Application procedure Bachelor and Master students

This page is intended for international Bachelor's and Master's students. If you are an exchange student, please consult the housing applications procedure for exchange students.

Because of a shortage of housing in Amsterdam, AUAS prioritises exchange and non-EU students. This provides a softer landing for those who are only here for a short while or would otherwise not be able to maintain their residence permit. After that students are allocated a random number in a lottery, with the numbers drawn starting from early June 2024. You will be notified if you are successful or not.

How to apply

1. Check if you are eligible for student housing
2. Check your email for the invitation
3. Fill in the application form
4. Lottery draw
5. Pay the AUAS housing fee
6. Receive housing offer
7. Confirm your room

Step 1: Check if you are eligible for student housing

Students are eligible for AUAS housing if they meet all of the following:

• International students starting their first study year
• Studying a full-time Bachelor or Master degree programme taught in English (not part-time and not Dutch taught)
• Accepted or conditionally accepted to their study programme
• Have not used AUAS housing in the past
• Have never lived in the Netherlands, and do not currently

If you meet the conditions above, you will automatically receive an invitation to our housing portal. If you’re unsure, please contact us.

Step 2: Check your email for the invitation

At the end of May 2025, you will receive an invitation email with a link to start your housing application in June. This email will be sent to your AUAS email address from myinfo@hva.nl - please check your spam folder. We recommend to add myinfo@hva.nl to your 'safe senders' list of your email account and to check your AUAS email even if you have set up a forwarding rule to your private email.

To access the housing application form, you need to activate your AUAS-ID(opens in new window). You will have received this by email when you created your Studielink account.

Step 3: Fill in the application form

Click the link in the invitation email to take you to the online application form. The link will not work before the stated time and date. The application period is mentioned above ('When to apply').  If you apply during this time frame, the timing of your application does not affect its success in the lottery draw.

At busy times, you may not be able to access the form directly, but will receive a queue number. This queue number is for accessing the form only and is not related to being successful in the housing lottery or not.

In the application form you will be asked to choose a monthly budget category. Base your choice on what you can afford, taking into account other housing costs and the cost of living in Amsterdam. Requesting a specific housing provider, location or building is not possible.

Housing for students with a medical condition
If you have any special needs regarding your accommodation due to a disability, medical condition or chronic health condition, please contact us as soon as possible to discuss your housing options and to request a form which needs to be filled in by you and your treating medical professional. The deadline to submit your form to AUAS Housing for 2025-2026 will be end of May 2025. Check our locations and room types page for details. If you do not contact AUAS Housing well in advance, it will be unfortunately difficult to meet your housing needs.

Step 4: Lottery

Because we get more applications than we have places, we use a lottery draw. After submitting your housing application, you will participate in the lottery. We prioritise exchange students and non-EU students with remaining eligible applicants lower in the lottery. We will inform you about your chances of receiving an offer at the end of June 2025. Unfortunately, we cannot tell you your position on the waiting list.

If you were not selected for a room offer, we strongly advise you to start looking for other housing immediately. If you have been selected for a room, you will proceed to step 5.

Step 5: Pay the AUAS housing fee

If your lottery result is positive, you will be asked a few days later to pay the AUAS housing fee. After receiving this email with payment request, you will have 4 days to complete the payment via credit card or PayPal. Failing to complete this payment in time will result in the cancellation of your housing application. We therefore strongly recommend to check your student email and spam folder the upcoming days. Follow the instructions for paying the AUAS housing fee. You can pay in euros by credit card (Eurocard/Mastercard or Visa), PayPal or iDeal. Other payment methods are unfortunately not possible. Please note that the fee is non-refundable.

Step 6: Receive housing offer

A few days up to a few weeks after your payment of the AUAS housing fee, we will inform you by email (from myinfo@hva.nl) about a room offer. After that, you will receive an email on your AUAS-email address from one of our housing providers with instructions on how to book your room. Again, keep an eye on your spam folder as we work with different housing providers(opens in new window).

You must book your room as quickly as possible, within a given time frame of a few days. If you miss your offer, or are unhappy with it, you will not receive a second one. You will also lose your AUAS housing fee if you fail to respond to your offer in time. You will then need to find your own accommodation(opens in new window).

Step 7: Confirm your room 

Your room reservation is confirmed once you make your first payment to the housing provider. Your housing provider will instruct you on how to pay, along with providing you with your tenancy agreement and other steps.

Be prepared: This initial payment will include administration costs, the first month's rent and often a deposit. It may be a significant sum.

The first rental payment must to be made by credit card (e.g. Visa or Eurocard/Mastercard not American Express.  After the first payment, you can pay your monthly rent by bank transfer. Your housing provider will provide you with details on how to do that.

Please note:

• A successful housing application does not imply that you have been admitted to your study programme. 
• Once you have reserved a room you cannot change it. If you cancel after reserving, your AUAS housing fee will not be refunded. Check our cancellation policy.