One of the services that the Master Office provides to new students is assistance in finding accommodation. Students in Aachen may either live in a private apartment, share a flat with other class mates ("Wg") - a cheap and fun alternative to the dormitories, or in a student dormitory (~10 %). Find useful support in our presentation about how you can find accommodation in Aachen. Please read it very carefully!
Please calculate at least 350 EUR per month for accommodation.
RWTH International Academy offers new flat-shares with fully furnished rooms at Oppenhoffallee. Please find more about our accommodation project here: https://housing-aachen.de/ as well as in our download section.
Aachen has about 250,000 inhabitants, 45,000 of which are students, and only 5,000 of them live in student dormitories. Most students live in private sector accommodation. In Germany, it is not common that students are allocated a dormitory room along with admission. Since the RWTH Aachen University is not a campus university in the traditional sense, students may have to travel between different buildings located throughout the city, e.g. by bus or by bike. Due to the good infrastructure, students may not only look for apartments located centrally in the city, but also in surrounding districts (e.g. Burtscheid, Kohlscheid, Haaren, Brand). We are happy to assist you in finding a place as well as we can. Below you can find recommendations for the first steps you should take.
For your own safety, please do not make any payments in advance before having visited the property, signed a lease contract, and met the landlord. If the landlord wants to send the keys via mail or requests payments via money transfer services like Western Union, MoneyGram, TNT or Moneybookers, please do not respond - these are further hints of an attempt to defraud you.
Short Term Accommodation
Sometimes it is hard to find accommodation in Germany while you are still in your home country. Luckily, there are several hostels and budget hotels in Aachen that could provide another option in the initial weeks following arrival. More information:
Short Term Accommodation - Useful links
Please make a reservation for your first nights in Aachen as soon as possible, as these venues are extremly busy in the summer months.
Hostel Aachen: Price per night 12€-38€ (checked April, 2017)
Most students live in private flats in Aachen. An apartment for a single person costs around 350 EUR - 500 EUR. Another popular option is a shared flat with other students, called "WG (Wohn-Gemeinschaft)", which might cost you around 300 EUR to 400 EUR. Usually, every student has his own room in a WG, while kitchen and bathroom are shared. More information:
Private Sector Accommodation - Useful links
Online Portals for Accommodation Offers (private)
In some of these portals, you can search for offers, but you can also publish request for a shared flat or single apartment. It is best to post a picture and to write a few sentences about yourself - to give a good first impression to prospective flatmates.
WG-Gesucht - Online portal for accommodation offers in English/German (shared flats and single apartments)
Extraraum - Task group of the city of Aachen and the RWTH Aachen University for accommodation offers.
CAMPUSLIFE - Black board for Aachen's student community (flats, furniture, lifts)
Private Student Dorms
The private student dorm Campus Living offers 100 student apartments in the immediate vicinity of the university. Rent starts at 280,00 EUR. Please be aware that there might be a waiting list.
A room in a student residence is the cheapest option (210,00 -350,00 EUR), but the waiting lists for these rooms can be anywhere from a couple of months up to a year. More information:
Student Dormitories
As there are usually more applicants for rooms in student dormitories than free places available, we suggest you apply as soon as possible! The application has to be submitted through the Online Application Portal of the "Studentenwerk Aachen".
Please also carefully read the detailed description on how to apply for a student dormitory (see PDF "Application Student Dorm"). An incomplete or incorrect application may be rejected. Please make sure to stay on the waiting list and to renew your application when asked to.
Alternative student residence options:
The Catholic Student Community also offers housing possibilities. "At our 5 dorms Langer Turm, Eckertweg, Pontstr., Hermannstr. and Neupforte, there is room for 175 students. Some of the apartments are furnished, but you may also bring your own furniture if you prefer. Our dorms are not just about having a place to stay, but also about living with each other, making friends and experiencing community spirit"
In order to increase your chances of finding a room or an apartment, it is important to be flexible regarding the location, and take the outer city regions of Aachen into consideration (Richterich, Haaren, Laurensberg, Brand, Eilendorf, Kornelimünster, Walheim) as well as neighboring cities Würselen, Herzogenrath, Kohlscheid, Alsdorf, Eschweiler, Stolberg, Kerkrade, Vaals, or Kelmis.
For example, the city of Stolberg is only 20 minutes away and can be reached by train or by several bus lines within 20 minutes. The city of Stolberg encourages students to live in shared apartment.
Living in the border region Aachen - Take advantages!
Student Dormitories in Kerkrade, Netherlands: Living in the Netherlands and studying in Aachen is now possible in the dutch city Kerkrade, also for non-EU students. Kerkrade is located directly on the German/Dutch border and offers especially for students of the RWTH Aachen University student dormitories in various converted buildings (e.g. you can live in an old hospital). By bus or train you can reach the city centre of Aachen or the RWTH easily and free of charge. For more information about the project "Wohnraum im Umland" please find the pdf-file "Take the chance" in the download section.
Student Dormitories in Vaals, Netherlands: Please note that, if you are not a citizen of the EU, the conditions of your visa may not permit you to live outside of Germany. In the cosy city of Vaals located directly on the German/Dutch border, various houses and flats are offered especially for students of the RWTH. The RWTH Campus Melaten (about 3 km) and the city centre of Aachen (about 6 km) are easily accessible from Vaals through various bus lines or by bike.
Student Housing in Maastricht, Netherlands (especially for students of "MME")
Please note that, if you are not a citizen of the EU, the conditions of your visa may not permit you to live outside of Germany. Students of the joint master programme "MME" can live in Aachen for the entire duration of their studies and take busses to travel to their classes. They might however also decide to move to Maastricht for the duration of their courses at the partner university MSM. In this case, please view the information on housing provided by MSM.
Study in Germany - Finding a flat. Information provided by the DAAD, German Academic Exchange Service
INCAS (INtercultural Center of Aachen for Students) a platform for students to offer accommodation for newly arrived students in the first days of their stay
Asta (General Student Committee of RWTH Aachen) offers consultation hours for accommodation concerns
Student Clubs - International students abroad are usually supportive of each other - so why not get in touch with some students from your home country who are already living in Aachen?
