Student Housing
This page offers information about finding accommodation in Gothenburg as a student. If you are an exchange student, you will find specific information for you under the heading “Exchange student housing”. The other information on this page is intended to help all international students, regardless of whether you are coming to Gothenburg as a degree-seeking student or as part of an exchange programme.
Finding housing
Gothenburg is Sweden’s second largest city and is hugely popular not only with students, but also companies. Many people are moving to study and work in Gothenburg, causing a housing shortage. For this reason, we encourage you to begin looking for accommodation as soon as possible.
Although there is student housing in the city, it is near impossible to find accommodation in a student room in time for the start of the semester. In fact, it can take a year or longer before you receive an offer for student housing. Fortunately, there are other alternatives, such as renting a room in an apartment or home. Although many students would prefer private student housing, renting a room from a Swedish family can have advantages in terms of learning Swedish quicker and becoming familiar with Swedish culture and customs.
To maximize your chances of finding accommodation quickly, we recommend that you not limit your search to the city centre where the competition is the stiffest. Widen your search to include areas outside of the city centre as well. Public transportation in the city is effective and offers wide coverage, so staying outside the city centre is not a problem. You could always move closer to where your classes are later. The important thing is that you find somewhere to stay initially.
An alternative to a student room or apartment is to stay in a hostel or hotel. There are many hostels and hotels offering long-stay in Gothenburg. Contact the Gothenburg Visitor Centre for a list of all of them.
Gothenburg Visitor Centre
The University of Gothenburg offers accommodation to exchange students and can only offer housing to other categories of students (eg. master students) if we have vacancies.
Exchange student housing
The University of Gothenburg offers student rooms and apartments to exchange students within the Erasmus and Linnaeus Palme programmes, as well as to exchange students that come as part of a bilateral agreement.
Please note that you have to be nominated by your home university before applying. As an exchange student, you apply for housing as part of your application for exchange studies at the University of Gothenburg. In the application, just state that you would like to apply for student housing, and we will get back to you about the outcome.
If you are allocated a student accommodation, we will send instructions, including a code, for how to proceed to be able to register/continue the process at SGS/UGOT. Please note that you should not register at SGS before that since you will then be listed in the queue for all other students.
Housing information
Housing application results
If you have applied for student housing in Mobility Online we (Welcome Services at the University of Gothenburg) will send you an email to let you know the outcome of your housing application and how to proceed . The housing application deadline is 15 May/15 Nov and the result will be emailed approximately two weeks after the deadline.
Rent and payment
You will get your rent slip (web slip) each month on My Pages/Rent notes/invoices. It has all the information you need for payment.
Moving in dates and key pick-up
The official rental period starts on 15 August. You pick up your keys at SGS Customer Service, unless you arrive on 17 or 19 August. On those dates Welcome Services arranges the Arrival Days with key-pick up service.
Check My Pages (SGS Ugot) for information about SGS Customer Services's office hours and routines for key pickup. If you arrive outside office hours you can contact the Student Buddies to see if they may assist you with the key pick-up. Please not that you will have to fill in SGS's letter of authorization in that case.
At SGS Customer Service you will meet customer representatives who will help you in all matters.
- Address: Kaserntorget 11
- Opening hours Monday - Friday 09:00 - 16:00
- E-mail: kundservice@sgs.se
- Phone: +4631-333 63 00
Birger Jarl
Birger Jarlsgatan is located in Kungsladugård, in the western part of central Gothenburg. Previously a school, the building was later converted into a student residence. Right outside the house there is a park with a pond, ideal for picnics and outdoor activities. It is within walking distance of the park Slottskogen and Mariaplan, where you will find numerous stores and cafés.
All apartments in Birger Jarl are furnished with two single beds. This means that you can decide whether you want to live alone in the apartment or look for a roommate. Either way, only one tenant will sign a housing contract and be liable for rent payment.
Fridhem
Fridhemsgatan is located in the Sandarna district in Majorna, which is one of the most popular places to live in the city.
From Fridhemsgatan, it only takes 13 minutes with the tram to reach the sea and the Saltholmen ferry station, from where you can explore the amazing archipelago. There is a big park called Slottskogen nearby and also Mariaplan, which is an area with restaurants, stores, and coffee shops.
Helmutsro
Helmutsrogatan is located near Olofshöjd, both areas being about a 15-minute walking from the city centre. There are several large supermarkets nearby. From Helmutsrogatan, it is a 10-minute walk to the Safjället nature reserve, with beautiful nature and a 2.5 km running track.
Kastanjebacken
If you live in Kastanjebacken in Kålltorp, you will be near the Delsjön nature area with a large forest and several lakes. Close by is the Skatås area with exercise facilities and running trails. At Munkebäcksmotet (junction), there is a supermarket called ICA Kvantum and in Munkebäckstorg you will find small shops. There are also cosy cafés in the area.
- More information about Kastanjebacken is found on our website.
Kviberg
The Kviberg area is a newly built student residential area situated in the northeast of Gothenburg, very close to nature. The surroundings are perfect for outdoor activities like walking and running. Scandinavia’s largest multisport arena has a 1.2 kilometre indoor ski track. In the weekends, a popular flea market is held in the former Kviberg regiment stables, which is located nearby.
Olofshöjd
Olofshöjd is the main student residential area, a “campus area” where a lot of students live. Not only centrally located, it also includes little gardens, groceries, restaurants, and much more. Humanisten, where Swedish language classes are held, are a 10 minute walk away. Olofshöjd is also close to Korsvägen, an important hub for public transport.
Rosendal
The Rosendal area is a student residential area surrounded by beautiful nature, including lakes and woods. The nearby area, Skatås, is perfect for outdoor activities like walking, running, swimming, and ice skating. There are also groceries and restaurants adjacent to the buildings. In the Rosendalshallen sport hall, students can play badminton, volleyball, and other sports.
If you want more detailed information about the student residence areas please visit SGS website and read under the section "Our homes".
No Housing Guarantee
Please note that the University does not guarantee housing. There is a shortage of housing in Gothenburg, which affects student accommodations during the autumn.
For information about alternative housing options, please read the section below under the heading “More ways to find housing”.
SGS, for all international students
All international students (including doctoral students) can apply for accommodation through SGS, which is a foundation managing Gothenburg’s largest range of student accommodation. You can register as soon as you are considering applying to the University of Gothenburg to maximize your time in the queue. This will increase your chance of getting an apartment or room.
Even though the waiting time is normally about one and a half years, it is not impossible to be offered an accommodation through SGS faster. After the 15th of the month, any apartments that have not yet been rented out and are available from the upcoming month are advertised through the service Direct on SGS website. At the end of the month, any apartments that are unoccupied for the upcoming month are advertised and offered through the service Last Minute (first come, first serve). Accordingly, it can pay off to keep a close eye on SGS and to check in frequently.
Frequently asked questions
Sometimes it is not possible to find housing in time for the start of the semester. In that case, you may have to start the semester in a hostel or staying with friends. Fortunately, finding a place to stay is easier once you are here in person.
While finding somewhere to stay at this point may feel rather hopeless and impossible, experience from previous years suggests that it is both possible and indeed probable that you will find somewhere to stay within two weeks of the start of the semester.
If you have been limiting your search to housing in the city centre or near your faculty, we would recommend that you look outside the city centre as well. Public transportation in the region is efficient and offers wide coverage, making commuting by bus, tram, or commuter train a viable option. You can always move close to the city centre later on.
As a rule, never pay anything in advance. Wait until you have seen the flat and have the keys before paying anything.
You can read more under the "how to avoid scams" section.
Although Sweden is a family-friendly country, finding family accommodation in Gothenburg is really difficult. So you may want to consider coming here alone initially, while you look for family accommodation. Regardless of if your family travels with you or joins you later, you should still apply for your residence permit as a family to ensure that the processing time is as short as possible.
There are many hotels and hostels in Gothenburg.
For very short stays on a tight budget, Couchsurfing may also be an option.
A UGOT code is a form of login code, specifically for exchange students to use when registering with SGS Student Housing. If you are not part of an exchange programme but are still asked to fill in a UGOT code when registering with SGS, you have probably selected the wrong queue.
If this happens, you should restart the application process and choose the queue option called “studentlägenhet” (Eng. Student flat) instead. You will not be asked to fill in a UGOT code. If restarting the form does not work, you need to either use another browser or clear your cache and cookies before restarting the application process.
Move to Gothenburg web portal
The Move to Gothenburg web portal provides a lot of helpful information about finding a home in, and around, Gothenburg. Regardless of whether you are coming to the city to study or to work, you will find useful tips about where to look, how to expand your search, and what to keep in mind. You can read about tenancy rights, different aspects of renting first hand and second hand, what to think about if you are contemplating buying a home, and much more.
About the Move to Gothenburg initiative
This is a collaborative initiative aimed at attracting and welcoming skilled internationals. The initiative is run as part of a regional platform comprising stakeholders from the business community, academia, the city, and the region.
Avoid scams
Just like everywhere else, there are fictive landlords trying to trick you. You should be careful about “too good to be true” offers.
Also, make sure that you
-
never transfer a deposit to the landlord until you or a friend has actually seen the lease and place;
- insist on having a written leasing contract when you agree with a landlord to let or sublet a room/flat;
- use an authorized leasing contract.
- Form a picture of the situation, not the person.
- Check with the property owner that the person is the occupier of the flat.
- Require identification of the landlord and a tenancy agreement.
- Never pay deposit or rent in advance before you have visited the accommodation and a contract is signed.
- Be wary if the landlord is abroad or cannot meet you.
- Do not pay money via anonymous payment services.
- Bring a friend or family member when you visit the accommodation. Four eyes can easier reveal fraud. If an offer sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
- If you have been the victim of fraud, it is important that you report this to the police.
Adelric Wong's housing story
In my first year in Gothenburg, securing a place was rather difficult, so I signed up with several housing queues in the meantime to secure queue time, but realistically, I knew I had to find a place to stay there and then. So, with minimal availability or alternatives otherwise, I turned to booking places via Airbnb, moved from one place to another every few months. Then, I found a room in a shared apartment through private rentals via Boplats, and stayed there for some months. Following that, I obtained long-term accommodation through SBS and stayed at the Lindholmen container apartments. I stayed there pretty long, before I was eligible in my second year of studies with sufficient student housing queue time with SGS and applied for an apartment near Lindholmen near one of my friends so we could become neighbours. It was definitely a wild journey in my first year, constantly changing neighbourhoods and adjusting to new housing environments.
Any advice to future students regarding this?
My suggestion to new students is that you should be willing to make an initial compromise and stay out of your comfort zone while upgrading your living situation over time whenever opportunity and availability presents itself, but it is best to not be too picky for the first few accommodations you get, especially if you lack any significant queue time as there are more pressing matters to focus on, such as university studies.
