The first address: the university's accommodation office
We suggest you start your housing search from the university's own accommodation page. The timing, conditions and prices of residence applications are written most accurately there.
Some universities offer first-year students a place in a residence, but there are conditions. For 2026/27, UCL commits to offering a residence place to a first-year bachelor's student who meets the conditions. For this, UCL must be your firm choice and the accommodation application must be made by 10 June at the latest. The offer is not for a specific residence, room type or budget.
In the Netherlands the picture is different. Study in NL, the country's official portal, writes that there is a serious housing shortage and that student residences are not enough for everyone. The portal's most important advice is to start searching as early as possible.
In Germany, student residences are often run by student services organizations called Studierendenwerk. The University of Göttingen writes that residence applications are made to the Studierendenwerk and not to the university. According to the same page, there is a waiting list of about 12 months for these residences in Göttingen.
Student residence: pros and questions to ask
A residence can be a practical start for the first year in a new city. You do not need to look for a landlord, and your contact is the university or the residence operator. It is also easier to meet other students.
Contract length and content change from residence to residence. At UCL New Hall, the 2026/27 contract is 39 weeks: from 26 September 2026 to 26 June 2027. In the same university's Venti House residence, the most affordable room is offered with a 39-week contract and the other rooms with a 51-week contract. In Venti House, meals are not included and students cook for themselves.
Before you sign a residence contract, we suggest you ask these questions:
- How many weeks is the contract? Does it cover the summer months?
- Are electricity, heating and internet included in the rent?
- Is there a meal plan, and if so, is it required?
- What happens if the student wants to leave early?
A rented home or a shared flat
A rented home gives more freedom. The student chooses the neighborhood, the flatmates and the budget. In return, the contract, the bills and the messages with the landlord are also their responsibility.
The hardest part is renting a home remotely from Türkiye. Study in NL advises not signing a rental contract without seeing the room. So we suggest you think about staying in a residence in the first year and moving to a home after you get to know the city. If you are looking at homes remotely, it helps to have someone you trust in the city see the home in person.
Rent examples: the universities' own estimates
The figures below are taken from the universities' own pages. All are estimates and they change every year. We suggest you look at the current page again before you decide.
| City | Source | Period | Accommodation cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| London | UCL, New Hall | 2026/27 | Single room with bathroom, £321.58 per week (39 weeks) |
| Oxford | University of Oxford | 2026/27 | £825 to £990 per month |
| Dublin | University College Dublin | April 2026 estimate | €830 to €2,250 per month, median €1,200 |
| Nijmegen | Radboud University | Nibud 2024 data | €561 to €600 per month for a student from outside the EU |
| Aachen | RWTH Aachen | 2026 | Rent and related costs €400 to €600 per month |
| Prague | VŠE | March 2026 update | €250 to €600 per month |
| Warsaw | Kozminski University | 2026 | Residence PLN 1,800 to 3,500 per month. A room in a shared flat PLN 1,400 to 2,200 |
| Boston | Boston University | 2026/27 | Housing and meals, $20,969 in total for 9 months |
A few notes: Kozminski is a private university in Warsaw, and the figures are from its page. The Boston University amount is an estimate prepared for the I-20 document and it includes meals. Study in Czechia, the official portal of Czechia, shows a single room in a residence at €250 to €450 per month at May 2026 prices.
Things to watch out for against scams
Fake rental listings increase when the school term is starting. The Irish police, Garda, said it received more than 230 reports of rental and booking fraud in the first seven months of 2026. The loss reported in the same period was over €400,000. According to Garda, such cases peak every year in August and October.
A checklist we put together from the advice of Garda and Study in NL:
- See the home in person before paying, and check that the key opens the lock.
- Pay by credit card or a traceable bank method.
- Do not pay a person you do not know with cash, crypto or person-to-person payment apps.
- Do not sign a rental contract without seeing the room.
- If you have to pay rent in cash, always get a receipt.
If you have doubts about a listing, we suggest you ask the university's accommodation office before signing.
A short plan for timing
- As soon as you get your acceptance, note the deadlines on the university's accommodation page. At UCL this date is 10 June.
- Join the Studierendenwerk waiting list in Germany as early as possible.
- Start the home search in the Netherlands at the same time as the application process.
- If you do not get a residence place, look at the home search channels the university points to.
- Check on the country's official visa page whether proof of accommodation is asked for in the visa application.
You can find living costs by country in detail on our country pages.
Related pages
Last checked: 23 October 2026. Rules and fees may change; we check the current situation together before you apply.
Let's talk about this for your student
In the first meeting we will work out together how this information fits the student's situation.