The following six steps are important if you want to arrange housing through the UvA housing service. The steps are briefly described, click on the provided links below for more detailed information. Due to the severe housing shortage in Amsterdam the demand exceeds our supply, so unfortunately, not all students who apply for student housing can get a room.
Students need to meet certain requirements, so please check whether you are eligible for student housing.
In May or June, you will receive a message from myinfo@uva.nl* with an invitation to apply for student housing. The message contains some application instructions and the link to the housing application system. Check the date date when to expect the message and when your housing application link will be activated.
The message from myinfo@uva.nl will be automatically sent to the email address you registered with for your UvA study program. We recommend you to add myinfo@uva.nl to the 'safe senders' list of your email account. If you don't receive the message with the application link and check your spam filter on the given day, please contact the International Student Housing Office as soon as possible.
* myinfo@uva.nl is a 'no-reply' email address.
Once the housing application link is activated, you need to apply as soon as possible, as we work on a first come, first served basis. In the application form you will be asked to choose a monthly budget category. Base your choice on the information about budget categories and room types.
When finalizing your housing application you will automatically be sent to the online payment page. You can pay the UvA housing fee in euros by credit card or PayPal.
After submitting your housing application and paying the UvA housing fee, check your email daily to find out if you’ve been selected for student housing. Once you have been selected, you will receive a message from myinfo@uva.nl. After that, you receive an offer from booking platform ROOM.nl or the housing provider, to book an accommodation.
It can take several days to a few weeks to appropriate students to accommodations, as this process is quite extensive. Therefore, not all students will receive a room offer on the same day, nor will it necessarily be in the same order as students applied. However, once you received the offer, it is important to proceed with step 5 as soon as possible.
When you receive an offer to book an accommodation, follow the instructions in the email from booking platform ROOM.nl or the housing provider. To finalise the booking, housing providers ask administration costs, the first month's rent, and often, a deposit. This initial payment can be a significant amount of money.
Be aware that many students are booking an accommodation at the same time, so the availability can decline rapidly. Make sure to book an accommodation quickly and within given deadlines, as students will only receive one opportunity to select a room.
Check the page about arriving in Amsterdam for more information and the exact dates.
Once you have applied for student housing you are added to the waiting list. All rooms are offered to students on the waiting list, but not all applicants exercise their option to book their room, or cancel their room. The room will then be offered to the next match on the waiting list. This means the waiting list remains open, so that rooms might become available again.
We can't give your exact place on it, as there are several factors:
Keep looking, and if you find a place by yourself, contact the International Student Housing Office immediately so we can remove you from the waiting list and refund the UvA housing fee.