DON’T MISS
IamExpat FairIamExpat Job BoardIamExpat Webinars
Newsletters
EXPAT INFO
CAREER
HOUSING
EDUCATION
LIFESTYLE
EXPAT SERVICES
NEWS & ARTICLES
Home
Education
Dutch news & articles
Hundreds of international students start school year without accommodation
Never miss a thing!Sign up for our weekly newsletters with important news stories, expat events and special offers.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy

Hundreds of international students start school year without accommodation

Never miss a thing!Sign up for our weekly newsletters with important news stories, expat events and special offers.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy
or
follow us for regular updates:



Related Stories

Landlords dodging Dutch rental rules to charge tenants higher ratesLandlords dodging Dutch rental rules to charge tenants higher rates
The Netherlands short 390.000 homes in 2023 The Netherlands short 390.000 homes in 2023
Rental prices in major Dutch cities soar as housing supply fallsRental prices in major Dutch cities soar as housing supply falls
July 2023: 17 things expats in the Netherlands need to know July 2023: 17 things expats in the Netherlands need to know
Overbidding on rental properties a growing trend in the Netherlands Overbidding on rental properties a growing trend in the Netherlands
The Netherlands to see 'significant dip' in construction of new homesThe Netherlands to see 'significant dip' in construction of new homes
Dutch government votes to ban temporary rental contractsDutch government votes to ban temporary rental contracts
New plan to tackle Amsterdam housing crisis, but expats might not benefitNew plan to tackle Amsterdam housing crisis, but expats might not benefit
For expats of all colours, shapes and sizes

Explore
Expat infoCareerHousingEducationLifestyleExpat servicesNews & articles
About us
IamExpat MediaAdvertisePost a jobContact usSitemap
More IamExpat
IamExpat Job BoardIamExpat HousingIamExpat FairsWebinarsNewsletters
Privacy
Terms of usePrivacy policyCookiesAvoiding scams

Never miss a thing!Sign up for expat events, news & offers, delivered once a week.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy


© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
Sep 8, 2021
Victoria Séveno
Victoria grew up in Amsterdam, before moving to the UK to study English and Related Literature at the University of York and completing her NCTJ course at the Press Association in London. She has a love for all things movies, animals, and food. Read more

It’s no secret that looking for student housing in the Netherlands is a struggle - especially for international students. As figures reveal that hundreds of international students have started the new academic year without housing, students have called on their Dutch counterparts to open room applications to all students, not just students from the Netherlands.

Hundreds of students in Groningen left without housing

Figures published by volunteer organisation Shelter our Students reveal that, in Groningen alone, hundreds of international students have been left homeless and, in spite of the fact that the school year has already begun, are struggling to find emergency temporary housing.

Marinus Jongman from Shelter our Students explained to NOS that this year the situation is worse than ever before. Not only is the housing market “completely locked up,” meaning graduates are less likely to leave their student accommodation, but over the past few years the university has seen a significant increase in the number of students. 

As the university’s emergency student shelter is already full - all 240 beds have been claimed - Shelter our Students is currently working to try and help international students find a place to live. Many are staying with friends or course mates, while others are forking out cash for hostels. The municipality has acknowledged the problem, telling NOS it is doing everything it can to help find temporary accommodation for all students in need. 

Accommodation only open to Dutch students or expats

Another growing problem is that landlords and Dutch students are unwilling to rent rooms out to internationals. “We know stories of international students who communicate by e-mail in Dutch with a landlord via Google Translate. Then there is no problem. But if they then call on the phone in English, they can no longer get the room,” says Jongman. 

More and more room adverts on Facebook and sites such as Kamernet and Pararius explicitly state “no internationals” or “Dutch only,” and international students are calling for an end to this discriminatory behaviour. 

In a Facebook group for rooms in Tilburg, one international student tags the local university, writing “I have had enough seeing houses just for Dutch. This is not correct, this is racism,” adding the hashtag “stopjustfordutch.” Another Dutch student questions why they regularly see rooms advertised as only for Dutch: “Is this pure racism or is it an experience that you all know that I know nothing about?” they asked.

By Victoria Séveno