The UvA cannot arrange accommodation for every incoming international student. Dutch universities are not allowed to own student housing, which means that you are responsible for arranging accommodation yourself. Therefore, we strongly recommend to take these two steps at the same time:
UvA Student Housing is meant as a 'soft landing' for a maximum of one or two semesters for students who meet the following eligibility criteria.
The requirements for eligibility:
* The processing time of study applications can differ per faculty. Keep in mind that when applying (late) for a study programme, your study application might not receive the status ‘conditionally accepted’ in time for the housing application. The housing department does not prioritize students when their faculty has a long processing time.
The upcoming application round for students who are starting their studies in February 2025 will be open from Wednesday, 6 November 2024 09:00 CET, until Tuesday, 12 November 2024 23:59 CET. This means that you will have 7 days* to complete the application form. After these 7 days, all applicants will be assigned a random place on the waiting list via lottery.
* We strongly recommend that you complete your application on time. Please do not wait until the last day, as we cannot make exceptions for applicants who miss the deadline.
Students starting their studies in February 2025 who are considered eligible for student housing by their faculty will receive an email from myinfo@uva.nl* with the link to the housing application form one to two days before the application starting date (6 November 2024). If you have not yet received your (un)conditional offer on 6 November 2024 from your faculty, it is possible that you receive your housing invitation after the start of the application period. In this case, the deadline for completing your application remains 12 November 2024 23:59 CET.
The message from myinfo@uva.nl is automatically sent to the email address you used to register on Studielink. If you have not received the email in your personal (spam) inbox, or if you are an exchange student, it may have been sent to your UvA email address.
* myinfo@uva.nl is a 'no-reply' email address.
To make the allocation of housing as fair as possible for all students, we work with a lottery system. However, due to the housing shortage we prioritize some applications. Within the randomized ranking we will prioritize students with AES, ASTS, or AMS scholarships, if we receive their housing applications before 12 November 2024 23:59 CET.
When you sign your rental contract, you agree with the fixed rental period with a maximum of 2 semesters. It is not possible to rent month by month, nor can you terminate your room contract early*. This means you will be responsible for the rent until the end of your contract.
* Unless you also officially terminate your UvA study enrolment early. Note for exchange students: leaving Amsterdam before the official end date of your (Erasmus) exchange period does not count as a cancellation of your study enrolment.
Type of study programme | Maximum duration rental contract | Rental period |
Exchange (1 semester) | 1 semester |
16 August 2024 - 27 January 2025 29 January 2025 - mid June to mid August 2025 |
Exchange (2 semesters) | 2 semesters |
31 January 2024 - 27 January 2025 16 August 2024 - mid June to mid August 2025 29 January 2025 - end of January 2026 |
Bachelor's or (Pre-)Master's programme | 2 semesters |
16 August 2024 - mid june to mid August 2025 |
It is not possible to shorten or extend your rental contract, or get a rent reduction for late arrival or early departure.
If you want to stay in Amsterdam after your housing contract provided by UvA housing ends, you will need to search for housing independently. The room you stayed in is needed again for a newly arriving international student. Please be aware that finding accommodation in Amsterdam after this period can still be very complicated. For more information, check out the webpage on how to find a room independently.
It is not possible to cancel your housing contract, unless you terminate your enrolment or in case of significant personal circumstances.
Read more about our cancellation policy on the Frequently Asked Questions webpage.
Students with a disability, chronic health condition, or emotional support animal, who believe they require a specific housing solution, can contact the International Student Housing Office to request a form which needs to be filled in by the student and their treating medical professional.
The deadline to submit your form to the International Student Housing Office is 11 November 2024. Submissions after this deadline will unfortunately not be taken into account.
UvA Housing requires that you submit this form to the International Student Housing Office before the deadline above. Furthermore, you will also be asked to upload the same completed form during your application.
If you would like to use the UvA student housing service, please be aware of our terms and conditions. In short, they state:
In addition, please make sure you have read the full terms and conditions before finalising your online housing application form: