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Student housing in Amsterdam

Studying at VU Amsterdam and living in Amsterdam is a great experience, but finding a room can be a challenge.

Our international office can help with arranging accommodation for international degree students. More information can be found on this webpage. 

Update housing information: May 2023 

Our rooms for Bachelor and Master students are fully booked. This means that the number of housing applications we received up to now is already higher than the available number of accommodations. If you have already applied and paid the housing fee before April, we aim to send you further instructions in June

It is still possible to apply for housing, but students that apply will be placed on the waiting list. We are not able to disclose information about your position on the waiting list. Please keep in mind that the waiting list does not give you any guarantees to get a room via VU Accommodation Office. We are fully dependent on cancellations. Please see the FAQ below for more information.

We think you need to be well prepared before your study start. We advise you not to come to the Netherlands if you did not find a room before 1 August. In that case, it is better to defer to next academic year, so you will be better prepared to live in the Netherlands. 

General housing information

  • Be aware: VU Amsterdam can only offer accommodation to max. 35% of all incoming Bachelor and Master students, and only for the first year. We work on a first-come, first-served basis; the sooner you apply for housing, the better your chances are of getting a room. You can apply once you have been (conditionally) admitted to your study programme. 
  • Housing prices via VU Amsterdam vary from €375 to €1175 per month, but the average rent for VU housing is €650 per month. The number of cheap rooms with shared facilities is limited.
  • VU Amsterdam only offers housing for your first year, even for 2- or 3-year study programmes. You need to find accommodation by yourself after the first academic year.
  • The housing market in the Netherlands is extremely tense, especially in Amsterdam. Many Dutch and international students are searching for student rooms. Housing prices are high: rental prices at the private market often start at €750 and up. Start your search early and be prepared to search in surrounding villages and towns. You can check our tips and read more about the Dutch student housing market in general.

More information

  • We organised a Webinar about the housing situation on the 20th of April 2023, you can find the recording via this link
  • We also organise Whatsapp sessions on the following dates: 25 April, 9 May, 23 May, 6 June and 20 June starting at 03:00pm CEST. 
  • You can also read the April 2022 edition of the Housing newsletter here to find more information from last year 
  • There is also a Nuffic podcast available about finding student housing.

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

Student housing in Amsterdam

If you plan to study at VU Amsterdam it is essential to think of a place to live. Unfortunately, finding a room in Amsterdam is difficult and stressful. The housing market is extremely tight. In this video we explain what the housing market in Amsterdam looks like, and how to prepare yourself.

Watch the video

Information about housing

  • Eligibility

    Who can apply for accommodation?

    All students who have been (conditionally) accepted will receive an invitation to confirm their participation on VU.nl. Once you have confirmed your participation, you will be able to apply for accommodation on the VU-Dashboard. You can only apply for accommodation from VU Amsterdam when you meet the following criteria:

    • You are enrolled in an English-taught degree programme;
    • You are a first year student;
    • You have a non-Dutch nationality. Please note that when you have dual citizenship of the Netherlands and an EU/Non-EU country, you are not eligible for accommodation via us;
    • You have to be admitted based on a foreign diploma;
    • You are not living in the Netherlands.

  • Accommodation types and 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 for Bachelor's and (pre-) Master's students:

    • Rental contracts for a fixed period of 1 year
      • Please find the room types in this document rooms for 1 year  
      • 1 year contracts cannot be extended.
      • Bachelor's students need to find accommodation themselves for the second and third year. 2 year Master’s students and Master's students who do not finish the programmes within 1 year also need to find accommodation themselves.
      • The rooms for this contract are furnished.
      • Early termination of the contract is not allowed.
    • Campus contracts
      • Please find the room types in this document rooms with a campus contract
      • There are very limited rooms available for this type of contract.
      • These are rental contracts covering the total duration of your study program. You can stay in this type of accommodation as long as you are registered at VU Amsterdam. 
      • Rooms with a campus contract are not furnished.
      • The contracts are flexible;. i.e., there are no fixed end dates which means that it is possible to cancel the contract during the academic year.
      • Depending on the housing company, the room may be cancelled after the first year or during the first year. Please keep in mind that there is a one month notice.

    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).  Most of the rooms for couples contain 1 larger bed.

    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

    Rental prices and fees of housing corporations

    The rental prices mentioned are per month. The price varies according to type, size and location. Services costs (water, electricity, cable internet etc.) are included in the price.

    All rents mentioned are subject to change, and as such you cannot derive a right from these prices. You can find the (range of) rental prices in the types of accommodation documents listed above. Various types of accommodation are eligible for housing allowance. See 'Taxes and Housing Allowance' for more information. Please note that apart from the rent, our housing providers may also charge you an administrative fee, deposit and/or the first few months of rent in advance.

  • Application procedure and waiting list

    Application procedure Pre-Master’s students

    For Pre-Master's students the housing application has to be done manually. Students who are doing a pre-master can choose for housing during the pre-master or for housing during the 1st year of their full study programme. So in case you choose for housing during your pre-master, it is not possible to apply again for your next academic year.

    In case you want housing during your pre-master, this has to be done manually as you are not able to apply via Your Personal VU Dashboard. Please contact us via studentaccommodation@vu.nl. We will send you a form in order to apply for the VU housing service and you will receive further instructions via e-mail. In the explanation below, you can read from “step 3: Pay the housing fee” as the procedure is the same from this step.

    Application procedure Bachelor’s and Master’s students

    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 3: 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. It's not a deposit or part of the rent or any other payment. 

    For Bachelor's and (pre)-Master's students the fee is €500 for all contracts. 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 4: 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 5: 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 6: 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. Please keep in mind that the waiting list does not give you any guarantees to get a room via VU Accommodation Office. We are fully dependent on cancellations. We advise you to search for a room independently. 

    Video

    We created a video about this process, which you can find here.

  • Cancellation refund policy, terms and conditions

    Cancellation refund policy

    Your housing fee will only be refunded when you cancel your application before 1 July 2023 (or 1 December 2022 for the second semester of academic year 22/23), even if you have already received a housing offer through us. 

    You can request the refund by sending an e-mail to studentaccommodation@vu.nl. It is only possible to request a refund of the housing fee after 1 July 2023 (or 1 December 2022 for the second semester) when the University Accommodation Office did not yet give you access to the booking system. After 1 July, as soon as you have been offered a room or you have been uploaded to the booking system ROOM.nl, your housing fee becomes non-refundable. For example, when you are on the waiting list and you receive a room offer later than 1 July 2023 (or 1 December for the second semester) 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.
  • Housing update May 2023 - FAQ

    I paid the housing fee between October 2022 and March 2023

    • When can I expect to hear anything? We will most probably be able to offer you accommodation. We will start inviting students to book a room through the booking system in June. Please check your spam box regularly in June/July. 
    • How does the booking process work? We will create multiple groups based on your position in the housing queue to enter the university booking system. We work with University Housing ROOM.nl. which is different from the regular ROOM.nl. Students will be granted access to the system before the booking period starts to check the available rooms together. 
    • In which booking group am I?  Students who paid in October will have the first choice. You must be aware that it might not be possible to book your favorite room if you are not in the first group. If you paid in March, you are most likely with the last group of students to book a room. If you paid between December and March, you are most likely in the middle group.

    I paid the housing fee in April 2023 

    • When can I expect to hear anything? We cannot guarantee that we will be able to offer you accommodation. However, there is a good chance that we can still offer you a room. These rooms will be allocated based on your position on the waiting list. Please note, we cannot disclose any information about waiting list positions.  We will contact you via email, once we are able to make you a room offer.

    I paid the housing fee after April 2023            

    • When can I expect to hear anything? You are on our waiting list for accommodation and we cannot guarantee that we can offer you accommodation. We understand that looking for accommodation independently can be challenging and stressful. Nevertheless, we suggest that you explore this option. On our website, we have compiled some valuable platforms that may be of assistance. 
    • Can you let me know which position I have on the waiting list? We cannot disclose information of the waiting list as it is always subject to change. We advise you not to expect housing via VU Amsterdam.

    I applied and paid the housing fee, but have not received a confirmation email

    • When can I expect to hear anything? After you have paid the housing fee, we will send you a confirmation that we have received your housing application within 2 weeks. It could be that this email ends up in your spam folder. Please send us an email if you have already paid the housing fee but did not receive a confirmation email from studentaccommmodation@vu.nl

    I applied for housing, but did not pay the housing fee or I have not applied yet

    • When can I expect to hear anything? We regret to inform you that all of our rooms are currently reserved, as we have more students that applied for housing than we have accommodation available and we have a lengthy waiting list. This means we cannot offer accommodation through our international office. We understand that looking for accommodation independently can be challenging and stressful. Nevertheless, we suggest that you explore this option. On our website, we have compiled some valuable advice that may be of assistance.

    I want to cancel my housing application, how do I do that?

    • A refund can only be given if you withdraw your housing application before the 1st of July, or if we cannot offer you accommodation at all. We also cannot guarantee any availability within your budget or preferences. Please send us an email to studentaccommodation@vu.nl if you want to cancel your housing application.

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 10.30-12.30 AM) or schedule a phone call or face to face appointment in our online tool.

Contact

  • Michelle Zumbrink
  • Accommodation Officer
  • Clair Streckfuss
  • Accommodation Officer
  • Amber Bonsee
  • Accommodation Officer