FAQ

At the University of Twente, we have our full-service campus so you can live either on or off campus, in the city of Enschede. The city of Hengelo [5 kilometres from UT] is also a good option! The University of Twente mediates for off- and on-campus accommodation for Visa students, staff members and guests, on behalf of local housing providers: De Veste, Plaza Residence and the ITC International Hotel.

Please note: The University of Twente merely offers a mediation service. If you accept an offer for accommodation, you will sign a rental agreement with one of the local housing providers and will be subject to their rules and regulations.

Rental prices depend on the type of accommodation. Unfurnished accommodations with shared kitchen and/or bathroom start at €300 per month incl. G/W/E. Furnished studios with private kitchen and bathroom costs between €700 and €1000 per month incl. G/W/E. 

You can see how rental prices are structured on the Roomspot website. 

If you are not yet accepted, you cannot apply for housing on campus yet. However, you can already register in Roomspot. When you are registered in Roomspot, you can apply for housing. This is a separate process from your application/admission. It is wise to start your search for housing early: in May for the September start and in December for the February start. 

The University of Twente works with the online housing portal Roomspot. You can register on Roomspot to find accommodation that is most suitable for you. The distribution of rooms through Roomspot is established on registration time in Roomspot. There are also other ways: co-optation and draw. These distribution methods are not based on registration time. 
 
Note: Twente Pathway College students have to find their own accommodation after their year at Navitas. For questions please contact  student.support@twentepathway.nl 

Through Roomspot you have the option of co-optation (room application). This is one of the accommodation options. With room application, students live together and share communal areas such as the living room, kitchen and bathroom/shower. Many flats eat and cook together, play games in the evenings, go clubbing or do other things as a group. In short: they spend a lot, maybe even the major part of their free time together. A good fit is thus important and therefore students select their own flat mates. The selection procedure, known as room application (Dutch: coöptatie/hospiteren), aims to ensure a good fit. This process is not organized by UT, but by the flat inhabitants themselves. In most cases, flats will invite you (or even a couple of students interested in a room at once) for a meeting in order to get to know you. After that, they decide as a group who they would like to offer the room to and will let you know whether you can move in or not. Don’t be afraid to reject the room yourself if you cannot picture yourself living in a particular flat and don’t feel down if a flat rejects you. Most students visit several flats before they find what they are looking for. If it’s not possible for you to visit the flat beforehand, ask the flat for a meeting via videochat. More information is available at https://su.utwente.nl/en/rooms/ 

Please keep in mind that when you contact these ads, you are in direct contact with the current flatmates, not with the housing provider.  

You can register in Roomspot to find accommodation that is most suitable to you. Please inform UT Housing of this situation, so they can advice you about housing. You can contact UT Housing via studentservices@utwente.nl.   

Depending on your situation, you can apply for a housing benefit. For more information check this website. 

As soon as the UT has processed your tuition fee*, visa payment and bank statement you will receive an e-mail entitled “Special offer available in Roomspot”. After receiving this e-mail you can sign up for Roomspot and will automatically see the button “Special Offer UT”, where you will find furnished accommodation. 

Please note: the furnished accommodations are only available for first year non-EEA students, staff members, and PhD researchers who require an entry visa and/or residence permit (arranged through the University of Twente) and are not currently living in the Netherlands. 

* Are you an exchange student? Then you do not have to pay any tuition fees to the University of Twente, as you are already paying tuition fees at your own university. 

It is advisable to consider the guaranteed housing offer you get carefully. We cannot guarantee a new offer if you reject the offer. Please consider this when rejecting offers. 

Sometimes, it's better to accept a housing offer when it comes along and search from there. Once you live in the area, you can use your newly built network to search for accommodation better suited to your personal preferences. 

UT only mediates once for housing. This only applies to students from outside the non-EEA region who are joining the UT for the very first time (first-year students). If you have already rented furnished accommodation through the Housing Service of the UT, you are not eligible for a second term.

We advise you to take a look at our overview of housing partners in the region, and make an account in Roomspot. If you are a returning student with residence permit and/or entry visa requirement and you have been served by our housing officers the first time you came to the University of Twente, and/or when you are no longer a first-year student, you are not eligible for receiving additional housing offers again. 

Coming to a different country can be exciting, but challenging. The same goes for finding housing before the start of your studies. You might be used to a system where the responsibility of finding housing lies with the university. An important distinction between finding housing in the Netherlands or in other countries is that in the Netherlands, you are expected to find your own accommodation. The housing office at UT can in some cases play a mediating role, but chances are you will have to look for accommodation yourself. The Erasmus Student Network provides a housing guide with tips, tricks, and information for (prospective) students to keep in mind while finding housing in the Netherlands. Take a look at their website to check what applies to you.

You will find information about where you can pick up your keys in your booking confirmation. Please note: make sure you also meet the payment criteria for housing mentioned in your booking (on-campus accommodation only). 

The cancellation policy for your booking may differ per rental agency. Please contact your rental agency for more information regarding their cancellation policy.