Allocation conditions
Basic conditions
To qualify for a VUB room you will need to meet a number of conditions:
- You must be enrolled in a basic VUB programme, so a bachelor’s programme, an initial master’s programm or a preparatory programme. Students on an advanced master, doctorate, postgraduate… may also rent a VUB room, but are not at the top of the priority list.
- You study full-time under a diploma contract. ‘Full-time’ means you take on at least 54 credits. Students on credit and/or exam contracts do not qualify.
- You don't have a Flemish master’s degree yet.
- You are a good tenant. In other words, you have no outstanding rental payments and there are no reports of misconduct in the previous academic year.
Throughout the year, it will be checked if you meet the basic conditions.
Exceptions to the basic conditions
Under the equal opportunities policy, the following students who do not meet the basic conditions will still qualify for a VUB room:
- Students to whom a room on campus is essential to be able to start or finalize their studies, can use the Special Housing Procedure.
- Student athletes
- First-generation Medicine students
Don't agree?
Don't agree with a decision from Student Housing? Then you can lodge an appeal.
Room rates and rental agreement
The rent prices are adjusted annually in accordance with the increased living costs, in close consultation with the student council. The rent prices for academic year 2023-2024 will be known on 1 March at the latest.
Room rates VUB housing
Standard room rates for VUB housing in academic year 2023-2024 are:
- € 408,30 /month for a standard student room
- € 510,40 /month for a single studio*
- € 612,50 /month for a two-person flat**
Standard room rates for VUB housing in academic year 2024-2025 are:
- € 408,30 /month for a standard student room
- € 510,40 /month for a single studio*
- € 612,50 /month for a two-person flat**
Which includes:
- Internet connection
- Energy costs
- Fire insurance
- Repairs
- Weekly maintenance of the communal areas
Important: The security deposit is € 500. You must insure your personal possessions yourself (usually through your parents’ fire policy).
* Limited availability (12 in total), reserved for students with a medical need
** Limited availability (35 in total)
Standard rental agreement
The standard rental agreement for the 2023-2024 academic year runs for 12 months, starting on 18 September 2023 and ending on 9 September 2024. The rental agreement for the 2024-2025 academic year starts on 16 September 2023 and ends on 8 September 2025. Your decision to rent a VUB room is therefore a commitment for one full year. You cannot terminate the contract before the official end date. Exceptions being:
- Students that graduate or will no longer occupy a VUB room in the coming academic year; they can rent for a 10-month period.
- Students that travel in the first or second semester to a foreign country to study abroad. They can amend the rental period.
In theory you are not allowed to make your VUB room your official place of residence. An exception may be granted by Student Housing, provided a valid reason is given. In this case make sure to contact Student Housing before signing the rental agreement.
Standard rental agreement VUB room
Practical information about the rental agreement
Deadlines and allocation procedure
Want to rent a VUB student room? Make sure to apply on time!
You can submit your application for the current academic year (2023-2024) until 15 February. After this date, you can contact us via e-mail if you still want a room. You can submit an application for the next academic year (2024-2025) until 1 May 2024.
1 May
The application deadline for VUB housing is 1 May. Applications sent in after the deadline will be placed on the waiting list automatically.
Student Housing ranks all timely applications that meet the rental conditions in their priority category by application date.
15 May
After 15 May, rooms are allocated to students who applied before the deadline. Didn't get a room? You will be placed on the waiting list.
If you applied before the deadline and don't hear anything by the end of May, please contact Student Housing.
8 July
Students who have been allocated a room, must confirm the agreement by 8 July at the latest:
- You did not rent a VUB room last year? Then transfer a deposit of € 100 by 8 July at the latest, as stated in your confirmation email. The deposit is non-refundable, with the exception of first-generation students in Medicine who can not start because they did not pass the entrance exam.
- You rented a VUB room last year? Then confirm your room allocation through Student SelfService by 8 July at the latest. Log in, navigate to Main menu > Self service > Housing > Room confirmation and confirm.
Students who do not confirm their allocation by 8 July, irrevocably lose their right to a VUB room. Rooms for which we do not receive confirmation by the deadline are allocated to students on the waiting list.
Anyone who cancels their room after 8 July (and before signing the rental agreement) will be charged an administrative fee of € 100.
Beginning of August
From the beginning of August, the Housing staff publish the number of students on the waiting list per priority category weekly on WeAreVUB Student Platform. This waiting list will be updated regularly.
Late applications (after 1 May) will be continually added to the waiting list in accordance with the various priority categories. Student Housing will inform you if there is a room available for you. Rooms do become available even after the start and later in the course of the academic year.
Don't agree?
Don't agree with a decision from Student Housing? Then you can lodge an appeal.
Apply for a room
You can apply for a VUB room online. New students do this along with their application for a study programme.
Priority list
Who gets priority access?
Demand for VUB rooms outweighs the supply, so submitting an application does not guarantee that you will actually get a room. We use a priority system to allocate rooms (from high to low):
Room allocation in May
To allocate the VUB rooms in May, we use the following priority list (from high to low). Students who don't get a room at this time, or who send in their request after the deadline, are automatically placed on the waiting list (see below).
- Students reapplying to rent a VUB room for a 2nd time
- Students reapplying to rent a VUB room for a 3rd time
- New students who are starting higher education in or outside Flanders for the first time
- Students who have never had a VUB room before (regardless of whether they've been previously enrolled at the VUB)
- Students who have already rented a VUB room 3 or more times (and are reapplying)
- Students who don't meet the allocation conditions.
Waiting list
If you didn't get a room in May, or you sent in your request after the deadline, you are on the waiting list. As soon as any rooms free up (because of cancellations for example) they are allocated to students on the waiting list according to this priority list (from high to low):
| 1 | New students who are starting higher education in or outside Flanders for the first time |
| 2 | Students reapplying for 2nd time (not applicable) |
| 3 | Students reapplying for 3rd time (not applicable) |
| 4 | Students who have never had a VUB room before (regardless of whether they've been previously enrolled at the VUB) |
| 5 | Students who have already rented a VUB room 3 or more times (and are reapplying) |
| 6 | Students reapplying who submitted their applications after 1 May |
| 7 | Students who don't meet the allocation conditions |
Priority within the same category
If there are not enough rooms available to provide a room for everyone in a priority category, they will be prioritised by date of application. The earlier, the more priority.
No right to a VUB room
- Students displaying bad behaviour during the past academic year.
- Student who haven't paid their bills at Student Housing or any other service at VUB.
Exceptions to the priority list and application deadlines
In addition to the above priorities, certain students can get a room before all other applicants (regardless of the application deadline).
- Students to whom a room on campus is essential to be able to start or finalize their studies, can use the Special Housing Procedure.
- Student athletes
- First-generation Medicine students
Don't agree?
Don't agree with a decision from Student Housing? Then you can lodge an appeal.
Signing the rental agreement
10 days after receipt
The rental agreements for the 2022-2023 academic year will be signed digitally. By the end of August 2022 at the latest, everyone will receive an email requesting them to sign their rental agreement, containing all the required information. You must sign the rental agreement within 10 days of receipt via the link to the online platform Docusign. You don't need an ID card reader or Docusign account to do this, it is sufficient to follow the procedure and sign the document digitally with your signature.
Student Housing then receives the signed copy, in line with GDPR legislation.
Collect your keys
New inhabitants can then collect their key in their student house from Monday 18 September 2023:
- Student Houses XY: Student Housing, building X1 – ground floor, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Elsene
- Student House Schoofslaan/Triomflaan: tv-room 1st floor, Schoofslaan 12, 1160 Oudergem
- Student House Nieuwelaan: Nieuwelaan 149, Block 2, 1040 Etterbeek
- Student Houses Jette: Student Housing – building J, Laarbeeklaan 107, 1090 Jette
Special housing procedure
Students can be allocated a VUB room with priority access through a special procedure.
What?
You can only apply for a special housing procedure if a VUB room is necessary to successfully start or complete your studies. You have to prove that without a VUB room, it would be impossible to study at VUB and that you are not able to rent a room on the private market.
Especially medical and physical limitations or social or psychological reasons are considered. Financial arguments are not taken into account in this procedure. Students with financial struggles can resort to other forms of support.
How to apply?
To apply for the special procedure you mail the application form, medical certificate and any other documents needed to prove your unusual circumstances to social.financial.support@vub.be. You are also welcome during our permanence if you would like to discuss your application with us. A special housing procedure is valid for 1 academic year and, if necessary, you can apply for it again in the following academic year.
Application form 2023-2024
Application form 2024-2025
Medical certificate
When to apply?
Before the 1st May. After this date you can only submit an application if:
- the situation you are in is due to an incident that occurred after 1st May
- the situation you are in requires a VUB room to be able to begin or continue your studies
Rent allowance and communal taxes
Having a hard time paying for your student room every month? Then you can request a rent allowance as extra financial support, that doesn't need to be paid back.
We also give you an overview of the communal taxes to be paid if you live in Brussels, so you can check if you need to pay these or not.