Is there a nice way to put this? Housing in Munich is both hard to find and more expensive than anywhere else in Germany. There. Against that background, everything else in this section will be good news.
The situation is not hopeless. Students do live here. Housing is already arranged for Programmstudenten (exchange students), and there is some subsidized university housing available. For private housing the city offers a variety of solutions, from student co-ops to rooms in homes (see below).
The Studentenwerk (student services) offers very limited university housing. Rooms are guaranteed to Programmstudenten. Other students may apply, but honestly chances are minimal, so we suggest you pay more attention to the section on private housing. University rooms are furnished and cost EUR 125 – 250 with a deposit of EUR 200.
Programmstudenten will receive an Antrag auf Zimmerreservierung (request for room reservation) from the International Office along with their letter of admission. The International Office can only place students at the beginning of a semester. The Antrag must be sent to IA by July 15 for a room in Winter Semester, or January 15 for a room in Summer Semester. It will then be forwarded to the Studentenwerk.
If you receive an assignment, the Studentenwerk will send you information about your room, a rental agreement and instructions. Rent is withdrawn directly from your bank account, so once you arrive in Munich you first sign your lease then immediately set up a bank account to transfer funds.
The Studentenwerk cannot take special requests for rooms (single, double etc.) into account, and International Affairs has absolutely no influence over the selection process. Also, if you get a room you don’t like, you can’t switch it with another student. If the room is unsuitable, you’ll just have to look for private housing.
The International Office can’t help you look for private accommodations. Below we name several sources for listings, student services that will help, and prominent on-campus locations to check for announcements. We’re also big fans of the Studentenwerk website on housing. It offers some general information, a few additional alternatives we don’t discuss and a referral service with its own listings.
Otherwise there are the newspapers we describe here and the accomodation agencies we list in a separate link. In a pinch there are very short-term accomodations available as well.
If you have to hunt for your own place, keep in mind some basics:
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Newspapers in Munich still offer the best advertisement listings for apartments. If you’re buying the print edition, you’ll want to get it the evening before it officially appears and call advertisers as soon as possible:
5ZKDB: 5 rooms (zimmer) with kitchen (küche), hallway (diehle) and bathroom (bad). Flats are advertised with their total number of rooms, not just bedrooms.
400 € + NK: 400€ basic rent plus extras (nebenkosten)
EBK: Built-in kitchen (einbauküche)
Zi. i. WG: room in WG
KM: basic rent (kaltmiete)
Wfl.: living area in sq. m (wohnfläche)
G-WC: separate toilet (gang-WC)
OG: upper floor (obergeschoss)
TG: underground garage (tiefgarage)
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Notice boards
Just like at any school, bulletin boards have all sorts of announcements and offers. You can find ads from people offering rooms or looking for roommates. They’re also really good sources for short- and medium-term rooms. Check out the most common spots:
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