Sorry! De informatie die je zoekt, is enkel beschikbaar in het Engels.
This programme is saved in My Study Choice.
Something went wrong with processing the request.
Something went wrong with processing the request.

Accommodation for exchange students

The International Office offers accommodation to incoming exchange students. There are furnished rooms with private or shared facilities.

Living in Amsterdam is a great experience, but finding a room is a challenge. VU Amsterdam has limited housing options and therefore cannot guarantee housing to all incoming exchange students. Please find tips to find a room independently here.

Below you will find all housing rules and regulations. We advise you to read them carefully.

Information about accommodation

  • Accommodation types & contract information

    Accommodation in Amsterdam

    Our accommodation consists of furnished  and unfurnished (single) rooms with private or shared facilities. It is common that men and women live together in the same student house. Given the shortage of accommodation, you may find the room you get is rather small and not of the standard you had expected. Accommodation in Amsterdam is not only limited, but can also be more expensive than at home. Thinking about these things in advance could help avoid unpleasant surprises later. We are trying to manage your expectations!

    Contract types

    Rental contracts are for a fixed period of 1 year or 1 semester.

    The rental periods are:

    • First semester: from mid-August to end of January
    • Full year: from mid-August to mid-August
    • Second semester: from end of January to mid-August

    Please find the room types in this overview of the types of accommodation for exchange students starting the first semester

    • 1 year contracts cannot be extended.
    • The rooms for this contract are furnished.
    • Early termination of the contract is not allowed.

    Couples rooms

    We have very limited rooms available for couples. Most of the couples rooms are part of DUWO Accommodate and are located at Cornelis Lelylaan, Pierre Lallementstraat and Uilenstede. We also have couples rooms at OurCampus Amsterdam Diemen and BOLD (De Key). 

    To qualify for a couples room, it is mandatory that your partner is also a VU student. We will assign couples rooms on a first-paid, first-served basis (so based on the date on which we received the housing fee). After you both paid the housing fee, please contact us via e-mail, studentaccommodation@vu.nl, to let us know that you prefer a couples room. Also mention both student numbers in the email. You can find more information about couple rooms in this document

  • Application procedure and waiting list

    Application procedure exchange students

    Step 1: Online application (Incoming exchange team)
    All nominated exchange students receive the email with detailed application instructions at the same time and can therefore get started at the same time. The Incoming exchange team reviews applications in order of receipt. The earlier you submit your exchange application including all needed documents, the earlier you can start your housing application as well.

    Step 2: Please confirm your participation in dashboard on vu.nl.

    Step 3: Select your budget category
    During your application you will be asked to indicate your budget category. Please note that you can no longer make any changes after you have submitted your application, however the selected budget category is only an indication for us as and you will be able to choose out of rooms from all budget categories. Therefore, we cannot guarantee a room in this specific category as we have a limited number of rooms available.

    Step 4: Pay the housing fee
    Please transfer the housing fee. Accommodation will be assigned based on a first paid, first served system. The date on which VU Amsterdam receives the payment will determine your place in the queue. As soon as you finish the housing application, a link to pay the housing fee online will become available within 12 hours within your personal VU dashboard. 

    The housing fee is charged to cover our costs in providing accommodation services to international students. For exchange students the fee is €500 for one year and €250 for one semester  . We advise you to use the online payment tool, but it is also possible to pay the fee via bank transfer. The bank details are as follows:

    Account name:      Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

    Name of bank:       Deutsche Bank

    Address of bank:   De Entree 99-197, 1101 HE Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    IBAN:                       NL49DEUT0488004470

    BIC:                          DEUTNL2N and DEUTNL2A for non-SEPA

    Please state your name and S+ student number (e.g. s1234567). When paid from abroad, all banking costs are to be paid by the applicant. You can pay your visa and housing fee in one transaction. Applications for accommodation will not be dealt with until VU Amsterdam has received this payment.

    Step 5: Your application is completed!
    Within a few weeks you will receive a confirmation e-mail from the VU Accommodation Office. You are now added to the accommodation queue. You have completed your housing application and there is nothing left to do at this moment.

    Step 6: It’s now time to book your room
    A few months before the start of the academic year you will receive further instructions from the VU Accommodation Office via e-mail. You will be able to book your room in the booking system, according to your preference and availability. Students will be uploaded in the booking system in batches based on a first paid, first served system. The first group of students who will be booking their room will have a choice out of the most rooms. You can only book one room and it is not possible to change your room after your booking.

    Step 7: Finally, let’s sign your rental contract
    Once you have reserved your room in the booking system, you have almost completed the procedure. You will receive further instructions via e-mail in order to sign the rental contract with your housing provider. You still need to follow a few steps (depending on the housing provider) before you can do this.

    Waiting list

    In case all rooms are booked, students will be placed on a waiting list. We are not able to give information about your position on the waiting list. As soon as it is your turn to access the booking system, you will be notified via e-mail. We are fully dependent on cancellations. The room(s) available in the booking system will be from any budget category. Please keep in mind that the waiting list does not give you guarantees. We will do our utmost to find housing in Amsterdam or in the Amsterdam Region (Amstelveen, Hoofddorp, Almere, Zaandam).

  • Cancellation refund policy, terms and conditions

    Cancellation refund policy

    Your housing fee will only be refunded when you cancel your application before December 1st, 23:59 CET (Amsterdam time). You can cancel your housing application by sending an e-mail to studentaccommodation@vu.nl. It is only possible to request a refund of the housing fee after 1 December 2024 when the VU Accommodation Office did not yet give you access to the booking system. As soon as you have been given access to our booking system, your housing fee becomes non-refundable. For example, when you are on the waiting list and you receive access later than 1 December 2024 then it is not possible to cancel your housing application without costs. If you do not wish to be on the waiting list any more, please inform studentaccommodation@vu.nl as soon as possible.

    Terms and conditions

    • It is not possible to cancel your rental contract, unless you terminate your enrollment or in case of significant personal circumstances. Please contact studentaccommodation@vu.nl in both situations. It is not possible to terminate your rental agreement without the approval of the university. We take a full one month notice period into account after approving your early termination. 
    • When you depart at the end of the rental contract, you must have paid all outstanding invoices in full.
    • As a tenant, you are responsible and liable for the accommodation you are renting. The accommodation and the shared facilities must be left in a good and clean state. 
    • As a tenant, you are not allowed to sublet your accommodation. This includes platforms such as AirBnB and Wimdu. The only exception to this rule is when you go abroad as part of your study programme or for an internship. Please contact studentaccommodation@vu.nl if this is the case.

Contact information

Feel free to reach out to us

In case you would like to meet up with us to discuss your accommodation, please call us at T +31 (0)20 598 1813 (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday between 10:30am-12:30pm) or schedule a phone call or face to face appointment in our online tool.

Contact

  • Michelle Zumbrink
  • Accommodation Officer
  • Clair Streckfuss
  • Accommodation Officer

Quick links

Research Research and Impact Support Portal University Library VU Press Office

Study

Education Study guide Canvas Student Desk

Featured

VUfonds VU Magazine Ad Valvas

About VU

About us Contact us Working at VU Amsterdam Faculties Divisions
Privacy Disclaimer Safety at VU Amsterdam Colofon Cookies Web archive

Copyright © 2024 - Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam