Coming to Aachen as an international student: Housing Guide 2026

Why the Aachen housing market has particular challenges for international students

Aachen is a university city with around 60,000 students, most of them at RWTH Aachen University. RWTH is one of the most renowned technical universities in Europe and attracts thousands of international students from all over the world every year. This has a direct effect on the housing market: Demand is consistently high and supply is growing significantly more slowly. At the start of the semester in October and April, the situation is particularly tense. If you search too late, you won't find much.

For international students, in addition to this general pressure, there are three additional hurdles that you need to know so as not to waste time unnecessarily.

The first hurdle is language. A significant proportion of apartment advertisements in Aachen are written in German, and many private landlords expect all communication in German as well. Anyone who makes an enquiry in English often doesn't get an answer, not because the landlord is hostile, but simply because he is not prepared to go through the additional costs. In a market with many applicants for just a few offers, non-German-speakers have structurally poorer cards on the open market.

The second hurdle is Schufa information. Schufa is the German system for credit checks. Many landlords require Schufa information as part of the application documents. Anyone who comes to Germany for the first time has no Schufa history and simply cannot present this document. As a result, many offers on the traditional rental market are in fact not available to newly arrived international students, even if the money is available.

The third hurdle is distance. Writing a flatshare application about WG-gesucht is one thing. But many landlords and flatmates want a personal visit before they decide. If you are still sitting in Seoul, Tehran, Mumbai or São Paulo and want to move in in two months, you can't easily schedule this visit. As a result, many international students either fall for dubious offers because they come under pressure, or end up in expensive interim solutions.

An overview of realistic living options

There are four housing options in Aachen, which are generally suitable for international students. They differ significantly in terms of effort, costs and what they actually offer.

The student residence of the Studierendenwerk Aachen is the cheapest option. The residential complexes are well located, the prices are well below the free market. Depending on the system and size, a partially furnished individual apartment in a student residence costs between 300 and 450 EUR per month. That sounds attractive, and it is, but the key downside is the waiting list. Anyone who applies must expect to wait several months for a confirmation. To move into the winter semester in October, you should ideally apply as early as spring or early summer. If you miss that, you have to find another solution in the meantime.

The classic open-market flatshare is the second option. Shared rooms in Aachen currently cost an average of between 400 and 600 EUR per month, depending on location and equipment. The challenges for international students were described above: language barrier, lack of Schufa, no opportunity for a personal visit. Anyone who speaks German or knows someone who can help formulate a convincing application in German has better chances. Anyone who doesn't have that will have a harder time than applicants from Germany.

Private short-term rentals, i.e. hotels, hostels and Airbnb-like offers, are conceivable as a temporary solution, but expensive. Anyone who has to spend two to four weeks in Aachen while looking for an apartment at the same time quickly spends several hundred euros, which could be used more sensibly. This option is suitable as an emergency solution, not as a plan.

The fully furnished temporary apartment is the fourth option and in many cases the most pragmatic for international students. It solves the three main problems at the same time: It is immediately ready to move in, without furniture and without installation costs. It does not require Schufa information. And it can usually be booked completely online without the need for a personal on-site visit. You arrive in Aachen, drive to the address and move in directly. This is a fundamentally different start than four weeks in a hostel with a parallel search for accommodation.

What you need to prepare and bring with you before moving in

Regardless of which form of housing you choose, there are a number of documents and steps that you should prepare early on because they are required for almost everything in Germany.

The most important document is the certificate of enrollment or, if you have not yet enrolled, an official confirmation of admission from RWTH. This certificate is proof that you are actually studying and is required as a basis by almost every landlord.

There is also proof of your financial security. This can be an account statement showing that sufficient funds are available, a scholarship certificate, a financial confirmation from the parents or a declaration of guarantee. Landlords want to make sure that the rent can be paid. Anyone who provides this proof from the outset is taken more seriously.

You will also need your passport or identity card and, as soon as you have arrived, your residence permit or the corresponding visa.

One step that many underestimate is registration with the residents' registration office. Anyone who lives in Germany must register within two weeks of moving in. For this registration, you need a so-called landlord confirmation, a document that the landlord fills out and that confirms that you actually live there. This step is mandatory and at the same time the basis for opening a German bank account, for health insurance and for many other practical steps in a new everyday life. Anyone who lives in reputable accommodation will receive this confirmation from the landlord without any problems. It is worthwhile to clarify this explicitly before moving in.

Why the location of the apartment is particularly important at the beginning

If you don't know a new city at all, you need an apartment in a location that works right from the start, without having to orient yourself for weeks. In concrete terms, this means: short distances to university, functioning everyday infrastructure, easy accessibility.

For students at RWTH Aachen, the area surrounding Campus West is one of the best locations to choose from. From there, the campus is just a few minutes away on foot, supermarkets are within walking distance, the university sports center is also a few minutes away, and the city center can be reached in ten minutes. These are not abstract figures, but everyday realities that make the difference when you are new to a city and do not yet have a driver's license, do not know a car and are initially traveling on foot or by bicycle.

The Good Shepherd residential project is located right in this area, on Campus West of RWTH Aachen. The apartments are fully furnished, aimed at international tenants and allow you to move in immediately without the typical hurdles of the German housing market. This is a real advantage over the free market, especially for international students who come to Aachen without local networks, without Schufa and without knowledge of German. All details about the location: https://guterhirte-wohnen.com/lage

The most common mistakes when looking for accommodation as an international student in Aachen

The most common and most serious mistake is starting too late. Anyone who starts looking for an October semester in August has the market against them. Good offers close to the campus have often already been taken out at this stage. The realistic lead time is three to four months, i.e. a search that starts in June or July for an October move in.

Another mistake is relying exclusively on a single platform. WG-gesucht is the best-known platform for shared rooms in Germany, but it is not the only one. Immowelt, Immobilienscscout24, Facebook groups for students in Aachen and direct providers of fully furnished apartments are other sources that should be used in parallel.

One mistake that particularly affects international students is trusting offers without personal verification. Anyone who is under time pressure from abroad is more susceptible to dubious offers that sound too good to be true. Anyone who finds an offer that is well below the market price and requires advance payment by bank transfer abroad should be suspicious. Reputable landlords do not require a deposit before a contract is signed and have a verifiable address and accessibility.

And finally, many international students underestimate the cost of an unfurnished apartment. Anyone traveling from abroad and moving into an empty apartment must reckon with considerable set-up costs before actual student life begins. This is money that can be used more sensibly for studying, settling in and spending the first few months in Aachen.

conclusion

Looking for accommodation as an international student in Aachen is solvable if you start looking for accommodation early on, prepare the right documents and realistically evaluate the options. Fully furnished apartments offer the most advantages for beginners because they avoid the specific hurdles of the German housing market, are immediately ready to move in and enable a smooth start. A good location right on campus saves time and energy every day right from the start.

If you have any questions about availability or would like to request an apartment directly, you can contact the Good Shepherd team here: https://guterhirte-wohnen.com/kontakt