The UvA Student Housing Office helps international students find furnished accommodation for their first year of study. The University of Amsterdam does not own these rooms, but works with housing providers like DUWO, De Key, and Student Experience to increase availability. Rooms are randomly assigned through a lottery system, and a positive lottery result is not guaranteed. You can stay for a fixed rental period (usually 1 or 2 semesters) and early cancellation is only possible in exceptional cases. A one-year limit applies to ensure more students get access each year.

To apply, you must meet the UvA Student Housing eligibility criteria:

• You are going to start your first year at UvA (Bachelor/(Pre-)Master/Exchange)
• Your study programme is taught in English
• All your previous education was outside of the Netherlands
• You have not lived in the Netherlands before
• You are (conditionally*) accepted to your study programme

* The processing time of study applications can differ per faculty. Keep in mind that when applying (late) for a study programme, your study application might not receive the status ‘conditionally accepted’ in time for the housing application. The housing department does not prioritize students when their faculty has a long processing time.

If you meet the eligibility criteria, you will receive a personal email in your student email account with an invitation to join the housing lottery. This email is usually sent out around 1-2 weeks before the application deadline and contains a link to our housing application form that you can fill in as soon as you have received your personal invitation email.

If you have questions about your eligibility, please contact your faculty first, as they decide which students are forwarded for the housing lottery.

In the application form, we ask for your budget preference and, depending on chosen budget category, whether you want to live with a specific roommate. It is not possible to choose a location.

Unfortunately, late applications submitted after the deadline has passed are never accepted, and no exceptions can be made.

Students with a disability, chronic health condition, or emotional support animal, who believe they require a specific housing solution, can contact the International Student Housing OfficeExternal link to request a form which needs to be filled in by the student and their treating medical professional. Please note that filling out the form does not grant any type of priority during the lottery – you can only use it to submit a preference for specific housing, should you receive a positive lottery result.

The deadline to submit your form to the International Student Housing Office can be found under the heading “Important dates” above on this page. Submissions after this deadline can unfortunately not be taken into account.

Students who receive a UvA scholarship will receive priority during the lottery, meaning that they are guaranteed to receive a room offer if they submit their housing application before the deadline and pay the UvA housing fee in time. We unfortunately cannot take any non-UvA scholarships into account for priority. The maximum rental period of 2 semesters also applies to scholarship students.

Before you receive a room offer, you are required to pay a one-time UvA housing fee of €245 (1-semester students) or €485 (2-semester students). When registering for a couples room, the main applicant is asked to pay the double amount.

We will ask you to pay the housing fee once we have a room offer ready and reserved for you. In order to receive this offer, you must pay the fee successfully.

Please note that this housing fee is separate from the deposit and initial sum you will have to pay to the housing provider once you book your room.

More details about the housing fee

Firstly, the UvA does not own the student rooms, and is not allowed to spend funding on housing. Therefore, we reserve rooms for international students from several housing partners. These partners agree to reserve a specific segment of their rooms for international students, but only if the UvA guarantees to cover any vacancy costs. Examples of such are costs due to change-overs, cleaning days, summer recess and cancellations after illness, insufficient study results and other personal circumstances.

Secondly, the housing programme itself has certain running costs, such as paying in-house residential assistants and (credit card) payment services.

Finally, the UvA is constantly seeking new locations and possibilities to house more students in the following academic year. In order to make certain locations (temporarily) suitable for students to live in, some costs such as cleaning, removing old furnishings, security, etc. are unavoidable.

Rent

Rent for student housing varies between €400 to €1050 per month. The exact amount is different for each room as it is based on type and size. The monthly rent includes gas, electricity, water usage bills and internet. The rent will be paid directly to the housing provider.

Locations

The UvA does not have a single campus where all rooms are located, but it has over 20 different off-campus buildings throughout the city. The student housing buildings are mostly situated in residential neighborhoods.

It is not possible to request a specific location. All students are assigned randomly to rooms within their budget category. Location and budget category are not linked. Student housing in a higher budget category is not more conveniently located than that in a lower budget category.

The maximum travel time from any housing location to the UvA study sites is relatively low at about 45 minutes. Most locals travel by bike or public transport. Keep in mind that public transportation fares in the Netherlands can be quite expensive.

It is not possible to view any locations or buildings before moving in. Our rooms are always fully booked, and for privacy reasons we cannot show rooms that are currently occupied.

Room types are linked to four budget categories. When filling in the housing application form, you need to submit a preferred budget category. It is only possible to select one category.

Please note:

• Your choice of budget category has no influence on your chances of receiving a room offer.
• Choosing a higher budget category will not increase your chances of receiving a room offer. Simply choose the maximum monthly budget you can afford.
• It is not possible to submit a preference for a specific type of room. You can only submit a preference for a budget category.

All our rooms have basic furnishings, such as a bed with mattress, desk and chair, and wardrobe.

We offer four different budget categories:

Budget category 1: €400 - €560 per month

Category with shared rooms and private rooms with shared facilities. Equal chance to receive either option. No chance to receive a fully private room. Shared rooms are suitable to share with a friend.

• In a shared room there are two separate beds which you share with one other international student. In most cases, the kitchen and bathroom are situated inside the room, and there is no separate common room.
• The UvA strives to be a university committed to equity, diversity and inclusion. Therefore, we think it is important that everyone is given the space to be themselves and feel safe. In order to provide all students in shared rooms with a suitable roommate, we will initially match them by gender; roommates are not matched by age or study programme. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this process, please feel free to contact the International student housing office.
• In a small private room with shared facilities you have your own bedroom and you share a kitchen and bathroom with 2-20 other students. The kitchen and bathroom are located in a common room/hallway. It is not possible to sign up with a friend.
• You can sign up for a shared room with a friend who is also eligible for housing. You and your friend must both submit each other’s name in the housing application form when choosing budget category 1 or 2. You will both receive a separate contract and pay the rent separately.
  Please note that the request for a share can never be guaranteed, and that there is always the possibility that you have to be housed with another student than your preferred friend if you select this category.

Budget category 2: €560 - €640 per month

Category with shared rooms and private rooms with shared facilities. High chance to receive a private/shared room. No chance to receive a fully private room. Slim chance to receive a shared room.

• In a small private room with shared facilities you have your own bedroom and you share a kitchen and bathroom with 2-20 other students. The kitchen and bathroom are located in a common room/hallway. It is not possible to sign up with a friend.
• In a shared room there are two separate beds which you share with another international student. You can sign up with a friend who is also eligible for housing. For more details on shared rooms, please see Budget category 1.

Budget category 3: €640 - €820 per month

Category with private rooms with shared facilities and private rooms with private facilities. Equal chance to receive either room type.

• In a private room with shared facilities, you will have your own private room and will share a kitchen and bathroom with other students. The shared kitchen and bathroom are located in a common room/hallway. It is not possible to sign up with a friend.
• In a private room with private facilities, you will have your own private room, including your own private kitchen and private bathroom within the room or studio container.

Budget category 4: €820 - €1050 per month

Category with private rooms with shared facilities and private rooms with private facilities. High chance to receive a fully private room. Small chance to receive a private room with shared facilities. This category also has larger private rooms that are suitable for romantic couples.

• In a private room with private facilities you have your own room or studio, including your own private kitchen and private bathroom. The more expensive rooms in this category are generally larger than the other rooms, and some have a more decorated and/or contemporary interior, or include sports- or entertainment facilities within or around the building.
• Applying for a private room as a romantic couple: If your partner will also be an eligible UvA/AUAS student, you can apply together. Only one of you needs to fill in the housing application form, choose budget category 4, and apply for a couples’ room. In case you both submit an application for a couples’ room listing each other as a partner, or the non-couples room applicant submits a single application for themselves, we will cancel one of the two applications. Please note that it is only possible to apply if you are both eligible and both have a UvA/AUAS student number.

Non-regular housing options:

Because of the extreme housing shortage in Amsterdam, we partner with commercial housing provider The Social Hub who has a higher price range and different terms & conditions than our regular housing providers. As their rates exceed the usual rental fees in budget category 4, we offer these rooms only to students who indicate their interest when filling in the application form for UvA Student Housing.

Please note: Selecting this option in the housing application form will not increase your chances of receiving a room offer. It is only a way for you to submit a preference for these rooms and for us to increase our total number of available rooms. Would you like to know more about these rooms? Check out the website of The Social Hub Amsterdam WestExternal link.

After you receive a room offer, it is necessary to finalize the booking through the housing provider by paying the first month’s rent, administrative costs, and deposit.

The first payment is a significant amount. As a rule of thumb, take into account that you will have to pay around three months’ rent and between €150 to €250 administrative costs.

Make sure you are ready to pay this, as it is needed to finalize the booking at the housing provider. The payments can often only be fulfilled with credit card or iDeal. Your room reservation will be confirmed only after the housing provider has received your first payment prior to your arrival.

If you live in housing with private a bathroom and kitchen, you may be eligible for housing benefit (in Dutch: huurtoeslag) from the Dutch government. This is a benefit granted by the Dutch government to those who have a lower income and relatively high costs for renting their house. Housing benefit is not deducted from your rent, but received separately. We advise you to see it as a potential bonus, but definitely not as a guarantee.

The government tax office provides detailed information on housing benefit eligibility conditions and how to applyExternal link.

Cancellation policy during the booking period

If you have not yet paid the UvA housing fee and received a room offer from UvA housing, you can cancel your housing request via your personal page on MyInfo. In case you have already received a room offer, you need to notify the UvA housing office of your wish to cancel your housing request. Please note that the UvA housing fee is never refundable.

Cancellation policy after signing the contract, but before the contract start

If you want to cancel your room reservation before the start date of your contract, please contact the UvA housing office. Be aware that you will unfortunately not receive another room offer when you cancel your reservation. It depends on when you cancel your room reservation if you will receive a refund of your deposit and administrative costs from the housing provider. Your UvA housing fee is never refundable.

Cancellation policy after the start of my contract

It is not possible to cancel your housing contract early, unless you terminate your study enrolment or in case of significant personal circumstances, and notify us of this before 1 May. Finishing your classes early or planning to move out before the official end date of your rental contract is never a valid reason to end your rental contract early.

Disclaimer UvA/AUAS Housing Service

If you would like to use the UvA student housing service, you must agree to all of our terms and conditions.

By submitting our online housing application and by paying the UvA/AUAS housing fee you claim to have read and understood the following terms and conditions:

• Amsterdam is currently experiencing a severe housing crisis, especially for students. Participating in the UvA/AUAS housing lottery does not in any way guarantee you a room. At the end of the day, we can only provide about half of our applicants with a room.
• The rental contract is for a fixed period of time. Once you have signed your rental contract with one of our housing partners, you agree to the condition that you cannot extend or shorten the length of your stay.
• Your room contract cannot be terminated during the term for which you have initially signed up (one or two semesters), unless you also officially unenroll from the UvA and notify us of this before 1 May. In other words, you are obligated to pay rent for the entire rental period originally agreed upon.
• You will only receive one housing offer.
• There is a chance that your offer may not fall within the budget category you have selected, although we try to never offer you a room (far) above your budget without consulting you first. It is not possible to request a specific location or building.
• Most of our housing locations are not in the city center and may not be close to university buildings. Therefore, there is a substantial possibility that your room will not be centrally located, and that you will have to commute daily (max. 50 minutes one-way by public transportation).
• The UvA housing fee is non-refundable.
• Aside from the housing fee, you will have to pay additional costs associated with renting a room through the UvA/AUAS housing service, namely the administrative fee, deposit, and rent imposed by the housing partner. You agree with all such additional costs associated with renting a room.
• After renting a room for a maximum of one academic year through UvA/AUAS Housing, we can no longer offer you our housing services. You will have to find a room independently, as the UvA/AUAS cannot help you find a room after this period of time.
• Our accommodations are for students only. UvA student housing is not suitable for families, and children are not allowed in any of our accommodations. If you plan on coming to the Netherlands and bring your family, we strongly advise you to start your search as soon as possible on the private market.

Privacy Statement

You agree that the information submitted through the housing application form will be used by the UvA/AUAS to offer our housing services. For this reason, the UvA/AUAS stores and shares this information with its housing partners. Our housing partners require your information to offer rooms from the reserved contingent of the UvA. In order to be able to establish whether you are still eligible for a room through the UvA's housing service, the UvA will save your data for a maximum of 3 years. The UvA/AUAS will also use this information to approach you to participate in research to improve our service.

Please note: If you do not agree to the above terms and conditions, then you will not be able to use the UvA/AUAS housing service.