Amsterdam is a very popular place to live. Students (Dutch and international), as well as many others are looking for places to stay, and therefore affordable housing is scarce.

In this tight housing market, UvA International Student Housing has a limited number of rooms reserved, which can accommodate roughly half of the newly incoming international students every semester. This means that the other half must find a place on their own. Do not underestimate this, as it often takes months to find suitable accommodation. The UvA urges all incoming students to start searching independently in time, even if you also applied for the UvA housing service. Additionally, if you have not found a room before the start of your studies, we recommend students not to travel to Amsterdam.

For more information, check out the webpage Tips on how to search for accommodation in Amsterdam.

With the Dutch nationality you are eligible for UvA short-stay housing as long as you meet all eligibility criteria. If you are applying for a Dutch-taught programme, you may be eligible for the UvA Kameractie instead.

Officially you are not eligible for UvA housing, as we can only offer housing to students from English-taught study programmes. Please contact us to explore your options.

Yes, you can apply for UvA housing as long as you meet all eligibility criteria. You can rent accommodation for max. 2 semesters.

Newly arriving students from the UK are subject to the regulations for non-EU/EEA countries, which would mean that you would need a residence permit to study in the Netherlands. This also means that you will be considered as a non-EU student for your housing application.

Unfortunately, we cannot start any earlier with the housing applications. Several UvA study programmes have different application deadlines up until May/June. These study applications need to be processed and reviewed. We would like to give everyone a fair chance to apply for housing. Therefore, everyone can apply at the same time in a specific time frame around May/June.

If you have any special needs regarding your accommodation due to a disability or medical condition, please contact us to discuss your housing options and to request a form which needs to be filled in by you and your treating medical professional.

UvA Housing requires that you upload the completed form in your application. Submissions after the housing deadline can unfortunately not be taken into account.

No, unfortunately pets are not allowed in our student accommodations. If you want to bring your pet, we advise you to search for housing on the private market.

Yes, most of our housing providers accept students younger than 18 years old. In some cases, they will ask your parents/legal guardian to sign the rental contract together with you (digitally).

If you are going to search on the private market, keep in mind that finding housing will be particularly difficult for you. Some (commercial) housing providers do not accept rental contracts signed by parents/legal guardians or do not even provide any accommodation to minors.

We offer shared rooms (sleeping and living in the same room) in budget category 1, but it is unfortunately not possible to sign up with a friend for flat sharing. If you want to share a flat or apartment together with friends, we advise you to search on the private market instead.

All of our housing is also offered via other educational institutions in Amsterdam. It is therefore likely you will also be sharing with students from other educational institutions.

Our housing is allocated randomly based on your indicated budget category. Therefore, it is unfortunately not possible to book a room in the same building as your friends.

No. Due to the high demand, we only allow UvA/AUAS students in our accommodations. If you want to apply for a couples room, both you and your partner have to be UvA or AUAS student, and they need to have a UvA/AUAS student number. More information can be found under budget category 4.

UvA International Student Housing has reserved a limited number of rooms, which is not enough to accommodate everyone. We prioritize applications from the following students within the randomized selection from the lottery due to their circumstances:

• Recipients of an AMS, AES, or ASTS scholarship who are required to have a Dutch address to maintain their residence permit and/or scholarship in the Netherlands

The information sent in the housing application form will be used by the UvA to offer our housing services. For that reason, the UvA stores and shares this information with its housing partners and the Municipality of Amsterdam. These housing partners require this information to offer rooms within the contingent of UvA, while the Municipality needs it to designate you as a resident of Amsterdam. To establish if you are still eligible for a room through the housing service of the UvA, the UvA will save your data for a maximum of 3 years. The UvA may also use this information to approach you for participation in research to improve our service.

Our housing service is allocated randomly based on your indicated budget category. Therefore, it is unfortunately not possible to indicate a preferred building or location.

Please have a look at the locations and room types.

Unfortunately it is not possible to view any locations or buildings before moving in. We work with several different housing providers and our buildings are spread out throughout the city of Amsterdam. Our rooms are always fully booked. For privacy reasons we cannot show occupied rooms. To get an impression of the offered accommodation, you can visit the websites of our housing partners:

• De Key
• DUWO (via ROOM.nl)
• StuNest - Spartaan
• Student Experience - Amsterdam NDSM
• OurCampus Amsterdam Diemen

All our monthly rental rates include electricity, water, gas and internet. In addition to rent, you must pay administrative fees, a refundable deposit and in some cases local taxes. Please see the costs for UvA student housing.

No. Your housing has a kitchen to cook your own meals. We do not offer any housing with meal plans.

Sometimes. With some housing providers, it is possible to pay your rent for an entire year or semester upfront. The default option is to pay in monthly instalments. Contact your housing provider in case you are interested to pay your total rent upfront.

You will be able to move in from the starting date stated in your rental contract. Make sure to prepare for arrival, and do not forget to arrange your key pick up with your housing provider. If you decide to travel to Amsterdam earlier than the start date of your contract, you will need to make alternative arrangements.

All rooms are furnished with standard bedroom furniture, unless otherwise stated. This includes a bed, wardrobe, a desk or workstation and a chair. Most housing providers also provide starter kits, bed linen sets and/or kitchen sets. Your housing provider will inform you about this before your arrival.

The UvA Housing service offers rental contracts for a fixed period of time. Therefore, it is unfortunately not possible to change the end date of your contract. For example, when you want to leave the Netherlands because your classes are over, when you have found a (summer) job, or when you have found alternative housing before the end of your UvA Housing contract, you unfortunately cannot terminate your UvA Housing contract early.

The UvA Housing service offers rental contracts for a fixed period of time. Therefore, it is unfortunately not possible to change the end date of your contract. For example, when you want to leave the Netherlands because your classes are over, when you have found a (summer) job, or when you have found alternative housing before the end of your UvA Housing contract, you unfortunately cannot terminate your UvA Housing contract early.

You can find an overview of our cancellation and refund policy in the table below.

* Unfortunately no exceptions can be made if your visa application or study or course enrolment was unsuccessful.

I have not received a room offer yet. How do I cancel my housing application?

You can cancel your housing application yourself. Open your housing request via your personal page on MyInfo. After your cancellation, you can request a refund by filling out the refund form and providing us with your bank details. We do not automatically refund your housing fee.

I have received a room offer. How do I cancel my housing application?

Contact the International Student Housing Office in order to cancel your application. Please note that the UvA housing fee will not be refunded.

What if I decide to cancel my study enrolment at the UvA?

If you cancel your study enrolment, don’t forget to also cancel your housing application. In case you have not received a room offer yet, you can cancel your housing request via your personal page on MyInfo. In case you have received a room offer, you need to notify the housing office of your wish to cancel your housing request.

I have already booked a room. What is your cancellation and refund policy?

If you want to cancel your room reservation, please contact us. Be aware that you will unfortunately not be able to reserve another room when you cancel your reservation. It depends on when you cancel your room reservation if you will receive a refund. In the table above you can find an overview of the cancellation and refund policy of the UvA housing fee and the costs that you made for booking your room at one of the housing providers.

Can I cancel my rental contract if I have already arrived in Amsterdam?

Our rental contracts are semester contracts with a fixed end date. When you sign your rental contract, you agree with the fixed rental period with a maximum of 1 or 2 semesters. These contracts can only be terminated early when you cancel your study enrolment.

In case of significant personal circumstances, we advise you to contact the student counsellors or student psychologists. They are specialised in assisting you.

In case you are experiencing issues with your room mates, we advise you to first try and come to a solution together. If this does not help, you can contact a student counsellor for help and advice.

In case you are experiencing health issues, we advise you to contact your doctor. Do not have a doctor yet? You could register with the General Practioners Practice UvA.

In case you are experiencing maintenance issues, please contact your housing provider. They handle all maintenance requests.

Yes. Please get in touch with us to arrange early termination of your housing contract.

One way to find affordable second-hand items such as study books, furniture or clothing is on the Instagram page @uva.secondhand. This page specifically contains listings from other students as well as staff members, and aims to provide the UvA community with a sustainable way of buying, selling, and giving away.