The city of Gothenburg is a popular place to study, which means that there is a very high demand for housing. For the same reason it can be very difficult to find a place to live, especially in the central parts of the city. You are expected to take action to find housing yourself, and the steps differ depending on whether you are a fee-paying student or not. Regardless, it is important that you take part of the information on this page as soon as you are admitted to Chalmers.
Move to Gothenburg
Finding a place to call home is an important part of settling into a new country. Here you will find information on the various forms of housing and where to start your search.
Housing guarantee
Applicable for:
- Fee-paying programme students (including scholarship awardees)
- Nordic5Tech
- Erasmus Mundus (not internship/thesis work)
- Double Master's Degree (University of Stuttgart and Eurecom)
- UNITECH
- Exchange students from partner universities outside of Europe
Students within the categories above are covered by Chalmers' housing guarantee. This means that you are guaranteed an offer of accommodation, it does not mean that your rent will be covered by the university. You will receive an e-mail with an offer for a single occupancy accommodation from one of the housing agencies that we cooperate with (long-term or temporary) well ahead of time before arriving. If your studies begin in the fall, the accommodation offers are sent out from time to time during the summer, and the first distribution are sent out in the mid-June. The e-mail will include the actions you must take to utilize the offer.
Please note that the offer will be sent to the e-mail address you provided when you applied to Chalmers. The accommodations are distributed randomly, and you will only receive one offer, so you cannot choose where to live.
If you get an offer and choose not to answer or turn it down, the guarantee is not valid anymore and you will have to search for accommodation by yourself. You must accept your offer within a few days.
Before you move into the assigned accommodation you must pay the first rent. If for some reason you cannot come here, you cannot request a refund of the rent.
The guarantee is limited to one person (i.e., not partner, nor family). The accommodation can either be a one-room apartment, a single room with shared kitchen (sometimes shared bathroom as well). Chalmers do not have agreement regarding larger accommodations than that.
The start and end dates for your rental contract may differ from the academic year and the scheduling of courses.
Not guaranteed housing
Applicable for:
- Non-fee-paying students
- Erasmus
- Enhance
- Internship/Thesis work
If you belong to any of the above categories, you are not guaranteed housing. This means that you must apply for accommodation by yourself. It is important that you register for the student housing agencies' queues as soon as possible (read more about the agencies below). The queue time at the housing companies that Chalmers have an agreement with is approximately 1,5 years.
You can also find private landlords or other housing companies to rent housing from, and more information about this option can be found further down on this page.
Rights and obligations in housing
The duration of the lease is settled in advance. If the moving in date falls on a weekend or public holiday, you may move in the first weekday after the weekend.
It is 3 months’ notice, and you pay rent for the whole months in advance. A tenant wishing to move out prior to the expiry date must send a written notice to the housing company three whole months before intending to move. Notice must have been received by the landlord at the latest the last weekday before the start of the notice period.
The tenant is fully responsible for the rented accommodation. It is very important to pay the rent on time. Otherwise, you are not allowed to keep the accommodation. Tenants must pay for any repair costs due to damage to the property, damage to any appliances in kitchens and laundry rooms and damage due to neglected cleaning caused by the tenant. Smoking is forbidden inside the flat and in the building.
You must achieve at least 15 credits each semester. A tenant who does not fulfil these conditions does not have the right to keep the accommodation.
Housing agencies that Chalmers works with
Chalmers mainly have agreements with two housing agencies – SGS Studentbostäder and Chalmers Studentbostäder (CSB). Make sure to apply directly to each of these agencies (only if you are not covered by the housing guarantee). Sometimes Chalmers also have temporary agreements with other housing companies. Applications for accommodation are submitted online during specific time periods for different categories of students.
All administration - i.e., contracts, keys, payments etc. – are handled by the housing agencies, not by Chalmers. It is very important that you follow the applicable rules wherever you live.
SGS Studentbostäder
Housing agency SGS Studentbostäder has rooms in several parts of the city. On their website, you will find information about the rules that apply for their housing; including keys and contracts, rent and payments, and what is expected before departure.
SGS Studentbostäder
College and university students in Gothenburg can apply for accommodation here.
Chalmers Studentbostäder
Housing agency Chalmers Studentbostäder (CSB) offers housing nearby campus Johanneberg. On their website, you will find information about the rules that apply for their housing; including keys and contracts, rent and payments, and what is expected before departure.
Chalmers Studentbostäder
Chalmers Studentbostäder is a foundation that offers Chalmers students accommodation close to our campus areas.
Private landlords
There is also the option to arrange your housing through private landlords or other websites/social media. If you stay with a private landlord you need to make sure to receive information of what is included in the rent, i.e., heating, water, electricity, Wi-Fi, furniture etc. Make sure not to sign any contracts or pay any money(!) before you have visited the accommodation, to avoid getting scammed. Frauds should always be reported to the police.
Useful links when searching for accommodation:
Blocket
Boplats
Colive
Forenom
Företagsbostäder
Göteborgs Vandrarhem
Holterman Hostel
SBS Studentbostäder i Norden
Waterfront Cabins
More information, good to know:
Rights and obligations in housing
Move to Gothenburg
Study in Sweden
Travelling to and from campus areas
Usually, you can travel from one side of Gothenburg to the other within 30 minutes by bus, tram, ferry, or bike. The public transport is well designed and whether you study at Campus Johanneberg or Campus Lindholmen, you can always access the campuses in an efficient way. On the public transport travel planner website and app, you get an idea of the travel time and distances to and from our campus areas.
Travel planner
Approximate travelling time
Housing standard in Sweden
Normally a room in a student dormitory is furnished, which means a higher rent. Rents vary between 4000–8000 SEK/month, including Wi-Fi, electricity, heating and water. The housing provided by Chalmers’ partner agencies are furnished, but you need to arrange items such as: pillow, duvet, sheets, towels and kitchen utensils. (You can find reasonably priced housing items at both furniture- and food stores).
Contact: accommodations@chalmers.se if you have questions about housing.
Study in Sweden
Before you move, you’ll need to find somewhere to live. And make sure you’ve got your student budget on track.
Coming with family
If you are planning on bringing your family with you to Gothenburg, there are some things to consider – both in the planning process and after your arrival. On this page you will find a lot of information that will help you, and your family members, prepare for a life in Sweden.
