edu · Verified 2026-10-09

Master's tuition

Published tuition (before any aid). PhD students usually have tuition waived; their offer letter confirms. This is not part of the stipend-versus-cost-of-living comparison.

Graduate Academic tuition & fees (financial aid budget) (in-state) $17,550/yr Estimated 2026-2027. academic year. Includes mandatory fees. Not confirmed for this department: this is the school-wide graduate rate. Source: Berkeley Financial Aid Student Budgets (Cost of Attendance) · Verified 2026-09-30
Graduate tuition (systemwide) $13,722/yr Estimated 2026-2027. $6861 per semester. Not confirmed for this department: this is the school-wide graduate rate. Source: UCOP 2026-27 Tuition and Fee Levels · Verified 2026-09-30
Nonresident Supplemental Tuition - Graduate Academic (out-of-state) $15,102/yr Estimated 2026-2027. $7551 per semester; added to tuition. Not confirmed for this department: this is the school-wide graduate rate. Source: UCOP 2026-27 Tuition and Fee Levels · Verified 2026-09-30