If you are offered admission to AUC and you accept it, you will be placed on the list to pick your preferred room in May or June via room.nl, a digital selection platform used by the housing association DUWO. All available rooms are listed in this system and you will be able to view the room size, address, type of unit and rental price. In most cases there will also be a floor plan available. It is not possible to allocate single units to all students in their first year. However, at the end of your first academic year at AUC, you will be allowed to switch rooms before new students move in. This ensures that most students get their preferred room by the end of their first year. Please note that shared units are always single-gender and not co-ed. 

The rooms in the residences are a mixture of single units (one student studios) and shared units (two or four students per unit). Some shared units are two- or three-room apartments, while others are large open-plan spaces. All units have a kitchen corner and private bathroom (toilet and shower). There is a small laundrette on the ground floor of the middle block of the residences which is accessible only to residents. You need to top up a laundry card from DUWO to use the machines.

In a small number of cases, first-year students may receive a room that is a shared, furnished unit for either two or three students. These rooms are meant to be temporary as all students placed in these rooms will later be placed in their permanent room (typically by the end of their first semester), but at the very latest at the end of their first year. Students who are allocated these rooms are informed directly by DUWO.

AUC students are guaranteed housing for three years of study (the normal time required to complete the programme). Contracts with DUWO start on 1 August in the year in which a student begins studying at AUC. The contract will then last for three years, ending on 15 July in the year in which the student is expected to graduate.

For example, if you would begin your studies at AUC in September 2023, then your housing contract with DUWO will start on 1 August 2023. You will then have a valid contract for your three years of study, until 15 July 2026. You will then be required to move out and turn in the keys to your room before 15 July 2026.

Please note that if you require an extra semester or extension beyond the initial three years of study, AUC cannot guarantee a room in the student residences will be available for the additional semesters or years. While AUC will try to arrange extensions or a room for students who require additional time to complete their studies, this isn't always possible and students requiring extra time may need to find their own housing solution.  

You will sign a tenancy agreement with DUWO and rent your accommodation directly from them for the duration of your studies at AUC.

Rent

Service costs
For each type of unit, the rent includes an advance towards service costs, which include your utilities such as electricity, gas and water (collective and individual), cleaning of public spaces, rubbish collection and contents insurance. Each year DUWO will calculate your actual service costs: if you have paid too much, you will get a refund. If you have paid too little, you will be charged the difference. This also means that the amounts below are not exact, but meant as an estimate based on the average of what students pay per month. Please note that in 2022-2023, the service costs increased much more than average due to inflation and associated rising costs of energy in the Netherlands and around Europe. 

Single rooms
Single units, before receiving a rent benefit (huurtoeslag), are more expensive than shared units. These are on average around 600 EUR per month. Most students living in a single unit will be eligible to receive a rent benefit of around 190 EUR per month, bringing the total cost of a single unit to around 410 EUR per month. There is also a limited amount (21 rooms) of larger single rooms (those larger than 32 square meters) that are on average around 650 EUR per month. This larger type of single room is not eligible for rent benefit for those who are 23 years old and younger. 

Shared rooms: two-person & four-person
The rent for a two-person shared room is an average of approximately EUR 470 per month per person. For a four-person shared room (two bedrooms, two people per room with a large shared living room), the costs are typically around EUR 280 per month per person. These costs can slightly vary depending on the exact dimensions of the room in square meters.

Other costs

Internet, telephone and television
Internet and television are automatically arranged for each unit at a flat rate of 15 EUR per month, which is added to the utility bill.  

Municipal taxes
You also have to pay municipal taxes for your unit (waste and water). These are currently around 499 EUR per year for a one-person household. Students with a low income are eligible to have these fees waived. 

The units are decorated and equipped with a floor-covering and curtains, but they are not furnished. You will need to supply your own furniture, kitchen equipment/appliances and any other home goods you may need. All the units are centrally heated (underfloor heating). 

Please note, all student rooms shown have been furnished with items that students have purchased themselves. Your room will not have furniture in it upon arrival.

Each corridor in the residences is divided into separate ‘strings' of around 10 to 15 units each. Many of the strings have a shared living room where you can get together with your ‘stringmates'. There are also secure storage spaces for bicycles available for each string to use. The residences all have inner courtyards and spacious balconies or loggias, where you can go to relax in the sunshine and enjoy some fresh air.

Sports facilities

The University Sports Centre (USC) has a large branch located in Amsterdam Science Park. Additional sports facilities are within easy reach (ice skating rink, swimming pool, etc.).

Public transport connections on campus

Science Park also has good public transport connections, particularly Bus 40 that stops near the student residences and runs between Amstel Station and Muiderpoort Station (to get into the city centre). Science Park also has its own railway station, which will take you to Amsterdam Central Station in around 10 minutes. 

Convenience stores and shopping

In addition to the Spar grocery store on campus, you can also go to the nearby Molukkenstraat, or travel a little further to the Middenweg and Linnaeusstraat, where you will find a variety of grocery stores/markets, cafés and other practical stores nearby. For Do-It-Yourself, there are Praxis, Big Bazar and Xenos shops close by. The city centre is only a short bike ride or bus/tram trip away.

The student residences are just a five-minute walk from the AUC academic building. You can find their exact location in GoogleMaps via the link below.