Campus life Campus life

Rooms in student halls of residence are generally very popular among new students because they are inexpensive and make it easy to make friends quickly. Studierendenwerk Hamburg offers a large share of these rooms. You can find more information about living in Hamburg on the Studierendenwerk Hamburg website.

Some of the halls of residence have apartments, others have communal hallways. The kitchens and bathrooms are shared. The furnished standard rooms cost approximately €300 per month with utilities, depending on the level of comfort. You should apply for a place early as demand at the beginning of the semester is high.

Once you've registered with Studierendenwerk, you need to confirm regularly that you are still interested in a room. Be sure to check your mails and pay attention to the deadlines. If you don't respond promptly, you could lose your place on the waiting list. We also recommend that you apply for all the residences and not just those near your campus. This increases your chances of getting a room more quickly.

There are other housing units in Hamburg that are operated by religious or other non-profit organisations. You can send your application directly to the address provided for the residence in question. Please contact the individual organisations for more information about the application process.

Housing units offered for rent by other organisations (scroll down to the list below the Studierendenwerk Hamburg housing options).

Communal living arrangements ('WGs' in German) are a popular alternative to the rooms in the halls of residence. In this case, several students share a private apartment. You can find a range of offers, including the languages spoken in the WG, on these pages:

www.wg-gesucht.de

www.wg-zimmer.hamburg

You can look for private rooms and apartments on various real estate websites. You can also find new rental offers from private landlors every Saturday in the classified ads in the Hamburger Abendblatt and the TAZ. All of Hamburg's universities also have bulletin boards where you can usually find numerous offers, especially in communal apartments (WGs).

Mitwohnzentrale Hamburg - The Mitwohnzentrale serves as a temporary solution for all those who haven't yet found a place to live. It lists rooms and apartments that are available for a set or limited amount of time.

Youth hostels and other hostels are also affordable places to stay for a few weeks while you concentrate on looking for an apartment.

Short-term rentals in student halls of residence - Studierendenwerk Hamburg offers short-term room rentals for student interns and students who transfer to Hamburg, and for the guests of Hamburg universities. These rooms are furnished and include bedding and an Internet connection! The rooms can be rented for between one and six months. The montly rent for students starts at €319 (depending on the location). Individuals who are not studying can also rent a short-term room (with a surcharge). In the Rahlstedt, Kiwittsmoor and Gustav-Radbruch-Haus units, Studierendenwerk Hamburg makes a certain number of rooms available year-round for short-term rental.

Hamburg is home to a large number of cooperative housing societies. In residential areas that are a bit further outside the city and in older buildings, students have good chances of finding a rental. Please take into account that you need to make a payment of several thousand euros to become part of a cooperative. In exchange, the rent (including utilities) is relatively affordable.