Accomodation for international students | International students - Student

Accommodation for International Students

Accommodation for International Students

As a student at OsloMet, you can apply for student housing through the Student Welfare organisation (SiO), or you can look for accommodation on the private market. We have gathered some sources of information and a few pieces of advice for you.

Do you know where where you want to live in Oslo? Here is a guide to some of the different areas of the city.

  • Housing with the Student Welfare organisation (SiO)

    As a student at OsloMet, you can apply for affordable student housing through the Student Welfare organisation (sio.no). You can apply for student housing as soon as you have applied to OsloMet.

    Prioritised students

    In semesters when OsloMet have more international students coming than SiO has available student housings for, some groups of international students will be prioritised for student housing if they apply within the requirements.

    The prioritised groups are:

    • Master's degree students from Non-EU/EEA countries.
    • Exchange students from Non-EU/EEA countries.

    The requirements are:

    • Apply for a single room.
    • You have to choose “Yes” when asked if you want a similar housing units. 
    • Apply within the deadline. If you miss the deadline, you will not be prioritised for student housing.
    • Select 2 January or 1 August as your moving in date.

    You will only receive one housing offer. If you decline, this will end your application and you will no longer be prioritised. Each time you reject an offer you will be moved to the end of the queue. 

    Please note that being on the prioritised housing list does not mean that you are guaranteed to receive a housing offer from SiO.

    Type of housing

    In order to increase your chances of getting an offer from SiO, choose “Yes” when asked if you want a similar housing units. OsloMet’s agreement with SiO concerning student housing only covers single room student housings. 

    Family housing

    There is a very high demand on family/couple housing. Please note the very important information about family/couple housing through SiO:

    • If you apply for family/couple housing, you are not prioritised and risk not to get an offer in time.
    • Apply for housing as soon as you applied to OsloMet
    • Inform SiO that have recieved your admission from OsloMet when you do so.
    • You can expect to be on the waiting list for a very long time, even more than a semester. 
    • If you choose to apply for family/couple housing, OsloMet cannot help you if you do not get an offer in time. We have no impact on SiO’s waiting list.

    How to apply

    1. Apply for SiO housing (sio.no) as soon as possible and no later than the deadline.

    The sooner you apply for housing, the better your chances are of getting the room you want. As long as you have already applied to OsloMet, you can apply for housing. 

    Deadlines:

    • 31 May Autumn semester
    • 31 October Spring semester

    2. Choose a room

    • If the room you want is not available when you apply, choose the room anyway. It may be available by the time you arrive in Oslo.
    • Only apply for an offer you can accept.
    • Select 2 January or 1 August as your moving in date.
    • Select more than one student house (if your first choice has no availability, your second, third or sixth choice might).
    • Under “Social Security Number” you must fill in your date of birth in the format of DDMMYY.

    3. If you receive an offer

    • You will receive an e-mail confirming that your application is registered including what SiO calls a "Personal Identity Number" (this can take a few days to process after you have applied).
    • Use this temporary personal identity number to register as a new user in SiO's MyPage.
    • You will also receive an e-mail after you have been allocated housing with a housing offer, which you will need to accept.
    • Even if what SiO offers is not what you initially wanted, we advise you to accept it as you will only receive one offer. If you do not accept it, you will be at the bottom of the waiting lists. You may apply for internal moving after you have arrived in Oslo. 
  • FAQ about student housing with the Student Welfare organisation (SiO)

  • Private housing

    Looking for short-term housing on the private market can be challenging as there is high pressure on student housing, but we have a few general pointers to help you along the way.

    In general, start looking early, but never commit or pay without having seen the room/apartment. June/July are months with high turnover and a fair number of availabilities, while in August new students arrive, and availabilities are fewer. 

    Below are a few useful websites where you can start your housing search. If you find something of interest, we recommend that you send a message with more details than simply a question of availability. In Norway, it is common to introduce yourself when responding to housing adds to establish trust and set yourself apart from other interested parties, so tell the potential landlord a little bit about yourself.  For example, you can write about what you do, where you are from, your interests, whether you have a scholarship/part-time job, if you have pets or smoke, if you have prior renting experience, or other aspects of you that might make a positive impression and elicit a response. Think of your message as part job application, part social introduction!

    Remember: When you do find a place to rent, make sure you are offered a proper housing contract and read it thoroughly before signing it. You can ask to use a Standard Tenancy Agreement (forbrukerradet.no).

  • Rental agencies

  • Avoid being scammed

    As everywhere in the world, there are people with bad intentions. Please keep this list of ‘red flags’ in mind when you look for accommodation:

    • Never give your credit card information to anyone.

    • Be cautious if you are asked to transfer money to a foreign account, or if the landlord is unwilling to show you the room/apartment or is difficult to reach.

    • Never transfer a deposit before the landlord has shown you the room/apartment.

    • If you are renting private accommodation: Do not transfer the deposit into a private bank account. The landlord and the tenant should visit the bank together to open a deposit account.

    • Try finding the house on Google Maps. The address and pictures should make sense with the information in the advertisement.

    • Be cautious if the rental is considerably lower than for a similar apartment/room in the same area.

    • If something seems too good to be true – it usually is!