Housing
The International Office of TU Dortmund University offers exchange students the service of reserving rooms in the dormitories of the Studierendenwerk Dortmund, since TU Dortmund University does not have its own residence halls, and furnished, affordable rooms are rare on the free housing market in Dortmund.
Accommodation Service
To request a room in a student dormitory, please complete the relevant fields in your application.
Please do not contact the Studierendenwerk Dortmund directly! For exchange students the request of rooms is only possible through the International Office of TU Dortmund University.
Exchange students are usually accommodated in shared flats of up to four people, but in some cases also in single apartments of the Studierendenwerk Dortmund. Students have their own bedroom in all dormitories. The allocation of dormitories and rooms is carried out by the Studierendenwerk Dortmund. Unfortunately, requests regarding the type and location of the dormitories cannot be taken into account (the only exception is if you have a physical handicap or are traveling with a child).
Shared Flats
You share the kitchen and the bathroom with your roommates. All shared flats are same-sex flats.
Single Apartments
You have your own bathroom in your apartment. Either you also have your own kitchen in your apartment, or you share a common kitchen in the hallway.
Barrier-free Rooms
The Studierendenwerk Dortmund offers barrier-free accommodation for people with disabilities. Please inform your contact at the International Office (see below) about your special needs, if you have not indicated this in your application.
The Studierendenwerk Dortmund is a legally independent institution that is not affiliated with TU Dortmund University. Since exchange students would have no chance of getting a place in the dormitories in the regular application process due to the high demand, TU Dortmund University has set up a cooperation agreement with the Studierendenwerk Dortmund. This service has been highly appreciated by exchange students for decades.
Students therefore sign a rental agreement with the Studierendenwerk Dortmund and not with TU Dortmund University. The rental contract will be sent by the Studierendenwerk Dortmund to the exchange students via e-mail some weeks before they arrive in Dortmund. The rental contract has to be signed and sent back to the Studierendenwerk Dortmund. You can cancel your reservation up to the signing of the contract within the deadline for return. After that, rental costs are due (you will receive further information in the Arrival Checklist after you have been accepted for your stay at TU Dortmund University).
You can read through a sample rental contract ("Mietvertrag Gaststudierende (Muster)") in German and English before you arrive. You can find all information here.
- Rental contract for exchange students (sample) German
- Rental contract for exchange students (sample) English
The rent for the dormitories is max. 480 EUR per month including incidentals (heating, water, electricity, waste disposal charges and internet) and a weekly cleaning service for the shared areas in the shared flats. Household contents insurance, telephone costs and broadcasting fees are not included.
The deposit for all dormitories, which must be transferred to the Studierendenwerk Dortmund in advance in order to complete the reservation, is 700 EUR. The deposit will be refunded when you move out, provided there are no defects or rent arrears.
Since the request for rooms by regular students and exchange students from both universities in Dortmund is extremely high and the application process is very competitive, TU Dortmund University has set up a cooperation agreement with the Studierendenwerk Dortmund to ensure accommodation for exchange students. This service has been highly appreciated by exchange students for decades. Against the background of this cooperation agreement, higher rents apply to exchange students due to the facts that (1) a special room contingent is reserved to ensure accommodation for exchange students, (2) exchange students rent the rooms for much shorter periods, which results in significant additional administrative work and loss of rent for the Studierendenwerk Dortmund during some months in summer, (3) these accommodations are especially equipped to avoid exchange students having to take care of all the equipment themselves and (4) an additional cleaning service is carried out (since this cleaning service ensures that the accommodations remain well-maintained despite the increased tenant turnover, the service cannot be cancelled).
Extending your accommodation
If you would like to extend the period of your rental contract with Studierendenwerk Dortmund for academic reasons, please send us a new accommodation request with the updated rental period.
We will then clarify with the Studierendenwerk Dortmund whether an extension is possible and give you a response as soon as possible.
Cancellation of accommodation
The dormitories can only be rented for whole months. Since the rooms are reserved for a fixed period of time, there is no need to give a separate notice at the end of your stay at TU Dortmund University. If you need to terminate the rental contract before your rental end date and/or need to leave prior to the rental end date - for whatever reason -, the cancellation deadlines apply, which will be communicated to you with the Arrival Checklist. Notice of termination must be submitted in writing.
Furniture
The Studierendenwerk Dortmund provides exchange students with a bed, desk and desk chair, a wardrobe closet, kitchen utensils, pillow and blanket (bed linen must be brought by one self, the measurements are for the pillow approx. 80 x 80 cm, for the blanket and sheet approx. 2 x 1,35 m).
Internet
There is unlimited Internet access in all dormitories through LAN. You must bring your own LAN cable for use.
You will find an illustrated dictionary published by Deutsches Studierendenwerk on the subject of "Everyday life and living in student dormitories" in German, English and Chinese here.
Private Accommodation Search
It is generally recommended that exchange students do not look for private accommodation, as this is usually associated with a great deal of effort and often confusing costs. Since the room contingent under the housing service mentioned aboive is limited, the International Office is not able to find a room last minute if your search on the free housing market is not successful.
Of course, you can still start your search and find accommodation, for example, by using the addresses listed below. You can find general information about what you should consider in this Housing Guide. Please also take note of recommendations for avoiding scams.
TU Dortmund University has partnered with HousingAnywhere.com, an international housing platform for students and interns. Through HousingAnywhere.com you can book an apartment from our outgoing students or verified landlords. There is a fee for booking an apartment. You can register for a TU Dortmund University VIP profile here to receive priority information about relevant offers in Dortmund. For further questions please contact viphousinganywherecom.
Broadcasting fee
In Germany, all households are charged a broadcasting fee of EUR 18.36 per month, which is used to finance not only the public broadcasters but also the public media authorities to ensure independent reporting. The broadcasting fee is charged for every household in Germany - regardless of whether or not broadcasting equipment is actually used - and must also be paid by international exchange students.
As the contribution is charged per apartment and not per resident, tenants in a shared apartment can share the broadcasting contribution.
You will receive a letter from the “ARD ZDF Deutschlandradio Beitragsservice”, which is responsible for the administration of the broadcasting fee, with a request to pay the broadcasting fee following your registration with the city.
Further information can be found here.
Contact
If you have any questions, please contact the team of Guest and Exchange Students.
E-mail: exchange-studentstu-dortmundde
Phone: +49 231 755-6373/7869
Office hours via Zoom: Please send us an e-mail to make an appointment
Office hours in presence: Tuesdays 13:30-15:00 pm. Please book an appointment here