Budget 101

Let’s start simple: What’s a budget? A budget is a comparison of the costs a set of activities will incur relative to the expected income those activities will generate. Creating a budget allows an organization to monitor its financial health by determining whether its activities will produce a surplus (if income exceeds costs) or a deficit (if costs exceed income) at the end of a given time period.

In FY24, a total of about $3.8 billion flowed through UC Berkeley as it carried out its teaching, research, and public service mission. Berkeley is not a business, so its goal is not to maximize surpluses or “profits” - however, to maintain the institution’s stability and financial health, we need to ensure that total income and total costs are broadly in line with each other. In addition to helping us monitor our financial stability, we use budgets at Berkeley to provide the focus for our institution and its divisions, to help us maximize resources, and to help coordinate activities to meet strategic goals.

Take a look at the sections below to learn more about Berkeley’s budget.

Berkeley Budget 101

Berkeley’s local & global impact 2019

Faculty Support from the 2019 Budget

Student Support from the 2019 Budget

How is our money spent

Changes in Revenue 2007 20

2020 Budgeted Revenue Sources