Housing for students

Many districts in Umeå are close to campus, outdoor activities, and other amenities that students might find appealing and practical. While the competition for housing can be tough, starting your search early can open up many opportunities.

Different ways of living

In Umeå there is a housing option for any preference, but like in other big university cities, the competition could be tough. It is not unusual for students to first find a temporary solution, and later move on to a more suitable one. For most students the housing situation tends to loosen up a bit in the middle of the first semester, so hang in there!

The possibilities are many and includes: student housing, renting or buying an apartment, become a tenant, or join a collective housing. Regardless of how and where in Umeå you choose to live, you will have walking or biking distance to almost everything, and the access to public transportation is good in districts mainly populated by students.

Student housing

Student apartments and dorm rooms are housing options reserved for students at an affordable price. If you are in search of that type of housing, you only have to compete with other students, which means that the queue time usually are reduced compared to other rental apartments.

In a student dormitory you will have your own room, but you will share some common spaces, usually the kitchen. Living in a dormitory isn’t for everyone, but could be a quick way for you to make contact with other students if you want to live the traditional student life.

queueing is key

The biggest range of student housing could be found at Bostaden External link, opens in new window., which is the municipality´s housing company. The private housing companies Heimstaden External link, opens in new window., Riksbyggen External link, opens in new window. and K2A External link, opens in new window. also offers student housing. Register your interest at multiple companies to increase the probability of finding a suitable option.

Rent or buy an apartment?

The districts of Umeå does for the most part have a good blend of tenancies and apartments. Umeå is a rapid growing city and new housing options are added continuously. If you are looking for alternatives to traditional student housing, there are plenty of alternatives close to campus. In Umeå there are a lot of different property owners, landlords and realtors who can help you in your search for housing.

Find your district!

Student housing could be found in many districts, like Ålidhem, Berghem, Carlshem, Liljansberget, Mariehem, Nydalahöjd and Tunnelbacken. These districts are highly populated by students.

Perhaps you already have found housing, but wants to know more about the neighborhood? Umeå municipality got a comprehensive guide about the districts of Umeå – for the ones interested.

Other ways of finding housing

There are many websites providing contacts or advertisements which can help you in your search for housing. Hemnet and Blocket are two popular Swedish websites used in the search for housing. Using Facebook groups and other contacts is another way. A lot of students uses the Facebook group Umeå Studentbostad to get news, tips and help discovering housing advertisements.

Be careful when searching for housing through smaller, less established channels. Just like in other cities with high demand for housing, attempted fraud is unfortunately still a problem.