Housing Assistance

The International Office will make reservations for rooms in the student residences maintained by Studierendenwerk Ulm (Student Housing Authority) exclusively for students from partner universities.

The reservation will be made based on the time period you request in your online application. If there is any change in these dates (i.e. beginning or end of rental period) you must inform the International Office immediately.

If you are assigned a room, you will receive your Housing Assignment and the information on the necessary advance payment fee by eMail attachment. Please print out the letter and read all the information carefully. You must then sign the Housing Acceptance form and return the form to the International Office within 1 week by eMail attachment.

• If you are unhappy with the assignment, you may refuse the room; however, you will then have to make your own housing arrangements; we cannot make you an alternative offer.
• If you accept the room, the International Office will sign a contract with Studierendenwerk in your name. After this point, you cannot change the room or the dates of the rental periods or cancel the room. You are now liable for the rent payments for the full duration of the lease as specified in your housing assignment. After arrival, you have to co-sign the room contract and will receive your own copy.

All students renting a room in a student residence must make a security deposit of € 300.

At the end of their stay, students must have a check-out meeting with the residence manager. If there are no complaints concerning your room, i.e. if everything is well-cleaned, no items are damaged or missing and the renter does not have any financial debts to Studierendenwerk, the EUR 300 will be fully refunded. Otherwise, the amount you owed e.g. for repairs, replacements or cleaning will be deducted from the deposit.

Please note that all bank charges in transferring the money are to be borne by the student!

All students must open a bank account with a German bank immediately after arrival in Ulm and give a direct debit authorization to Studierendenwerk. Studierendenwerk will then withdraw the monthly rent directly from this account at the beginning of each month.

Exception: if you come from a country which is part of the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), you do not need to open a bank account in Germany, but you can use your account in the home country for the rental payments (authorization of withdrawal).

Students must make sure that they always have enough money in this account.

It is not possible to make rent payments in cash, by check or credit card.

Rental prices vary for each residence. In addition, there are regular rental rates and increased rental rates, depending on the following factors:
Regular rental rates apply for

• Contracts expiring at the end of February / March / August or September (i.e. after such months immediately before the start of a new semester or orientation period)

Increased rental rates apply for

• Contracts expiring at the end of January / April / May / June / July / October / November or December (i.e. in the middle of a semester)

Contracts always start on the first day of any given month and end on the last day of any given month. It is not possible to rent a room on a weekly basis or for half months.

On principle, it is not possible to move into a room before the actual start of the contract, nor is it possible to move in on the first day of the month and on weekends (Saturdays and Sundays) or holidays. For each student moving in, the International Office must make an appointment in advance with the residence managers, do a check of the room and collect the keys. This is usually done on the first working day of the month. In those months where many students are arriving (March/April and September/October) this preparation may take up to two days.

In practice this means that even though a contract will start on the first day of a month, students should not plan to arrive in Ulm on that day, as it will not be possible to move in. In those months which start on a weekend, it may not be possible to move in until the 4th or 5th day of the month! Holidays may also contribute to a delay. 

Students suffering from any chronic illness or physical handicap which require special housing facilities are kindly asked to inform us about their condition and requirements. It is important to point out that there are only very few rooms in student residences that are wheel chair accessible and that these rooms are not available at short notice.

Students with disabilities planning to come to Ulm are therefore well advised to get in touch with the International Office as soon as possible.

It is possible to arrange for extensions of contracts if the room has not been assigned to a new person. Please contact the International Office for assistance at least 3 months before your current contract expires. Please kindly understand that extensions for rooms can only be granted after we have received room assignments for newly arriving students, as they have priority over students who are already in Ulm.

It is possible to shorten the duration of contracts under certain conditions. Please contact the International Office for assistance at least 2 months before the intended date of termination. Shortening of contract can be granted if Studierendenwerk finds another student who will take the room from the next month.

Please keep in mind: You have to make a supplementary payment to cover the difference in rent price between regular rent and increased term rent for those months that you held the contract, in case you terminate the contract on a month in the middle of a semester.

House Infos - Living together in a Student Hostel by Studierendenwerk Ulm

Living at a Student Dorm - An Illustrated Dictionary by Deutsches Studentenwerk

Smartphone-App (German - English - Chinese)