What accommodation can you choose?
When you study abroad, you will usually choose between a student dorm and a rented room or apartment. Both have their advantages – what matters most is the price, the location, the terms of the rental contract and what suits you best.
Student dorm – convenient for a start
Some universities offer student dorms or give information about accommodation options for their students. Places may be limited, so as soon as you get the accommodation information, find out right away how to register or reserve a place.
Renting a room or an apartment – more choice
Another option is to rent a room or share an apartment with other students. This way you live with other students – local and international – and have more choice of location, price and living conditions.
Important: there is no single best option for everyone. Choose what fits your needs and budget, but don't leave your housing search until the last minute.
Where to start your housing search?
Many universities provide information about accommodation or recommended housing search sources, but places may be limited. So start looking as early as you can – as soon as you know the city and are seriously considering a specific university.
- Check the “Accommodation” section on the kastu.eu page of your chosen university.
- Look at the “Accommodation” / “Housing” section on the university's official website.
- Find out whether the university has a dorm, partner housing or recommended housing platforms.
- Start searching actively as early as possible and don't rely on a single housing source.
What does student housing abroad look like?
See what student housing and the housing search look like in the Netherlands. The video is made by the official “Study in NL” channel:
How to search for housing safely?
During the busiest housing season, fake rental ads appear too. Don't rush to transfer money, and check as much information as you can before you accept an offer.
Check the photos and details in the ad
Look carefully at the photos, the description, the address and the landlord's details. You can check the photos with a reverse image search, for example Google Images, to see whether the same photos are used in other unrelated ads.
If the details don't match across different sources, or the landlord avoids answering specific questions, treat the offer with caution.
See the place before you pay
If you can't view the place yourself, ask the landlord to show it to you on a video call. If you can, ask someone you know or another student already living in the city to view it for you.
Don't transfer the security deposit or rent until you are sure the place and the rental offer are real and you understand the terms of the rental contract.
Pay attention to the payment method
A request to pay in an unusual or hard-to-trace way is a serious warning sign. Be especially careful with requests to send money through money transfer services, to a bank account in a country unrelated to the property, or in other unusual ways.
Before you pay, check who owns the account, what the payment is for and whether it matches the information in the rental contract.
Be careful with offers that look too good
If the rent is much lower than for similar places in the same city or area, check the offer especially carefully.
Also be wary of pressure to “pay today”, unusual extra fees, or requests to transfer money so that the landlord picks you instead of someone else.
Check that you can register your address there
If the ad says you cannot register your address at the property, find out why before you rent. In some cases it can mean the place is being rented against local rules.
Address registration can be important for local paperwork, getting your resident number (for example, CPR in Denmark or BSN in the Netherlands) and using other services.
Learn from other students' experience
Look for student groups and communities of your city or university. There you can find other students' experiences, warnings about suspicious ads and recommendations on where to search safely.
But always check the offers posted in these communities yourself too.
How much does housing cost abroad?
The table shows approximate monthly costs for housing and utilities:
| Country | Denmark | The Netherlands | Belgium | Sweden | Finland |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing and utilities | €400–600 / month | €400–750 / month | €400–600 / month | €250–550 / month | €300–500 / month |
*Actual housing costs depend on the city, the type of housing, the location and how it is furnished. Read more about living costs, student income and government financial support in each country on the Finances page.
Frequently asked questions
Does the university guarantee accommodation?
Not always. Some universities have their own dorms or reserved places for students; others recommend housing platforms and search sources.
So always check the specific accommodation conditions and deadlines of your chosen university, and don't leave your housing search until the last minute.
What if I haven't found housing before I leave?
Keep searching in several sources at once and ask your university's international office or housing office. They can point you to official or recommended housing channels.
Also talk to students already studying in your study country. If you are considering temporary accommodation for the first days, check in advance how much it costs, what the conditions are and how long you can stay there.
How do I get the Kastu housing search guide?
Together with students already studying abroad, we have prepared a detailed housing search guide. We share this guide with everyone who applies through Kastu, together with the contacts of students who are happy to share their experience – you just need to fill in the application form.
Still have questions about accommodation?
Ask KastuGPT about finding housing, finances, studying abroad or preparing to leave.
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Ready to study abroad?
If you already know what you want to study, start filling in the Kastu application form. Once you fill it in, you also get our housing search guide. If you are still unsure about your field of study, the country you want to study in or your options, ask KastuGPT – it's free and available 24/7.
