Let me be direct: finding a room is the hardest part of moving to the Netherlands for most people. Study in NL says the country is dealing with a severe housing shortage and that there is not enough student housing for everyone. It tells you to arrange housing before you arrive.

How student housing works

Students in the Netherlands usually do not live on campus. They live in student houses across the city, and some institutions have some on-campus housing. The first thing to do is ask your institution whether it can arrange a room for you. If it cannot, you search yourself.

Where people look

Study in NL lists these housing sites, adding that the list is not complete and that it does not check their reliability or quality: Clawq, DUWO, Hospi Housing, HousingAnywhere, Kamernet, Nestpick, Pararius, Plaza resident services, RentSlam, ROOM, Roomspot, Smart Wonen, SSH, Student Housing, Stekkies, The Social Hub, Uniplaces and Xior Student Housing. Treat them as starting points, not endorsements.

Scams

Scammers know about the shortage. Study in NL's advice is concrete:

  • Never sign a tenancy contract without having seen the room. Plan an online tour where you clearly see the person you are talking to.
  • Do not be lured into paying brokerage fees. They are not necessary.
  • Do not pay rent in cash unless you get a receipt.

What to expect

You may share the shower, toilet, kitchen and living room with other students, and the rooms can be small. Students of all genders usually live together, and some student houses exclude international students altogether, Study in NL says, though it adds that it is working to change this. Find out whether the room is furnished, and which bills (gas, electricity, internet) are in the rent.

What it costs

On average a room costs about €550 a month, according to Study in NL's housing page, and its cost-of-living page gives a range of €450 to €1,000 depending on the city, what the rent includes and the arrangement your institution has. Rooms in a Student Hotel cost more. A Nibud figure it quotes for rent is €561 a month (2024).

The institutions are warning students too

A Nuffic researcher in May 2024 said more institutions were discouraging students from coming if they had not found a room a month before their studies start. Read your institution's housing page closely before you accept an offer, and ask what happens if you arrive without a room.

If something goes wrong

Speak to your housing provider first, then to the housing officer at your institution. Study in NL also names a Housing Hotline that helps and uses the information anonymously. For tenancy law, it points you to the Dutch government's information. A rental contract with a minimum duration or set end date is, it says, not legally allowed.

Sources

Opened and checked on 5 October 2026. Figures that change from year to year are marked "as of October 2026"; check the source before you rely on them.