Accommodation at peak arrival times: temporary sleeping places for internationals without a room

Each year, many international students arrive in Groningen at the end of summer to study at the University of Groningen or Hanze University of Applied Sciences. Several parties have joined forces to provide temporary accommodation for this group of students during this time through the Student and Young People Housing Covenant. This year there are 120 temporary sleeping places.

Location

Stichting Studenten Huisvesting (SSH) has set up a location for accommodation at peak arrival times —an apartment building with 120 sleeping places at Plutolaan 329. This number was based on experiences in 2022 and should facilitate the expected demand. The building will provide eight single rooms and 56 two-person rooms. The rooms are meant for international students and can be booked via the website athomeingroningen.nl from 17 July onwards for the period of 11 August until 16 October.

Hospi Housing

Hospi Housing will also continue this year in Groningen. Sixty matches are expected to be made during peak arrival time, which brings the total number of available sleeping places to 180. It is temporarily allowed to sublet a room via Hospi Housing. Only one room may be sublet per year for a total period of six months. Hospi Housing connects international students with local hosts and host families.

Peak arrival times

Arrivals peak at the start of the academic year. New international students arrive while graduates have often not moved out of their rooms yet. Additional accommodation has therefore been arranged for the peak arrival time. Thanks to the Groningen Student and Young People Housing Covenant 2023-2026, institutions and organizations are able to find each other quickly and again jointly facilitate emergency accommodation. International students who have not yet found a room by July 2023 can reserve a room at the SSH’s temporary accommodation.

Joint message

Due to the high demand for accommodation, institutes of higher education, student organizations, and the municipality are communicating the following message to international students: ‘If you plan to study in Groningen, make sure you have found a room before 1 August. Should you still decide to come to Groningen without having a room, then you will most likely have to stay in hotels or hostels for quite some time–provided that they still have space. This will lead to high costs, discomfort, and stress. If you have not found a room before 1 August, we advise you not to come to Groningen.