Room reservation procedure
The UvA offers various kinds of rooms, including shared rooms, private rooms with shared facilities and private rooms with private facilities The rental prices range from approximately €2,050 to €3,000 per semester (5 months), depending on room size and location.
On this page:
Application system
Once you have been admitted to a programme at the UvA, you will receive an email with a link to an online application system for housing. You can expect this email around mid-May for studies starting in September and early in November for studies starting in February.
UvA fee and credit card
- Students renting accommodation through the UvA will be charged a non-refundable fee to cover the UvA's expenses related to providing a housing service to international students. For one semester, the UvA fee is €265 - €315, for two semesters or a full year, the UvA fee is €450 - €525.
- The payment can only be made using a credit card. Note that a debit card will not work. If you do not have a credit card, you will have to acquire one or use the credit card of a friend or relative. Please note that all UvA fee payments will be made in US dollars corresponding to the Euro amount. Due to currency fluctuations, the amount might be slightly higher or lower.
- We advise you to submit your application as soon as possible. We do our utmost to provide all applicants with a room but housing is not guaranteed. If we are not able to provide you with a room, we will refund the UvA fee to you.
- Note that if you receive a room offer via the UvA and decline it, the UvA fee will not be refunded.
Room reservation
The application procedure can take some time. You can expect an email about your room reservation from De Key, DUWO or Ymere between 20 June and 08 August 2015. After approval from the university, you will be able to search for available rooms. We advise you to check your email on a daily basis in this period and make sure that the email does not end up in your spam folder.
Changing or cancelling rooms
- You can only reserve one room. It is not possible to change rooms once you have reserved one. If you cancel your room reservation, you won’t be able to reserve another one. Changing rooms after arrival is not allowed.
- You may contact your programme manager with a request to change rooms only in urgent circumstances. A reservation can be cancelled free of charge up to one month before the starting date of the lease. If the room is not cancelled on time, you will be charged the first month's rent plus administration costs.
- If you want to cancel your reservation, contact both the housing corporation and your programme manager by email. When you cancel your reservation, you cannot reserve another room, and the UvA fee will not be refunded.
Finalising your reservation
After reserving a room, you will need to pay the following to the housing corporation:
Administration fee
Housing corporations require tenants to pay an administration fee to cover the extra costs that are made for providing customised services to international students.
- De Key - €150
- DUWO - €150
- Ymere - €40
Deposit
Tenants at housing corporations De Key and Ymere are required to pay a deposit. This deposit is refunded at the end of your stay if you leave the room clean, tidy and without damages.
- De Key - one month’s rent
- Ymere - €600
First rental payment
- De Key - Tenants need to pay the first month’s rent upon arrival.
- Ymere - Tenants need to pay the first month’s rent upon arrival.
- DUWO - Depending on the start and end date, tenants need to pay the first one-and-a-half month's rent and the last two month's rent.
- Your room reservation will be confirmed only after the housing corporation has received your first payment.
Rental period
Rental periods for UvA students are always fixed periods, with the maximum of one year. All students will be assigned for their period of stay. Bachelor or Master students will automatically be assigned for two semesters. Exchange students will automatically be assigned for one or two semesters (depending on the duration of your exchange).
For the year 2015/2016 different start and end dates are available:
- 14 August 2015 to 25 January 2016
- 14 August 2015 to 15 June 2016 (a limited number of rooms are available for this end date)
- 14 August 2015 to 29 June 2016
- 14 August 2015 to 15 July 2016
- 14 August 2015 to 31 July 2016 or
- 14 August 2015 to 17 August 2016
It is not possible to get a reduction for late arrival or early departure. It is not possible to end your contract before the end of a semester. If you are planning on staying in Amsterdam for a longer period of time, we strongly advise you to register at the Dutch student housing website www.studentenwoningweb.nl at the beginning of your stay.
Arrival
If you are going to arrive more than seven days after the starting date of your lease, you must notify both your programme manager and the housing corporation. If you fail to do so, the room will be given to another student and you will still be charged the first month's rent and administration costs.
If you arrive before the official start of your rental contract and want to find accommodation for a couple of nights, you can find some options here.
Mixed floors and RA’s
Most international student rooms are situated on floors with only international students. However, some are located on floors where the majority of tenants are Dutch. Here you will have the opportunity to make Dutch friends, and a first-hand introduction to Dutch culture and the Dutch language. When reserving a room on such a floor, you will be expected to comply with existing house rules. Although many Dutch students speak English well, the main language on these mixed floors will be Dutch.
Resident Assistants (RA’s) are Dutch students who live with the international students in a number of buildings. They can help with all kinds of questions about the building, your room or your housemates. The RA’s also organise drinks and activities for international students to get to know each another.
Disabilities
If you have special needs regarding your accommodation because of a disability, please contact the international office of your faculty.