Once accepted at a university, and the steps taken to ensure your departure, the search for housing on-site is certainly the next step for you.

But how to find accommodation in a foreign country? Do I have to have a home before I leave? Is it easier to find on the spot? So many questions we will try to answer.

What are the steps to effectively search for student housing?

Whatever your destination, several key steps are recommended to effectively search your future student room:

Step 1: Learn about important city information

Where is your university? Where is the city center? Are there neighborhoods favored by students? What is the average budget for a home that meets your expectations? In which area is it interesting to search for your home? Is it difficult to find a student room in your host city? So much information easy to obtain on the web or by asking directly your questions on the social networks of your future university.

Step 2: Determine exactly what you are looking for

Is it an individual or shared room? Do you need an apartment that is already fully furnished, or do you want to furnish it yourself? Are you looking for French or fully international roommates? Is a good internet connection essential? Depending on the type of housing, you will sometimes have to make some concessions.

Step 3: Find out about the university residences available from your host university

University residences very often have rooms reserved for international students and are generally the easiest solution. For most destinations, university residences can be public or private, and offer offers to correspond to all budgets. There are study abroad consultants offering only what you need to study, while high-end private homes appear in major cities and offer services sometimes very close to the best hotels!

However, in some countries, this type of residence can be very restrictive with regard to the rules of life (example: curfew at 22h in India, no friend allowed during the night in Mexico). It is important to read the rules before booking a room, at the risk of being surprised by the constraints on your arrival. In general, this type of rule is rare, and if they cause you problems, it is then advisable to turn to private housing.

Step 4: Learn about web portals for housing research specific to your host country

Each destination usually has its own “Leboncoin” where ads for student rooms are offered. The names change, but the concept remains the same! It is most certainly here that you will find the most private apartment offers and roommates.

Step 5: Browse social networks in your city or academic institutions

There are usually many Facebook pages for students from the same city or school in each city. Join as many of them as possible to discover ads for students only!

For even more opportunities, it is advisable to publish on these pages a short presentation of yourself, with your age, the length of your stay, your expectations, and your passions. This will allow students with a room available in their roommate to offer you, while newly arrived students will not hesitate to contact you.

Step 6: Book your accommodation before your departure or once there

Once you have a good idea of the possibilities available to you, all you have to do is choose between private accommodation or university residence, roommate, or single room. As soon as you find the accommodation that meets your expectations, book it online if you have the option, or wait to be on-site to validate your installation definitively with the help of study abroad consultants in Dubai.