to Braunschweig, your university city. Boasting plenty of greenery and culture, a beautiful Old Town and everything convenient close by, Braunschweig is a great place to study and feel at home.
Unfortunately, the start of the winter semester is often marked by a shortage of accommodation. Unlike in other university cities however, this strain tends to ease up as the semester progresses.
To help with your search, we have compiled some useful tips for students looking for housing.
Studierendenwerk OstNiedersachsen operates 11 dorms with more than 2,200 beds in total and 20 guest flats. For an overview of all the dormitories, the online application form and a homeshare project (“Wohnen für Hilfe plus”), visit https://stw-on.de/en/braunschweig/housing. Remember to apply well in advance, as the waiting list for some dormitories is quite long. You can apply even before receiving your letter of admission, with no obligation to you.
You can also find flats and rooms for rent on the private housing market. Many students opt to share a rental as flatmates (“Wohngemeinschaft” or “WG”). The links below include online platforms for finding shared flats, as well as online housing adverts (offers and requests) from the Studierendenwerk. For information on fraternities and sororities offering rooms, please contact the General Students Committee (AStA).
New housing and WG offers are posted daily inside the AStA office window (at Katharinenstraße 1, to the right of the entrance to Mensa 1). There is also an online notice board for housing adverts and requests on the StudIP platform.
Orientation week is about to start, and you still haven’t found a room? Then it’s time to consider short-term options such as couch surfing or a room in a youth hostel. There are always a few places where you can find affordable short-term accommodation at the last minute.
Start looking for housing as early as possible. If you would like to live in a dormitory, you can apply before you even receive your letter of acceptance.
Expand your search to all of Braunschweig’s districts and suburbs, and neighbouring cities like Wolfenbüttel. With your semester ticket covering all local public transport, TU Braunschweig is easy to reach. And thanks to an extensive network of cycle paths, it takes less than 30 minutes to reach Central Campus by bike from anywhere in the city.
Set up automated alerts on online portals so you won’t miss any new postings.
Have your documents ready. If you do not have your own income, you may need to show a letter of guarantee or proof of your parents’ income, as well as a copy of your official identification.
To see if the rent you are being offered for private housing is reasonable, check the rent index for Braunschweig: www.braunschweig.de/politik_verwaltung/politik/stadtrecht/2_07_Mietspiegel-von-Braunschweig-2022.pdf [in German only].
Never make deposits or rent payments ahead of time if you cannot be absolutely certain that the accommodation actually exists.
Dormitories
Online platforms (no guarantees)
Housing advertisements
Short-term accommodation
Housing cooperatives