Student accommodation in seven steps
-
Step 1: Find out which landlords have student apartments in the place of study. There is often a student housing company and student apartments with the municipal housing company.
-
Step 2: Get in line as early as the rules allow. With several landlords, you can start collecting queue days before you are admitted.
-
Step 3: Check the study requirement, for example 15 university credits per term, and whether you need to be a member of a student union.
-
Step 4: Apply for apartments when you have received your admission decision and respond on time when you receive an offer.
-
Step 5: Take out your own home insurance before you move in. Your parents' insurance does not apply when you have moved away from home.
-
Step 6: Make flyttanmälan (notification of change of address) to Skatteverket (the Swedish Tax Agency). The person moving to study should, as a rule, be registered in the population register at the place of study.
-
Step 7: Calculate housing benefit from Försäkringskassan (the Swedish Social Insurance Agency) if you are under 29 years old and have a low income.
How difficult is it to get a student apartment in 2026?
The Swedish National Union of Students examined 34 places of study in their housing report from 27 August 2026. Almost nine out of ten students live, according to the report, in a place where they cannot be offered their own, safe accommodation at the start of the autumn term. The rent level is considered too high in 23 of the 34 places. Several of the larger student cities changed from red to yellow this year. Yellow means that students get an apartment at the start of the term but at too high a rent, or that they have to wait far into the autumn term.
Source: Swedish National Union of Students: SFS Housing Report 2026.
Student accommodation in some of the major university cities
The information below has been checked with each landlord. The list is not complete, and the rules change, so read the queuing rules with the landlord before you apply.
| Place | Landlord | This applies |
|---|---|---|
| Stockholm | SSSB | You must be at least 17 and at most 50 years old during the year. Queue days are deleted when the rental agreement is signed. |
| Gothenburg | SGS Studentbostäder, Chalmers Studentbostäder | Queue from the year you turn 17. Study requirements and queue rules can be found in the guide for Gothenburg. |
| Lund | AF Bostäder | At least 15 higher education credits per term registered in Ladok at Lund University and membership in Studentlund each term. For corridor rooms, you can be at most 35 years old when the agreement is signed. |
| Linköping | Student apartments in Linköping | Over 4,000 apartments and corridor rooms. You must have turned 18 when the agreement is written and take at least 15 higher education credits per term. |
| Norrköping | Studentbo | Housing guarantee for admitted students at Linköping University and certain YH educations. |
| Uppsala | Uppsala Bostadsförmedling | Also mediates student apartments. When you get a student apartment mediated, it costs 500 kronor. |
| Umeå | Accommodation | The municipal company has about 5,000 student rooms, searchable on the internet. Register at the earliest the year you turn 16. |
Source: SSSB: Queue rules, SGS Studentbostäder: Apply for housing, Chalmers Studentbostäder: Rental rules from 2024-06-01 (PDF), AF Bostäder: Queue and rental terms, Studentbostäder i Linköping: homepage, Studentbostäder i Linköping: Search rules, Studentbo: Housing guarantee, Uppsala Bostadsförmedling: Queue and mediation rules, Umeå kommun: Housing, Bostaden: Apply for apartment.
What study requirements apply in a student apartment?
Student apartments are for those who study, and the landlord checks this. At AF Bostäder in Lund and Studentbostäder in Linköping, the requirement is at least 15 higher education credits per term. AF Bostäder also requires membership in Studentlund. SGS in Gothenburg performs an annual study check, and there you must cancel the apartment when you have completed your studies. Read therefore what your landlord says about study breaks or lower study rates.
Source: AF Bostäder: Queue and rental terms, Studentbostäder i Linköping: Search rules, SGS Studentbostäder: Study check 2026.
Find a regular rental apartment as a student
The student accommodation companies' queues are not always enough for the start of term. Therefore, also join the regular housing queue in the area. How it works in the cities we have guides for is stated in the guide to renting an apartment. If you rent a room or an apartment through subletting, other rules apply for rent and notice, see subletting and lodger.
Population registration, home insurance and housing benefit
Moving to another town to study, you are usually registered there, and this also applies to a student room. You need your own home insurance, as your parents' insurance does not apply when you have moved away from home. If you are 18 to 28 years old with a low income, you can get housing allowance, see housing allowance.
Source: Skatteverket: Report move as a student, Consumers': Things to consider before moving away from home, Försäkringskassan: Housing allowance to young people (under 29 years).
How do I terminate my student housing?
The notice period is stated in your contract. At SGS in Gothenburg, it is 1 to 2 calendar months, which is shorter than the three months that are usual in a rental apartment. Jordabalken sets an upper limit: you can always terminate a housing contract to a month change at the earliest three months after the notice. If you have rented for more than three months, the notice must be in writing.
Source: SGS Student housing: Termination, Jordabalken, 12 kap. (riksdagen.se). 12 kap. 4, 5 and 8 §§ jordabalken (the Swedish Land Code).
Common questions
What is the difference between student housing and student apartment?
Student accommodation is the collective term. It can be a corridor room with a shared kitchen or a private student apartment with a kitchen and bathroom. Both are rented out to those who study and meet the landlord's study requirements.
Can I sign up for the queue before I am admitted?
With several landlords, yes. With SSSB in Stockholm, you must be at least 17 years old during the current year, and with SGS and Chalmers Studentbostäder in Gothenburg, you can start the year you turn 17. Check the rules with the landlord at your study location
What happens to the queue days when I get a student housing?
At SSSB, the queue days are deleted when the rental agreement is signed. Several other landlords have similar rules, so read the queue rules before you accept if you want to change later
Can I get housing allowance as a student?
Yes, if you are 18 to 28 years old and have a low income. As a single person, you can earn a maximum of 86,720 kronor per year before tax, including the study grant from CSN (the Swedish Board of Student Finance), and the grant is a maximum of 1,300 kronor per month, according to Försäkringskassan 5 October 2026.